Keynotes
Frequently Asked Questions
Who facilitates keynotes?
Keynotes are facilitated by the Director and Founder of Rainbow Allyship, Sydney Brouillard-Coyle (Ney/Nem/Nir). Sydney is a queer, trans, nonbinary, and asexual activist, community educator, and published author. All keynotes are shaped around nir lived, educational, and professional experience. You can read more about Sydney’s background HERE.
How is a keynote different from Allyship Training?
Our Allyship Training programs provide foundational training on key topics that relate to the queer and trans community. This includes topics such as gender and sexuality 101, intersectionality, countering misinformation, pronouns, allyship, and specialized programs for churches, classrooms, and service providers. These programs aim to share information, statistics, and definitions relating to these concepts, while also encouraging audience interaction through activities and discussions. By contrast, keynotes entirely revolve around Sydney’s lived experience as a queer and trans person. These are not “101” presentations, but instead highlight what it means to exist as a queer and trans person in our society.
Who are the keynotes designed for?
Our keynotes have two different design categories – one for the queer community, and one for general audiences. Keynotes designed for the queer community are great for any 2SLGBTQIA+ audience, such as a queer club, queer social space, and/or Pride-themed event. Keynotes for general audiences are open to any audience, such as a class or course, organization, business, or event. The purpose of all keynotes is to shine a light on the diverse experiences of the queer and trans community through Sydney’s lived expertise.
Are keynotes customizable?
Keynotes are customizable in terms of the length of time – we offer keynotes that are either 30, 45, or 60 minutes (including time for questions). The content itself is not flexible; we ask you to choose whichever keynote best fits your organization or context. Alternatively, if you want a more customizable program, please check out our Allyship Training offerings.
What dates/days do you facilitate programs?
Our team offers flexible scheduling, including weekdays, weekends, and evenings as long as we have enough notice. We strongly encourage you to reach out at least two weeks before you hope to have the keynote, but the earlier the better, as our schedules do fill up fairly quickly!
Where do these training programs take place?
We are happy to facilitate in-person keynotes at your organization (travel costs must be covered). We are based out of London, Ontario. We also facilitate keynotes virtually via Zoom; whatever makes sense for your organization!
Is there a cost?
Yes. Sydney puts a lot of time and energy into developing keynotes that address various topics within the queer and trans community. This is a significant amount of emotional labour, both in the keynote development and in facilitation, particularly since these draw from Sydney’s personal, lived experience and require a level of vulnerability. Thus, at this time, we do not have the capacity to provide free keynotes, nor do we have any grants to support free keynotes. However, we do offer sliding scale options for different organizations and contexts (e.g. non-profit, classes), and we do our best to ensure equitable access to this education. If you are interested in booking a keynote, please reach out to us so that we can further discuss any financial considerations.
How can I book a keynote?
Simply fill out the request form linked below, and our team will get back to you within 3 business days. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to send us an email, at: info@rainbow-allyship.org.