PROGRAMS & SERVICES

Various support groups and clinics are hosted and supported by the Rainbow Resource Centre. Support groups are facilitated by volunteer members of that community. 

Anti-homophobia Education:

During the school year, the Rainbow Resource Centre facilitates workshops and  anti-homophobia education presentations for students from Grade 4 to Senior 4. 

Breaking Barriers:

Addressing Homophobia in Health Care and Service Delivery

The Rainbow Resource Centre provides education and outreach that assists health care, educators, and social service providers in addressing the barriers faced by GLBTT adults and youth. Three Breaking Barriers workshops have been developed and delivered to professionals and pre-professionals.

A Professional Development Workshop for Care Providers

Description: A half-day interactive workshop which sensitizes participants to the barriers faced by gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and persons living with and/or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Benefits: Participants will gain practical knowledge in how to make their services more accessible and embracing of sexual diversity.

Workshop facilitators are non-judgemental, trained in adult education, and encourage participation and sharing of skills and knowledge.

***Please note that effective September 2005, the Rainbow Resource Centre will be charging a fee of $75/hour for Breaking Barriers workshops.

The development and pilot of the Breaking Barriers workshop was funded by Health Canada AIDS Community Action Program.

A Professional Development Workshop for Educators and Youth Workers

Description: A half-day or full-day interactive workshop which sensitizes participants to the barriers faced by gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered youth.

Benefits: Participants will gain practical knowledge in how to make their services more accessible and embracing of sexual diversity.

Workshop facilitators are non-judgemental, trained in adult education, and encourage participation and sharing of skills and knowledge.

***Please note that effective September 2005, the Rainbow Resource Centre will be charging a fee of $75/hour for Breaking Barriers workshops.

The development and pilot of the Breaking Barriers workshop was funded by Health Canada AIDS Community Action Program.

Comments from participants

• Nice balance between participant involvement and "lecture". All content was relevant. Excellent dialogue.
• Lots and lots of food for thought to begin the process of learning in our schools.
• Your presentation was very well organized, yet not overly formal or "starchy". I appreciated your humour.
• I felt that we addressed the tip of the iceberg - time limitations.
• This is a timely topic that people need to be made aware of. The timing is right in society for this topic.
• Should be made available to all teachers in division, and encourage them to take it - make it mandatory?
• Keep up the energy/enthusiasm.
• All of the information was relevant and the presentation/format was relaxing while interesting.
• Great speakers! Organized and case studies were excellent.
• This workshop would be very worthwhile for classroom teachers to attend.
• I wish you success and hope that you are patient with change as most lasting change takes a long time to get in place. I think society and schools are moving in the right direction. All the best!

The Breaking Barriers In Education Professional Development Workshop is for...

Teachers and youth service providers will benefit from a Breaking Barriers In Education training workshop. We recommend the workshop for groups of 4 - 22 participants with the following service providers:

• teachers, principals, school guidance counsellors, health and sexuality educators
• school trustees and administrators
• administrators and boards of directors of youth serving agencies
• residential workers including staff and volunteers from shelters and receiving homes
• crisis and information phone line counsellors
• therapists including psychologists and psychiatrists
• staff of child welfare agencies, including foster parents and group home workers
• police and corrections staff
• students in professional training programs
• social workers and mental health workers
• HIV/AIDScounsellors and educators

What you will gain from the workshop

This half or full day interactive training workshop sensitizes participants to the barriers faced by gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youth in an unaccepting society. Participants will gain an understanding of how the experience of homophobia affects everyone, impacts on learning, social development and affects the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Participants will understand how discrimination negatively impacts on physical and mental health, and are encouraged to examine possible remedies to service delivery models. Participants will examine how their practice can be made more accessible, respectful, and embracing of sexual diversity.

An information resource package is provided to each participant including a Resource Listing, Myths and Facts, Definitions, selected articles, pamphlets and much more.

We can deliver the workshop at your agency, or you can arrange to hold it off-site. We also encourage collaboration between agencies to host a Breaking Barriers In Education training workshop.

Breaking Barriers Manuals

Winnipeg's Rainbow Resource Centre has developed an exciting workshop tool. Building on the success of the Breaking Barriers projects designed to help reduce homophobia among service providers two manuals are now available:

1. Breaking Barriers: Anti-homophobia workshop for social service and health-care providers

2. Breaking Barriers Through Education: Anti-homophobia workshop for youth-service providers

1) This manual takes you through the workshop development process from start to finish so you can:

• develop a Needs Assessment for your own community
• create an educational strategy for your agency
• develop a participatory workshop with the flexibility to fit the specific needs of any participant group
• train volunteer facilitators
• present the workshop
• create a participant kit with handouts and additional information

BONUS

• self-advocacy workshop plan
• disc including all handouts

2) This manual is everything a facilitator will need to bring the workshop to life.  A step-by-step guide that includes:

• the full Breaking Barriers Through Education workshop
• facilitation tips
• resource checklists
• sample agendas
• extra modules for flexibility
• background reading
• all relevent handouts - hardcopies and on disc

How to order manuals

Cost is $75 per manual, or $135 for both; shipping and handling is $8 for one manual, or $12 for both.*

* For Canadian orders, all costs are in Canadian funds.  For orders from the United States, all costs are in American funds. For destinations outside North America or for a different combination of manuals, please e-mail us for confirmation of costs.