Montana Equality Now would like to invite you to the first Activists & Advocates training clinic. The focus will be on training new activists, advocates, and allies. This is especially for straight allies who want to get better at supporting and advocating for the LGBTQQI community. We will cover things like: A history of the LGBTQI movement both local & national, Lessons from the National Equality March, Authentic Dialogue - Allies & the LGBT Community, Telling your personal story & effective message control, Being an effective ally, Activist Methods & Methodology, and opportunities for engagement.

This will be held at the University of Montana, Saturday February the 27th from 9am-6pm on the third floor of the University Center. Check in will be held from 8:30 to 8:50. Register all day outside UC331.

Feel free to attend all or part of the event, and bring friends who are interested in promoting and supporting the LGBTQQI community. Participants will be given a list of actionable items and follow up resources to employ the principles and tactics taught.

This event is free, however registration is strongly suggested so that we might be able to provide enough materials and lunch.

If you would like to support the work we do, please feel free to donate during your registration.

Contact us @ 406-578-1854 for more information.

The Syllabus is:

Lessons from the National Equality March (NEM) - Facilitated by Montana Equality Now

This will be a short presentation on Montana Equality Now's experiences at the National Equality March last Oct, and what lessons we learned about activism from those giants of the Equality movement we had the honor of working with.

A History of the LGBT Movement - Facilitated by the Western Montana Community Center

This module will be a brief history of the LGBT community, including some history of Montana. We will to try to place ourselves in the broader timeline of the movement, in an effort to show where we have been and where we might be headed.

Authentic Dialogue & Becoming an Effective Ally - Facilitated by NCBI Missoula

Social movements have always required the active engagement of allies. This is even more true when the numbers within the targeted group- the Queer community- are low, and the real risks and costs of being out remain high. This interactive workshop will create space for queer and allied community members to work both separately and together to build the relationships necessary for collaboration while developing the skills, confidence and capacity to be effective agents of change.

Telling your Personal Story & Message Control - Facilitated by Montana Equality Now

The art of narrative and message control are two of the most important skills any activist can hope to employ. They are essential in lobbying your representative, setting up an ask in a fundraising setting, writing a letter to the editor, and communicating your goals to your constituency and the world at large.

From Supporter to Activist - Facilitated by the Montana Human Rights Network: Equality Project

This workshop will outline ways for supporters of LGBTI equality to get involved in local and state-level activism on the issues of non-discrimination, hate crimes, and relationship recognition. The workshop will give an overview of the organizing and policy work currently happening in Montana, introduce a movement-building framework for engaging new allies, and offer tangible opportunities for activists to engage in LGBTI equality work.

Vote, F*ckers - Facilitated by Forward Montana

Forward Montana does weird stuff... and you know what? It works! Join us for this exciting workshop to talk about fun ways to get the community excited and ready to participate in your next activity. We will be talking about ways to recruit and train volunteers, novel event ideas, and ways to engage the general public in a way that turns heads. It will be fun... we think.

Methodology of Equality Activism & Opportunities for Engagement - Facilitated by Montana Equality Now in Tandem

Equality Activism, like any other social justice work, employs schools of thought about how to engage in this work. We'll run you through some of these, and try to help you decide your best fit. We value all levels of engagement, and will try to help you use your entire tool box strategically in this work.