Pride Week in Estevan got underway with a little bit of cake and a flag dedication just across from city Hall Monday during lunch hour.
Joe Wickenhauser of Moose Jaw Pride and the Saskatchewan Pride Network knows a thing or two about organizing events and weeks and getting Pride communities off the ground, and has helped do that in Estevan.
“I think what’s really nice about the Pride events here in Estevan is we’ve got a group of youth who are organizing things here,” said Wickenhauser. “I think it’s really encouraging when the young people take initiative and leadership and organize events in the community that reflect who they are and the change that they want to see.”
Wickenhauser grew up in a small Saskatchewan town and knows the struggles those coming out have to face in the rural parts of the province.
The youth getting involved in the process start their organizing out at the GSAs within the school division and Wickenhauser pointed out the support the Southeast Cornerstone division has done well in supporting GSA at the Estevan Comprehensive School.
The culture around Pride Week has been improving around Estevan, just as it did around Moose Jaw when Wickenhauser started a few years ago. From a small office in a United Church, he now heads a group that helps get smaller cities’ Pride organizations off the ground. Wickenhauser is also still busy in Moose Jaw with various projects.
“There’s a lot of things happening,” said Wickenhauser. “We’ve just moved into a new space, we’ve opened our Rainbow Retro thrift shop and we’re hiring new staff to help out… we’ve got different projects happening with diversity training and we’re working with Transition House. There’s lots of different things happening in our organization so making sure Pride continues to happen is part of what we’re wanting to do.
“Sometimes it’s a big task but I think it means a lot. Even if we have smaller crowds and smaller turnouts, we know that the event is important.”
