Curated by Takyrah Anderson
Tell us your name and the name of the project or initiative you are involved with.
My name is Melanie Tremills and I am the Founder/Chair of PRISM Halton.
“It’s incredibly important for there to be safe places for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to connect”
What have you most loved and appreciated about the community project/initiative that you are involved in?
We planned the first ever Pride parade in Halton in 2023, Pride Halton. It was an incredible feeling to organize such a successful event that is so very much needed by the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We also put on events all year round for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Halton region, as well as Pride events in the towns.
What is your connection to the project/initiative, and why is it so important to you?
I founded the group. It’s incredibly important for there to be safe places for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to connect. I have been told many times that until the parade happened, people had never felt that there was a community there for them. That statement perfectly encapsulates the very reason PRISM Halton was created and why we continue to do what we do.
What is happening through the project/initiative that you would like to see more of?
We are creating more events that interest all intersectionality's of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Pride Halton needs to have more involvement from all the towns in Halton. PRISM Halton organizes Pride events in all the town throughout June and it culminates with Pride Halton’s Pride parade in Milton. It is crucial for the community to see active participation from all the towns in order to foster a sense of acceptance, representation and diversity throughout the entire Halton region.
“We would be able to continue to provide an increased number of safe spaces, more inclusivity and acceptance in the region for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community”
What would you like to see happen next for the project/initiative?
Our initiative of Pride 365 is vital to PRISM Halton and we hope to encourage more participation from the towns in the Pride parade. This year we are having an event called “Pride in the Park” straight after the Pride Halton Pride parade, we want this to become the cornerstone of Pride events in the region. We want Halton to become the beacon of equity, diversity and inclusion for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
What would you want or need from the community to make your next steps successful?
We want AND need more volunteers to help with the events and give us more insight into what the community wants. We are a non-profit organization, so we are run 100% by volunteers. We also need participation from businesses in the Halton region, whether as volunteers or as participants in the parade BUT definitely for sponsorships and funding for Pride.
For more information see https://www.pridehalton.com/
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