Queer IPS (for LGBTQIA+) - Intentional Peer Support
This curriculum was adapted from the IPS core training at the request of the Q Corner, a peer support program in Santa Clara County, California, that supports LGBTQ+ community members.
Empowerment Through Stories:
IPS is about building relationships where our stories can be told and explored. By sharing our stories, we:
Build networks of support.
Create justice and empowerment.
Drive social change rooted in civil rights movements, including gay liberation and the Stonewall riots.
"In the words of indigenous Australian activists in the 1970s, 'your liberation is bound up with mine.'"
Intersectionality:
Creating Space
QIPS was designed to acknowledge and support those of us whose gender, expression, and/or sexuality don’t fit within our society’s narrow definitions of “normal.” This includes individuals who have historically been marginalized by various systems such as education, employment, healthcare, and housing.
From this vantage point, we examine how these systems have also marginalized those of us whose experiences of mental or emotional distress, “big feelings” or altered states don’t fit into societal definitions of “healthy.”
A Unique Intersection:
Participants in QIPS engage at the intersection of queer/trans communities and peer support. They:
Learn the tasks and principles of IPS.
Examine assumptions about who they are.
Acknowledge personal and cultural histories of oppression and trauma.
Focus on understanding “what happened” instead of “what’s wrong.”
For more information: IPS Workshops
To register: IPS Eventbrite Sessions
