Alex Fuller
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER
PHOTO BY ALEX FULLER // The Etobicoke division of the Queer Connections project: (from left) participants Mack Patterson, Nicole Gorniak and Carissa Stumpo, and instructor Dagny Thompson.
Queer Connections, a joint project started by Charles Street Video and the Art Gallery of Ontario, is a film project specifically for lesbian, gay and transgender youth that runs across GTA until early December.
The program, which is for young individuals ages 14-21 across Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough, is running for the first time this year and aims to bring together three such groups outside of the downtown core.
Each of the three groups of participants has been producing videos to be reviewed and responded to by the other groups, which gives thema chance to have their messages heard while expressing themselves to their peers at a distance.
Pamela Snell, program co-ordinator at Charles Street Video and leader of the Queer Connections program, said creating a conversation between LGBTQ individuals is a central idea of the project.
“They seem really excited about it,” Snell said of the participants.
She said they seem glad of the opportunity to have access to an LGBTQ-friendly program and environment.
“I think that it’s been going really good,” said Etobicoke participant Nicole Gorniak. “I feel that it’s really educational for us.”
“It’s a great experience,” said fellow participant Carissa Stumpo. “I’m having a lot of fun.”
People in the club said they joined for a variety of reasons, including interest in filmmaking and interest in getting involved in the LGBTQ community.
Each of the program’s divisions meet twice weekly until Dec. 8, when all of the project’s participants will come together at the AGO, said Snell.
“I think that they’re going to be really proud,” Snell said of the participants’ work, all of which will be screened in full at the Dec. 8 meeting.
“I think it’s fantastic, honestly,” said first-year early childhood education student Curtis McRoberts, 19.
McRoberts said it is excellent that the Queer Connections project is “shining a light,” because helping LGBTQ youth to overcome challenges is very important.
The videos produced by the program participants are viewable at
queerconnection.blogspot.com.
This is an amazing project. The safe environment felt by the participants was created by the facilitator, Dagny but also because of the partnership with the local community arts organization, Lakeshore Arts. We provided free space for this project to be made possible within the community and were instrumental in the outreach process. It’s unfortunate that this was overlooked in the article.