From: The ArQuives • Halifax • 2025-02-25
The ArQuives: Canada’s LGBTQ2+ Archives is gearing up for an exciting new chapter and we want you to be part of it! With support from Women and Gender Equality Canada, we’ve launched Community Ties: Our Future Together, a community consultation initiative to strengthen our organization and expand our impact across Canada.
The ArQuives was established to aid in the recovery and preservation of LGBTQ2+ histories. Its mandate is to acquire, preserve, organize, and give public access to information and materials in any medium, by and about LGBTQ2+ people, primarily produced in or concerning Canada.
We are starting a national conversation about how The ArQuives can best serve communities across Canada over the next 50 years. In Fredericton, Halifax, and St. John’s we’re gathering 15 LGBTQ2+ community members to share challenges, hopes and dreams related to how we Keep Our Stories Alive. There will be a short presentation and friendly facilitation by The ArQuives, and a collaborative zine workshop that captures what makes your community great! Snacks and drinks will be provided, and honoraria are available for community members for whom attending is not part of their professional duties.
While we’re in your city, we especially want to reach out to and meet:
- LGBTQ2+ community members who already are or might be interested in our programming;
- researchers, academics, and media who already or might use The ArQuives’ collections in their work; and
- partner organizations, including libraries, archives, museums, arts and heritage organizations, cultural institutions, and other LGBTQ2+ organizations.
We are hosting community consultations in:
- Fredericton: Sunday, 23 March from 3-5 pm
- Halifax: Tuesday, 25 March from 6-8 pm
- St John’s: Thursday, 27 March from 6-8 pm
If you are unavailable to attend in person, there will be other ways to participate, including a national survey.
Your insights will be crucial in building a stronger, more connected future for The ArQuives and the communities we serve.
Here's the registration form for that evening.
Please share this article with others in your community, especially those from historically marginalized communities.
If you have any questions or want to chat more about the project, please reach out to Nico Mara-McKay at projectcoordinator@arquives.ca.
