Come out and celebrate NAIT Pride Weeks taking place March 4 - 15, 2024. During NAIT Pride, every member of the NAIT Community is encouraged to show their colours!
We believe that our community is stronger and healthier when students and staff feel like they can bring their whole authentic selves into our learning, working, and research environments. NAIT is actively taking steps to be an inclusive, supportive, and non-judgmental space for members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
Upcoming events:
Monday, March 4
NAITSA Drag Show
12:00 PM - 1:00PM | CAT Crossing
Get ready to experience a vibrant celebration of diversity, because Pride Week is about to get even more colorful! We're thrilled to invite you to join us in the heart of the Feltham Centre for an unforgettable kickoff to Pride Week, featuring NAITSA's sixth annual Drag Show extravaganza.
Register
Pride Week Safe Space – For Students
12:00 PM - 1:00PM | CAT Crossing
Join us in CAT 182 to enjoy the Pride Week Safe Space from March 4th - 8th! Daily activities and colouring sheets will be hosted in partnership with the Pride @ NAIT club, They/Thems in STEM Club, and the Drags Arts at NAIT club.
Register
Tuesday, March 5
Share Your Passion
12:00 PM - 2:00PM | Safe Space - CAT182
Do you have something you’re truly passionate about? Do you have a strong interest in something you would like to share with others? Do you have fun ideas and stories? Or maybe you’re just interested in listening in? Then come join us in the safe space for Pride @ NAIT’s Share Your Passion event! Throughout the day individuals in the safe space will get the chance to share PowerPoint presentations on topics and ideas they’re passionate about.
Register
Wednesday, March 6
Flag Rising Ceremony and Hot Chocolate
12:00 PM - 1:00PM | Shaw Theatre Lobby
Come show your support and solidarity to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community of staff and students! Join the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and guest speakers to a pre-flag raising event at the Shaw Theatre Lobby complete with hot chocolate and rainbow marshmallows, followed by the raising of the Pride flag for NAIT's Pride Weeks. Open to all NAIT community members.
Register
Queer Trivia
3:00 PM - 5:00PM | CAT182
Study up, pals! We’ve got Queer Trivia coming your way! Test your knowledge of queer pop culture, history, music, flags, and other fabulous miscellaneous queer topics. Do you know the latest trends, the slang, and who paved the queer paths? Let’s find out! Feel free to test your knowledge solo or divide and conquer in a group. “Good luck, and don’t forget to study up” or whatever the quote is!
Register
Thursday, March 7
Circle of Safety Discussion – Open to Students Only
12:00PM - 1:00PM | Location will be sent to registered participants
Join Natasha Pinterics (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist), Daley Laing (Gender-based and Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator), and Komal Kumar (Counseling Services) for a safe and confidential circle discussion about what 2SLGBTQIA+ students experience as learners, and what you’d like to see happen to build learning environments that feel good for everyone.
Register
Pride Dirty Bingo Hosted by NAITSA
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM | The Nest Eatery
Don’t miss out on the most anticipated Nest event of the year! This event will fill up very quickly- be sure to RSVP and arrive at The Nest Eatery early to save your spot. Spots will be First Come First Serve. Due to the nature of the event, this event is an 18+ Event.
Register
Friday, March 8
Arts and Crafts with Bob Ross
12:00PM - 4:00PM | NAIT Main Campus
After such an exciting week we all deserve a little serenity and there is no better way to achieve that than by watching some Bob Ross videos. Join in on the final day of the safe space where we’ll be following a Bob Ross painting tutorial using any medium of choice like watercolor, crayons, and maybe even Microsoft Paint. There is no expectation that participants are experienced with painting, however, we will be offering other types of arts and crafts if anyone would prefer to do something different. These will include origami, coloring books, friendship bracelets, and much more.
Register
Pride @ NAIT General Meeting
4:00PM - 7:00PM | NAIT Main Campus
This is Pride @ NAIT's weekly general meeting, come and hangout with us!
Register
Tuesday, March 12
Queer Meditations: Storytelling About Pride and Persistence
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM | Nexen Theatre and Virtual
Come and learn from 7 storytellers, all students and staff at NAIT who are coming together as part of NAIT's Pride Weeks. Join moderators Natasha & Daley from the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion as we hear from 7 of NAIT's 2SLGBTQIA+ community members about what pride and persistence means to them. All are welcome to attend. Snacks provided!
Register
Wednesday, March 13
Paint Your Pride and Library Pop-Up
11:00 AM - 1:00PM | CAT Crossing
The OWLs will be leading a paint your pride activity while the library will be doing a book pop-up with tables featuring queer, trans, non-binary books available for staff and students to take out. Come learn, share, engage, and participate!
Thursday, March 14
Circle of Safety Discussion – Open to Staff Only
12:00 PM - 1:00PM | Location will be sent to registered participants
Join Natasha Pinterics (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist), Daley Laing (Gender-based and Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator), and Komal Kumar (Counseling Services) for a safe and confidential circle discussion about what 2SLGBTQIA+ students experience as learners, and what you’d like to see happen to build learning environments that feel good for everyone.
Register
Friday, March 15
Pride @ NAIT General Meeting
4:00PM - 7:00PM | NAIT Main Campus
This is Pride @ NAIT's weekly general meeting, come and hangout with us!
Register
Northside Pride Gay-La: Queering Futures Prom
Doors open at 7:00 PM | Art Gallery of Alberta at 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square | Tickets required
Celebrate your dreams of a queer future at the NorthSide Pride Queering Futures Prom! Imagine sequins, joy, and infinite possibilities. DJs, drag and burlesque performers, and new friends aplenty! Entertainment will be provided by Fruit Loop. Please note: this event is limited to students from the five schools within the NorthSide Pride Collaborative Group (MacEwan University, NAIT, NorQuest College, Concordia University of Edmonton, and The King's University) and their guests. Student IDs must be presented at the door.
Register
Throughout Pride Weeks
Pride Community Book Club: Reading to Reconcile – Open to NAIT and NAITSA Staff Only
Following the smash success of our Reading for Reconciliation group in September and the months following, the Office of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion is thrilled to offer a second reading group text to share discussions between colleagues and friends. Inspired by Pride Week, with the goal of developing allyship through understanding and empathy of varied experiences and realities, this reading group will delve into a memoir by Lamya H about the tensions, hiccups, and joys of navigating life through racialized, religious, cultural, queer, and gender identities.
Though this reading group isn’t about reconciliation, but it is about reconciling and learning to identify across differences. Participation will enter you to win one of three prizes purchased to support local 2SLGBTQIA-owned small businesses - Kind Ice Cream and The Quiltbag.
In the hopes that we can devote some time over Pride weeks reading and/or listening, the book group discussions will take place over two Fridays at noon, each devoted to one half of the book - March 22nd and April 5th.
Register
More ways to celebrate
Visit Shop at NAIT for Pride Gear
Treat yourself with #NAITPride lanyards, tshirts and hoodies. We will be donating $4 from every Pride hoodie and $2 from every Pride tshirt and lanyard to the Chew Project.
Browse online
Purchase in store
North Side Pride Events
Along with NAIT, MacEwan University, NorQuest College, Concordia University of Edmonton, and The King's University, have put together their own series of pride events that are opened to all students across all institutions. Check out all the pride events happening across each institution here:
EDI Chatter: Parenting Queerly, Queerly Parenting
Three staff members discuss the intricacies, challenges, and joys of their own variations of parenting queerly and queerly parenting for Pride Weeks at NAIT. Watch now.
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