Norwich and Area JEDI Alliance

06/18/2026

The Norwich and Area JEDI Alliance is proud to continue celebrating the creativity, talent, and diversity within our community.

Art has always been a powerful form of expression, connection, and resilience. As we share another community artwork today, we want to thank everyone who has contributed, supported, and helped create spaces where people feel seen, valued, and welcomed.

Do you have a contribution of your own? We are always happy to feature q***r artists and inclusion themed artwork from our community and beyond. Feel free to send us your creations!

Together, we continue to build a community rooted in inclusion, respect, and belonging. 💜

***rArt

06/18/2026

Today, the Norwich and Area JEDI Alliance recognizes Autistic Pride Day.

Autistic Pride Day is about celebrating autistic people for who they are, not who society expects them to be. Autism is a natural part of human diversity.

Many autistic people are also part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and for those who hold both identities, their experiences can shape identity, connection, and belonging in unique ways. These experiences deserve recognition, respect, and space.

Autistic people are valued members of our communities, with diverse ways of thinking, communicating, and experiencing the world.

Today we celebrate autistic pride, authenticity, and belonging.

Nothing about us without us.

06/18/2026

Only a few more sleeps until the cheesiest time together! 🏳️‍🌈🧀

Has anyone else been dreaming about cheese curds all week, or is it just us?

It has been a week (to say the least)!

The outpouring of love for our family and business has been mind-blowing. The outpouring of media attention has shown a national care for an issue that often feels so local, and yet so overlooked. The last 72 hours has been a true reminder of the power of love and the power of community in the face of adversity ❤️.

There is so much more we could say, but we see the hurt being melted by love, and we are so excited to see so many of you on Saturday at our Cheesy Family Pride Day!

There will be endless kids activities and the weather looks wonderful! We will have live music from two talented Norwich youth; 11 am - 12 pm with Caylie, and 1 - 2 pm with Sawyer. There will be community groups and a couple vendors as well.

For food, we will have Rainbow Poutine for $10, Stay and Play Charcuterie boards for $25, Rainbow icecream for $2, drinks for $2, and everything else is free!

Please follow the OPP's direction for parking on our property/down our personal driveway. We understand if you can't make it - we will post a digital petition after the event for those of you that want to continue to see more done to make this community of Norwich Township safer and more inclusive.

Happy Pride month to you all!

06/17/2026

The Norwich and Area JEDI Alliance is proud to continue celebrating the creativity, talent, and diversity within our community.

Art has always been a powerful form of expression, connection, and resilience. As we share another community artwork today, we want to thank everyone who has contributed, supported, and helped create spaces where people feel seen, valued, and welcomed.

[During Oxford Pride Family Day on June 13, 2026, a youth stopped by our booth carrying a bag full of handmade buttons. They told us they were handing them out to Pride attendees while also accepting donations to support their work. We were happy to contribute and even happier to see a young person sharing their creativity with the community.]

Q***r art matters. Young artists matter. You matter.

Did anyone else receive one of these awesome buttons? We’d love to see your photos and hear your stories in the comments. A big thank you to the creator for sharing your talent with our community. We’re honoured to showcase your art.

Do you have a contribution of your own? We are always happy to feature q***r artists and inclusion-themed artwork from our community and beyond. Feel free to send us your creations!

Together, we continue to build a community rooted in inclusion, respect, and belonging. 💜

***rArt

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

What an amazing opportunity!

In honour of both Pride Month and Indigenous History Month, we're excited to announce our Two-Spirit Pride Shirt Design Contest! 🏳️‍🌈🦅

Open to 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous youth (up to age 30) in/from London or surrounding communities. Winning design will be celebrated on social media, provided a small honorarium, and will be worn by Atlohsa staff during London’s pride celebrations in July (as London Pride is in July rather than in June).

Your design can represent whatever Two-Spirit Pride means to you.

⏰ Deadline to submit designs is Friday, July 3rd
📩 Submit your designs via email to [email protected] (please ensure your files are either PNG or JPEG format, and are sent in high quality)
🎨 Open to any art forms, so long as it can be printed on a shirt!

When submitting your design via email, please note your name, your Indigenous community, your age, and anything you'd like to share about your design. Please ensure that all elements of your design are designed by you (or are copyright free, if your graphic design incorporates other elements). Designs generated by AI will not be considered.

We look forward to seeing the designs of the talented 2SLGBTQIA+ Indigenous youth in our community! 🩵

06/16/2026

The Norwich and Area JEDI Alliance is proud to continue celebrating the creativity, talent, and diversity that make our community so vibrant.

Art has always been a powerful way to share stories, build connections, inspire change, and remind people that they belong. As we share another community artwork today, we want to thank the artists, supporters, and allies who help create spaces where people feel seen, valued, respected, and welcomed.

Do you have a piece you’d like to share? We are always happy to feature q***r artists and inclusion themed artwork from our community and beyond. Feel free to send us your creations, we would love to celebrate your work.

Together, we continue building a community rooted in inclusion, respect, equity, diversity, accessibility, and belonging. 💜

Hate has no home here. Support your local q***r artists now more than ever. 🏳️‍🌈

[This artwork was created by a young trans artist in our community who has recently been the target of negative comments and unwanted attention. Rather than allowing that negativity to define the conversation, we choose to respond with support, encouragement, and community.

Art takes courage. Sharing your creativity takes courage. Being yourself takes courage.

This is an opportunity for all of us to show our youth that they are valued, respected, and celebrated exactly as they are. Let’s wrap this young artist in our commitment to love, inclusion, and belonging, and show that our community is stronger than hate.

To every q***r and trans young person who may be watching: you belong here, your voice matters, and your creativity deserves to be seen. ]💜

06/16/2026

We’re so grateful to our friends at Norwich United Church for opening their doors for our community for this peaceful march and for providing refreshments and a safe space for all. 💜

Monday evening was perfect weather for a walk in support of our whole community. The colourful flags were flying, people were chatting and there were over 200 folks from all over the county!

Our church was the half way mark and we welcomed everyone with open doors and open hearts and a cool drink of water!

We love this community and love to live out God’s love for creation!