Queer West Board of Directors

A powerful movement for social change

Gay West Community Network Inc. (queerwest.org) is a not-for-profit organization serving in west central Toronto, Ontario, since 2000, managed by a Board of Directors. The Queer West Arts Collective: is responsible for performing arts events and festivals for the purposes of educating and advancing the public’s understanding and appreciation of performing arts and to educate artists, through participation in such festivals and related workshops. We also host the Gay West Bicycle Club, the largest LGBTQ bicycle club in eastern Canada with 77 members. As well as our new ShOUTQueer Youth & Young Adult Program. We publish the OUTeXpressions newspaper, a social enterprise of Queer West.

We are inspired by QueerWest.org ideals of openness, innovation and participation. We welcome new ideas and new faces in our Arts Collective and serving on our Board..

Incorporated on April 7, 2008 Gay West Community Network Inc. (legal name), as not for profit organization in Ontario #1752698, hereafter to be known as Queer West. The Inside Story an independent newspaper published since 1996 and was not originally associated with Queer West. It was hosted on site for community entertainment, news and information. It was offered as donation to Queer West on Nov 11, 2008. In May 2009 It became the OUTeXpressions Newspaper and Bent eBlast (Free 2x monthly Newsletter, optional membership) a social enterprise of Queer West with full Board approval and a new logo created.

The Board

Philip Cairns
2nd Vice President

Philip is on Board of Directors of Spencer Avenue Co-operative Homes. He writes plays, performance-pieces, short stories and poetry. He has performed his own work in festivals, cafes and theatres all over Toronto.

Philip has performed his writing at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, A Space, Free Times Cafe, Clinton’s, The Black Swan, Renaissance Cafe, The Theatre Centre and Paddy’s Playhouse. He has acted in scores of small theatre productions and numerous independent films.

He is also a visual artist having recently had a one-man exhibition at Artcetera Gallery in Toronto plus numerous other solo and group shows in Toronto and Edmonton. Philip will be busy organizing Queer West Arts Collective, poetry and spoken words events in 2010. He is Reiki Master, enjoys Tarot card reading, writing, and classic films. Phiilp was appointed to Board of Directors, on Friday July 24, 2009. He became 2nd Vice President on January 8, 2010 www.myspace.com/philipcairns Email: moonlake [at] gosonic.ca

Jaclyn Alia Isen
1st Vice President and Treasurer
Coodinator - Queer West Arts Festival
Project Director - ShOUT Young Adult UnConferences

Jaclyn is one of Queer West Arts Collective’s newest members, joining the Board of Directors and initiating the ShOUT! Young Queer Adult (Un)conference Program in December 2009. Jaclyn is a creative and eager generation Y’er and a proud Parkdalian with an ongoing craving for queer and feminist theory and community.

Jac holds a Masters of Arts in Women’s Studies from the University of Western Ontario, has taught an introductory undergraduate tutorial in Women’s Studies and has participated in a number of conferences on the topics of gender and sexuality.

She has developed a great deal of experience in organizing arts-based community programming in her role as the Community Outreach Coordinator for a wonderful independent feminist business on the Danforth called Red Tent Sisters.

Jaclyn is a woman-loving-woman, and generally a people-loving-person, who holds a fierce belief in the power of the arts to educate, cultivate, heal and transform community. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Education in Adult Education and Community Development at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto.

Like many of Queer West’s young volunteers, her work celebrates the valuable contributions young people make to communities throughout the City of Toronto and the important role young queer adults play as advocates, visionaries, and agents of social change. Jaclyn was appointed 1st Vice President and Treasurer, January 8, 2010 She was later appointed Queer West Arts & Culture Festival Coodinator on March 7, 2010. Email: qwshout@gmail.com

Michel F. Paré (ML.S & M.Phil)
Executive Director & President

Michel founded Gay West Community Network in 2001 and is the visionary behind it all. Since then, he has steered the organization, though years of unprecedented growth. Michel is a strong proponent of creating change, by bringing people together.

Publisher of former Inside Story Newspaper (Now OUTeXpressions), which he started publishing in 1996 as an independent paper. It is now a social enterprise of Gay West Community Network Inc (Queer West). He was instrumental in establishing the Queer West Village, including naming it

Founder Queer West Arts and Cultural Centre. Founder of Queer West Arts Festival. Founder Gay West Bicycle Club. Co-Founder of shOUT Queer Youth Program. Founder Wilde Chats Philosophy Cafe. Founder Queer West Arts Collective. Co-Founder Queer West Film Festival. Michael was long time member of the former Parkdale Gay and Lesbian Association. Former Chair of Steering Committee and Member of Board of Directors, Toronto Fort York Food Bank.

A Member of Gay Equality in Mississauga (GEM) 1976 to 1990, served as President in 1990. The following year was Founding Chairman of GALA WEST Gay and Lesbian Association West, that served the Etobicoke/Mississauga area. He took part in 1981 mass protest rally (Bathhouse raids) on Yonge St, organized by Gay Liberation Against the Right Everywhere (GLARE) and Right To Privacy Committee (RTPC). He attended Toronto's very first Gay Pride event held in 1982 in Grange Park, organized by The newly formed Lesbian and Gay Pride Day Committee (LGPDC) .

Michel 58, considers himself a happy gay senior, he has been a gay rights activist in Toronto, for close to 30 years. He lives, works and plays in the old Bockton Village Triangle (Dufferin and Dundas W.) Michel works for himself as a backend, web content editor, including QW Web site.

He enjoys year round cycling, community organizing and running a philosophy cafe. Michael has served on the Board as 1st Vice President /executive director and was interim President Jan 12, 2009 to December 2009. He was elected President and Secretary January 8, 2010. queerwestinfo@gmail.com

Casey Reid
Member of Board of Directors
Program Director, Queer West Film Festival

Friday April 2, 2010. Gay West Community Network Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Casey Reid of Toronto as the new Program Director of Queer West Film Festival

Casey holds an Honors Specialization degree in Films Studies from the University of Western Ontario and will be attending the Cinema Studies Masters Program at the University of Toronto in September.

During her time at UWO she worked at the Pride Library and was an active member of the Queer Community. Working closely with Pride Western and Ally Western, Casey produced multimedia based learning tools promoting an inclusionary campus.

Since moving to Toronto in 2008, Casey has volunteered for many films festivals including Inside Out and the Toronto International Film Festival. She has also volunteered for organizations such as Women in Film and Television. She believes in working with organizations that queer normative production of film and art. "I am excited to be apart of the Queer West shOUT Young Adult program, and look forward to putting together an engaging and interesting line up for the 3rd annual Queer West Film Festival in 2010." Casey said

Queer West Film Festival - Mission Statement – Our mission is to provide a voice for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer youth by presenting films and videos that only represent the diversity of the GLBT community. By providing innovative, diverse, accessible, quality screen events, which promote/stimulate, educate, enlighten, support queer cultures and entertain us all.

The annual Queer West Film Festival was cofounded by Forest Lightbody and Michel F. Paré on June 18, 2008. In June 2009 Forest successfully managed and was the innovator for Queer West Arts Festival. Forest was Member of the Board of Directors, between August 2008 and October 2009 when he left the organization, to pursue other goals. Paré, Queer West founder, is currently President of the Corporation.

Email address: Casey Reid qwfilmfest@gmail.com

Parul Pandya
Media Spokesperson, Queer West Arts and Culture Centre

Tuesday March 23, 2010. Gay West Community Network Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Parul Pandya as the Arts Centre' s new Media Spokesperson.

She was born in the UK and moved to the Toronto area at the age of six. From an early age, it became abundantly clear what the two things she was passionate about were: talking and music. Raised within a Hindu tradition, she learned the importance of diversity and the appreciation of different cultures at a young age. This led her to study Renaissance Studies (with a special interest in the Italian Renaissance), History and Sexual Diversity at the University of Toronto. Her passion for art, history and culture is now being channelled through writing poignant and personal observations about love, life, sex, sexuality, society and popular culture.

She writes an eclectic and insightful blog, The House of Provocation and appears regularly in Xtra: Toronto's Lesbian and Gay Bi-weekly. Her other adventures include continuing reviews for the Toronto International Film Festival and speaking frequently on South Asian queer heritage. Currently her creative ambition is also revealing face as an arts programmer at Harbourfront Centre.

Parul also writes Poetry. She was one of nine poets and spoken word artists appearing January 24, 2010 at our Evening of Queer Expressions fundraiser, at the Press Club.

Contact Parul queerwestfestmedia@gmail.com

I want to help!

May 20, 2010. Looking for two volunteer members for our Board of Directors

• The best board candidates for Queer West are people who are capable of advancing the organization's goals and have enough time in their schedule to meet the demands of active board involvement.



• We are on the lookout for candidates with legal, accounting, and marketing, fundraising, and even human resource backgrounds.



• Connections matter when it comes to being a Queer West Board Member. We are looking for someone who has expertise the organization can use and is well-connected in the community.



• Passion is the most important quality Queer West is looking for in potential board members. You believe you can make a difference. Queer West won’t settle for anything less in the people, who will work alongside us, to make our nonprofit a success.



• Must understand and be in agreement with the mission of our programs. It is expected that each board member attend meetings and other board functions; serves on Arts Collective is a spokesperson and an advocate for our programs; uses their professional skills and expertise in the service of our programs; serves as a source of advice and support for our President; becomes informed about our programs financial situation and makes responsible decisions on the organization's behalf.



• Should have at least BA or MA in a Humanities discipline, Public Administration, or Business Administration; The Arts, Law, Women's Studies, Adult Education, Social Work, Films Studies and other combinations of experience and/or formal education that meet the minimum qualifications may be substituted.



• Minimum of 1-3 years successful experience in fundraising, donor cultivation, grant writing, marketing, contracts management and volunteering for special events, preferably for a queer not-for-profit organization.



• Financial management experience including budget development and oversight; financial reporting.



• Willingness to work outside the strict job description parameters and think creatively about how to fulfill the multi-faceted job description.



• Demonstrated interpersonal skills and ability to develop relationships with key external contacts.



• Ability to raise funds from diverse sources, including major gifts from individuals, foundations, corporations and government agencies.



• Excellent written and oral communication skills.



• Ability to lead and manage large-scale projects and a demonstrated poise and grace under pressure, demonstrated initiative and resourcefulness, superior judgment and demonstrated leadership ability and comprehensive understanding of the social, economic, cultural, and political contexts in which the Queer West community exists and the ability to cultivate and build relationships throughout all communities.

If interested serving as a volunteer on the Board of Directors. Send your Cover Letter and Resume to Michel F. Paré, President, Queer West Arts and Culture Centre queerwestinfo@gmail.com |416-879-7954 | About the: Collective Board meetings are held every two months. Arts Collective Meetings Monthly. All letters acknowledged.