Heather McDowell is the newly appointed executive director of the Stratford Pride Community Centre (SPCC).
Having started the job earlier this week, McDowell sat down with StratfordToday to speak on her priorities moving forward.
Top of the list is community collaboration.
“I think COVID really created a culture of scarcity,” McDowell said. “And so I think organizations really had to lean on one another in order to support people … One of the great things I think that did come from COVID was this shift from a mindset of scarcity to a mindset of abundance … our doors are open, come join us, we're happy to have you.”
McDowell explained that she was pleasantly surprised at all the intersecting points that became obvious once she started working.
“Every time we speak to people or go out in the community, an organization approaches us to say, ‘hey, we would like to partner with you on this’ or ‘we would like help with this.’ And so it really speaks to there being a greater need than we had anticipated.”
Recently, SPCC announced a partnership with the local Children’s Aid Society, starting a conversation about linking LGBTQ+ youth with foster parents of the same community.
McDowell is ready for the challenge that lays ahead.
“I'm just getting my feet wet and getting organized,” McDowell explained.
According to the SPCC, McDowell is one of three similar executive directors in the province, the others are in Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto.
The examples set by those already established positions are helpful, McDowell reasoned, but there is a key difference: the rural component.
McDowell is aware that the SPCC is a regional centre and wishes to be a resource for the wider-community outside of Stratford. Having such a wide coverage area is unique for the SPCC.
To that end, bolstering the organization’s online presence is a priority.
At the same time, McDowell strives to make the centre more than just an educational resource.
“It doesn't always have to be a lecture and really formal,” she assured. “We can also use this space to have fun as well and to just make sure that people get some enjoyment out of the space.”
In recent years, there has been a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, both abroad and closer to home.
McDowell said that though being a philosophically safe space, and a fun space is important, given the hate recently it is imperative to also be a physically safe space.
More partnerships getting started
One such community partnership is getting going, though the organizer is requesting help.
The SPCC is assisting with getting a non-binary support group started.
Paulie Toner, who goes by he/she/they pronouns, has lived in Stratford for 12 years now. He frequented a non-binary support group in Kitchener-Waterloo, even though he lived in the Festival City, simply because it was the closest one.
“It’d be lovely to have something here,” Toner told StratfordToday “Just getting together for coffee and sharing experiences.”
His vision is to have an informal get-together periodically. Sharing experiences is important, he argued, especially since there is such "hostility" to non-binary and transgender people.
Now semi-retired, Toner said that it is vital for young people to have mentors and peer-support. It isn’t about activism, it's about a network, he said.
As non-binary, Toner also said that he hopes that the greater transgender community comes out as well. In his words, all non-binary and trans folk are welcome.
Without a big digital footprint, Toner is looking to get the ball rolling for the group, but to leave promotion to people who are better equipped at navigating social media.
Anyone interested in getting involved can contact the Stratford Pride Community Centre.
