The Cummings Centre proudly marks the arrival of Montreal’s Pride celebrations with a special presentation ‘Aging Gayfully’, a training to foster inclusion, equity, and safety for LGBTQ+ seniors.

The month of June marked the arrival of Pride Month here in Canada. Across the country there were celebrations, parades, moments of education, advocacy, and awareness bringing people together across the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate with their friends, families, and allies. The spirit of Pride is one we carry through the summer months here in Montreal, with Fierté Montreal from August 1 to 7.

At the Cummings Centre, we are PROUD to mark the arrival of Montreal’s Pride celebrations with an announcement about some of the work we have been doing to build a more inclusive and equitable space for our members, staff, and volunteers who belong to the LGBTQ+ community and their families. Within the last year, members of our staff completed 6 hours of leadership training with Keshet – an organization that works towards full equity for LGBTQ+ people within Jewish Life. Our team learned how to provide safer, more equitable environments for LGBTQ+ seniors and through this process identified 7 key areas for us to focus on as a Cummings community to foster equity, inclusion, and true belonging for our staff, members, and volunteers who are proud members of the LGBTQ+ community.

From programming to training, marketing to HR, and everything in between, we are working to build a centre that celebrates the full lives of the people that make up our Cummings community. As part of this work, there will be exciting opportunities for our members, staff, and volunteers to get involved in the coming weeks and months.

This month, we are pleased to be presenting Aging Gayfully. This training will provide an overview of the concepts of sexual and gender diversity; the evolution of LGBTQ+ rights and their impact on different generations; good practices to make environments more inclusive for LGBT seniors; and a testimonial from an LGBT senior about their life experiences. It is being presented for free via Zoom in partnership with Fondation Émergence on Thursday, August 18 from 3 to 5pm. If you are curious, have questions, or are working to build understanding, please join us! To register, please click HERE.

If you would like more information on our efforts or to get involved, please reach out to us at 514-734-1779 or via email at [email protected]

The Cummings Centre’s mission is to empower and enhance the quality of life of adults age 50 and over by providing dynamic and innovative programs, social services, and volunteer opportunities in a vibrant, respectful, inclusive and compassionate environment. Building on its Jewish heritage, Cummings embraces people from all ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

As the hub of Montreal’s 50+ community, the Centre touches the lives of 10,000 people on an annual basis. 

For more information, please contact us by phone at 514-343-3510, online at www.cummingscentre.org or in person at 5700 Westbury Avenue.