UNBC’s Northern Pride Centre finally receives funding

UNBC’s Northern Pride Centre will receive $10,000 per year for two years from the university after what has been described as a 6 year battle.

“We were the only resource on campus without a paid staff,” says former Northern Pride president Krystal Vandenberg. “We were hoping to get $20,000 a year to pay for year round staff.” Vandenberg says other minority support groups such as the Women’s Centre and the First Nations Centre had no problem getting funding from the school.

Vandenberg says the centre may only be able to operate during the school year with its current budget. They’re hoping to supplement their resources with grants and possibly community partnerships. She says the centre’s current board will be meeting with next year’s board to consider its options.

The centre has 20 members and volunteers. Vandenberg says the funding will allow them to hire a coordinator and a professional trained in LGBTQ issues to support students and members of the community.

“We are a peer support network for LGBTQ students and the community. Anyone in Prince George can access the Pride Centre. We run LGBTQ Safe Space workshops. There tends to be higher rates of isolation, anxiety and depression within LGBTQ individuals and that;s because communities tend to be smaller than in places like Vancouver. It’s harder to find other LGBTQ individuals.”

Vandenberg credits the school’s new administration, including president Daniel Weeks, for finally providing the centre with funding.