PEERS Alliance
PEERS Alliance's mission is to to educate, engage, and support Island residents to build healthier, inclusive communities and to end stigma surrounding sexual health and drug use using a trauma-informed approach. Supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community is a big part of our work on PEI.
Printed materials and resources relevant for members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies are available and include resources, guides for families going through gender related transition, coming out resources for youth, emotional well-being, HIV workbooks and more.
Some of the 2SLGBTQ+ programming that PEERS Alliance offers is:
A 2SLGBTQ+ youth program, called the Queer Youth Collective, which is for ages 12 - 18 and meets in Charlottetown, Summerside, and Montague from September - June. Learn more about Queer Youth Collective.
A 2SLGBTQ+ adult drop-in (18 years +) night at the Charlottetown PEERS Alliance Office (250B Queen St.) that meets the third Wednesday of the month from 6 - 8pm.
A support group for parents and caregivers of trans children, called Roots & Shoots, which meets monthly in Charlottetown and Summerside. This program supports parents and caregivers of trans children (of any age), and offers programming for youth during group time as well. Learn more about Roots & Shoots.
A support group for trans adults, called Buds, which meets on the last Thursday of the month from 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Charlottetown PEERS Alliance Office (250B Queen St.). Learn more about Buds.
You can find more programming and information about PEERS Alliance on their website.
PEI Transgender Network (PEITN)
PEITN is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all transgender & gender diverse (TGD) individuals.
They offers support and resources to TGD individuals, loved ones, allies, for professionals, and the public at large under the pillars of advocacy, peer support, systems navigation (e.g., legal / medical transitioning), training & education services for local businesses and organizations, resources including free online tips and tools, and community engagement through events such as Break the Cis-tem!
PEITN also co-facilitates TGD adult and youth programming with PEERS Alliance, and works intimately with Health PEI and other government bodies behind the scenes on items such as the Gender Affirming Surgical Policy and Guidelines for Respecting, Accommodating and Supporting Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sexual Orientation in PEI Schools.
PEITN operates a closed TGD support group which functions as a community peer support group. This group is private for safety and anonymity. If you are interested in joining, please send them an email or a direct message through Facebook / Instagram.
PEITN also offers gender diversity training/workshops with all dollars collected supporting trans inclusion in the workplace and PEI at large, and serving the TGD community.
For more information and to contact PEITN, email info@peitn.com or visit www.peitn.com.
Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health
The Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (1-250-592-6183), or the Institute for Sexual Minority Health, offer accredited professional development opportunities/ CME’s and are a great resource for mental health promotion for queer community.
Françoise Susset, works with the Institute for Sexual Minority Health, has conducted professional development sessions with clinicians and counsellors in Nova Scotia. Françoise can be reached at fsusset@ismh-isms.com.