Unveiling Our City's Leadership Program: A Transformative Experience for Emerging Leaders

The Chamber of Commerce and Westman Immigration Services are excited to introduce its dynamic leadership program designed to foster growth, connection, and an indepth understanding of our city. This experiential program offers participants a unique backstage look at the inner workings of our vibrant community. Through a series of immersive experiences and engaging activities, aspiring leaders will gain firsthand knowledge of key industries, government entities, and influential organizations that shape our city's landscape By exploring various sectors and engaging with community leaders, participants will develop a comprehensive understanding of our city's challenges, opportunities, and potential for growth

This program is open to emerging leaders from diverse professional background, including entrepreneurs, executives, mid-level managers, and community advocates Participants are selected through an application process to ensure a balanced and diverse cohort representing different sectors and perspectives.

This program takes place in-person, from September to June, allowing participants to physically immerse themselves in the City's environment and engage directly with the community. Participants can expect a reasonable time commitment of one full business day per month for the program. This encompasses attending scheduled sessions, site visits, workshops, and more. In addition, participants will have some follow-up work and tasks to complete during their own time, maximizing their learning experience

The program has a registration fee of $1250 00, which encompasses all-inclusive benefits, including all in-person sessions, complimentary lunches, comprehensive training, and various other valuable resources and experiences

Participants in our Leadership Program will gain valuable knowledge and insights on a variety of topics including, but not limited to:

Understanding the economic and social dynamics of our community Exploring the City's infrastructure and development projects

Engaging with local businesses and entrepreneurs

Interacting with government oficials and community leaders

Learning effective leadership strategies and techniques

Strengthening communication and networking skills

Development a broader perspective on community issues and challenges

At the heart of this program lies the importance of networking and building strong relationships

Participants will have the opportunity to connect with a diverse group of professionals from different backgrounds, industries, and career stages. Through interactive workshops, collaborative projects, and exclusive networking events, participants will expand their professional network, forging valuable connections that can foster personal growth, career advancement, and potential collaborative opportunities. By cultivating relationships with like-minded individuals and established community leaders, participants will not only enhance their leadership skills but also contribute to the overall development and progress of our city

If you are interested in taking advantage of this exciting opportunity, or if you would like more information, please contact Chamber GM, Connor Ketchen at gm@brandonchamber ca

Hello from Brandon Pride!

June is Pride Month and this is the time we all start to notice businesses changing their logos to a more colourful theme, rainbow flags going up in storefront windows, and messages of "love is love" and inclusion are highlighted.

Those within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community will also be noticing these changes and paying attention to how these businesses conduct themselves the other 11 months of the year Here are some common questions we at Brandon Pride hear from local businesses, organisations, and individuals

Establishing relationships with any community starts with becoming familiar with their history, experiences, and language As with all new learning, the best thing to do is ask if you are ever unsure and there are many useful resources available today out there

Who is Brandon Pride?

Brandon Pride is a rotating group of volunteers that has been active in Brandon since 2010 We started as a branch from the Brandon Sexuality Educational Resource Center (SERC) and became independent in 2015--the same year Brandon held its first Pride March.

We remain committed to staying as grassroots and community-based as possible by connecting with local businesses and non-profits. We put together Pride Week in the city every June, other events throughout the year such as Rocky Horror Valentine, and stay active and visible by being present at other events within Brandon and the Westman area

This year our theme for Pride Week 2023 is Growing Pride on the Prairies and we have events running from June 11th to 17th

Why should I use pronouns on business cards and email signatures?

If you are a Brandon Chamber member and have had any email correspondence with Chamber staff, you'll notice they include pronouns in their email signatures along with a useful link explaining why their pronouns are included! We encourage you to check it out the next time you send an email inquiring about a Business After 5 event or First Friday Coffee!

If you are ever unsure about what pronouns someone uses, it takes only a second to ask, or you can offer your own pronouns to open the conversation. It can feel awkward if you think it is obvious to people around you what your pronouns are; but that experience isn't the same for everyone.

How can I make my business experience more inclusive to LGBT individuals? LGBTQ+ folks? 2SLGBTQIA+ people? There are multiple acronyms to describe the queer and gender diverse community and, unless they are purposefully being exclusive, there is not one "right" way to use it One of the more common uses we have seen lately, especially here in Canada, is 2SLGBTQIA+ and likely because it is one of the more inclusive acronyms right now 2S stands for 2 Spirit and it is a modern term to explain to English audiences only one of the ways Indigenous people of Turtle Island identify outside of the binary concept of gender

The LGBTQ community is so diverse with many labels and not everyone uses the same description for each As with pronouns, it may not always be obvious if someone is part of the LGBTQ community. Best practice is to not make assumptions about your clients and customers and encourage neutral greetings such as "hello everyone " instead of "ladies and gentlemen" or inquiring about someone ' s "partner" instead of using "wife" or "husband".

Good customer service already has practices to help you get to know your client's needs and wants better. Using genderneutral terms doesn't automatically exclude people or give a people to correct you about how to refer to their spouse

What is "rainbow washing" and how can my business avoid it?

Rainbow washing is when a company changes their logo to a rainbow, sells Pride-themed products, and uses advertising with LGBTQ themes during the month of June to give them impression they support the community and earn credibility as an ally

Then when July hits, all signs of rainbows and activism disappear Sometimes people discover that these businesses have also been supporting anti-LGBTQ organisations yearround. Continued on next page...

Or that they show a minimum effort to change policies that negatively affect both their LGBTQ clients and staff

To avoid being accused of rainbow washing and performative allyship is simple:

- Be mindful of your business policies and practices. Are they inclusive? Do you have paperwork that only has checkmarks for male and female options? If a long-time client of yours is going through the process of changing their name and gender on their file with you, how easy is that process for them?

- Check in with your staff and how informed or familiar are they with the LGBTQ+ community? Do you have employees that are part of the community? SERC offers workshops for better work practices and they also provide resources on their website to help local businesses coach their staff and business practices if you don't know where to start

Find a way to showcase your allyship year-round and donate to LGBTQ organisations that support the community, such as the Trevor Project, Brandon Pride, and the brand new Westman

Empowerment Fund Placing a permanent rainbow flag on display in your store can put a lot of queer and gender diverse people at ease A good local example is Chez Angela's LGBT (lettuce, gouda, bacon, and tomato) sandwich and they continue to make donations to SERC every time one of these sandwiches are ordered.

- Be humble if you make a mistake. We are all human and learning from each other.

Lastly, Brandon Pride wants to thank all the Chamber business members that used their platform to show solidarity to Brandon's queer and trans community recently Remember that Pride is for everyone and we hope to see you help us Grow Pride on the Prairies this year here in Brandon

Thank you,

Aly Wowchuk (she/her)

Brandon Pride Chair

2023