I was very excited to receive a small neighbourhood grant again for this project. The second year of the Queer and Trans Sangha was quite the evolution! Our Sangha grew significantly. We were happy to see more and more people attending the group. We also invited a meditation teacher to attend the Sangha to help us learn more about leading meditations. This had a big impact on our group, because after this workshop, more people became comfortable volunteering to help lead meditations and were inspired to help out with the Sangha in other ways.
In a time when there are so many hard things happening in the world, the Queer and Trans Sangha has become a group that offers a little respite through the dedication and care of peers coming together. We have received feedback that the group feels warm and welcoming, in part because there are so many different people contributing each week to help the sit happen. By participating in the group, whether by volunteering to greet newcomers, bringing a snack to share or leading a meditation, there are opportunities for connection and community.
Helping to make the group happen each month and seeing the joy it has brought others has brought me much vicarious joy, or mudita, as it is known in Buddhism. I also feel grateful that, in a time of uncertainty and ever-increasing costs of living, we have had the support of the Small Neighbourhood Grant to help our community access this support each month. Unfortunately, in Canada, queer and trans people have lower socioeconomic outcomes than the general population. That is why this grant has been so important to ensure that the community members who need support the most are able to attend.
