ALL THINGS LINC! With Cork Pride 2023 almost here, it’s a wonderful time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to the year ahead - we have had an immensely productive year here at LINC; I’m Kate Moynihan, my pronouns are she/her and I’m the coordinator of this vibrant and expanding organisation. This year sees the finalisation of LINC’s 5-year Strategic Plan and along with it, our organisational vision; an Ireland where LBTQ women are celebrated; where the values of diversity, inclusion, social justice and equity are championed. As part of our commitment to Trans and Non-binary community members we were delighted to become a member of Trans Equality Together, a coalition working to create an Ireland where trans and non-binary people are equal, safe and valued. The lives of our Trans and Non-Binary community are hugely important to us. Our work on the Cork LGBTI+ Interagency committee involved the establishment of rainbow crossing on Patrick St, a rainbow balustrade outside the civic offices and hosting a Rainbow Cities Network conference, all initiatives of which we are immensely proud. With a busy year behind us and an even busier year ahead, we will announce a dynamic and full programme of events, activities, and opportunities in the coming months that reflects and celebrates the diversity of our community. This year, throughout Pride week, LINC will provide a week of events and activities tailored to our community including our rainbow lunch, a death café (not as morose as it sounds!), a Pride art event, allyship training, our women’s club night and more! Beyond Pride week we will host our annual summer barbecue and summer family event. Below, each staff member offers their individual insight on what we do here at LINC and some of the supports and activities available to our community. We invite you to follow our social media, sign up to our newsletter or to get in touch at info@LINC.ie to connect with us. We look forward to welcoming you to LINC during the festivities. Have a happy and safe pride!
What the health? My name is Ciara Mulcahy Linehan, my pronouns are she/her and I have been the Community Health Worker here at LINC for the past four years. In the month’s past, LINC has boasted a suite of activities absolutely bursting at the seams including yoga, drama, soccer, our virtual walking gang and mental health workshops to name a few. We also host a volunteer-led, monthly Menopause Café where community members are invited to share an online discussion space related to all things menopause. Health Week 2023 had a specific mental and sexual health focus with elements of good nutrition, spiritual wellbeing and general medical and physical health for good measure. In other areas of LINC’s health programme, we continue to nourish our partnership with the National Screening Service by advising on appropriate language and resources increasing inclusivity across the screening services to improve the LGBTI+ communities experiences of screening and healthcare in general. Other projects that we are also incredibly excited about are the second installment of Esther Explains; this season has been designed in collaboration with LGBTI+ young people and features their stories in the form of animated podcast sessions. Our longest running group - LINC drama- have had an incredible year with their play Eve n Eve which not only brought queer comedic gold to the Cork stage, but also ventured to Limerick and Waterford for
Q Con – Queer Women’s Sexual Health & Wellbeing Conference - 15th & 16th September As we look forward to the year ahead, the LINC team is gearing up to an exciting Sexual Health event called Q Con. Scheduled for the 15th and 16th of September; Q Con – Queer Women’s Sexual Health and Wellbeing conference aims to inform, empower and make visible all things related to queer women’s sexual health and wellbeing and is proudly trans and non-binary inclusive. From reproductive health to kink; pleasure to consent we aim to create and hold space for crucial conversations, information sessions and panel discussions as well as workshops relating to reproductive health, dance, the language of touch and more; so keep the 15th and 16th of September (including Saturday night for our stellar social event) free as we celebrate the visibility, diversity and beauty of our community. Queering the Seomra with Laura Could you (or someone you know) benefit from education or employment support? I’m Laura Gannon, I’m the Education and Employment Officer here at LINC and my pronouns are she/her. Over the past year, our WorkLINC project funded by Rethink Ireland has really come into its own. We have delivered another two Community Education programmes “Queer Seomra”, including our current series “Queer Seomra: Herstory of Art & Media” where we have special guests across 8 weeks coming on to speak about their own experience in different areas such as Art, Music, Literature, Comedy, TV, Books, Poetry and Theatre. We have also just completed our second 6 week Personal Development Programme, which was a great success and the feedback from participants has been incredibly positive boasting really helpful outcomes. The goal with our Personal Development programme was always rooted in developing resilience and pride and those completing the course have seen major changes in themselves with the tools they have gained. It’s wonderful to see the impact of the project in play. To date, we have provided one-to-one support to almost 50 women in the community with their education, training, and employment goals and for some of those women, they are really starting to see change and a difference in their planned paths when they have the right support around them. We’ll have another Queer Seomra programme coming in Autumn ’23 and one to one support is available all year round. One to one support can be delivered in person in LINC or online. If you, or someone you know could use some WorkLINC support, please feel free to get in touch at laura@LINC.ie . Have a wonderful Pride!
Ellie tells all things LINC My job as the Community Liaison Officer is to make everyone who walks into LINC feel welcome; my name is Ellie McIlroy, my pronouns are she/her; I am Bisexual and Autistic. My role here is to show community members around the centre and make sure everyone is up to date about our groups, events and activities and if extra support is needed, I direct community members to other staff members or services. My work here at LINC has been varied and interesting with groups on offer like DIY, knitting, swimming etc. and theme nights like Scrabble and other board games there’s usually something to suit every taste. Over Cork Pride last year we hosted an incredible week of events here at LINC and I’m already looking forward to Pride 2023. A standout memory this year was the LINC Christmas party; the camaraderie and specific LINC traditions like the mulled wine and jumper competition only added to the joy that was sparked as community members reconnected and others joined in for the first times. I also loved our Pride breakfast which I’m excited to say we’ll host again this year where LGBTI+ community members came together for food and face painting before taking to the streets for the Cork Pride Parade. I would strongly recommend a visit to all of you who have considered coming in but have felt unsure or nervous; take that step and come join us for a cup of coffee and a chat, you won’t regret it! Introducing Éadaoin Hey! I’m Éadaoin Flynn, my pronouns are they/ them and I’m the newest member of the LINC team. I joined as an administrator in March with a background in community work, community art and administration, and a degree in Fine Art. This year I created an LGBTQ+ mural for the UCC Students Union, which can be seen on College Road and I hope to put my passion and skills to good use with the community at LINC. My eagerness to get more involved in community work is rooted in a strong belief in the power of community so I am excited to be settling in here at LINC where the community is placed at the forefront of service design and decision making. For Pride week, I’m excited to host our art event, to work with the community and get the opportunity to meet more of you! Wishing everyone a safe and happy Pride. An NGO excelling! I’m Sarah O’Sullivan, my pronouns are she/her and I look after the LINC accounts and finances reporting to the coordinator and steering committee. For 9 years I was also the admin person but this year I made the difficult decision to change and start my own business. Two things stand out for me in this past year, one is the new staff we have on board who are just great at what they do and fit into the LINC team effortlessly, and the second is the Community Meeting we held to let people know about the strategic plan we have been working on and the future plans for LINC which show the responsiveness, and community-led focus of the organisation. The love and support for LINC from the community reinforces the value of the work LINC has done since its beginning and I can’t wait to celebrate that this year at Pride! I’m looking forward to seeing what LINC can achieve in the future. Have a safe and happy Cork Pride!
some special outreach performances. We’re delighted to let you all know that LINC drama will be opening again to
new members in September. The year ahead
is filled with events and programmes
designed with our community in mind and we’re sure you’ll find something
of interest to you. Drop in and touch base with the team to find out more!
Happy Pride!
This year sees the finalisation of LINC’s 5-year Strategic Plan
www.corkpride.com
#CorkPride2023
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