Kiwanis LGBT+ Club of Southern California

Planning Meeting

February 9th, 2019

In Attendance: Tara Guzman, Delia Guzman, Miguel Sarasa, Debbie McQueen, and Robert Becerra.  Guest- Adam McQueen

SWOT ACTIVITY: We discussed the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats that our club has to be successful.

Strengths:

  • Passion- we are passionate about achieving our goal of supporting LGBT+ youth
  • Kiwanis name- our Kiwanis club name is unique and can stand out among other Kiwanis clubs
  • Age/Newness- We have younger than average Kiwanis members, and our newness helps build an eagerness and excitement
  • Online Meetings-We have the ability to meet online which allows people from different areas to participate in meetings
  • Region/Reach- We cover a large area, which means we can reach more people throughout Southern California, we are not confined to city limits.
  • Membership-We have a large membership for a new club
  • Direct Connection to Population Served- We have members that are in the LGBTQ community, so we have a better understanding of the community we are trying to reach
  • Specialty Club/Make our own rules- as a specialty club, we can create our own blueprints, make our own rules, we don’t have to follow traditional formats.

 

Weaknesses:

  • Region/Reach- While this is a benefit, it is also a challenge, it is harder to get people together from different areas.
  • Online Meetings- The convenience of online meetings also makes it harder for people to feel invested and connected without face-to-face interactions.
  • Newness-A majority of our members are new to Kiwanis, which means we don’t have experience or knowledge of Kiwanis
  • No Example to Follow- Being the first club of its kind is exciting, and we get to create our own path, but we don’t have anything to look to, or model to follow to help us know what steps to take.
  • No Service Projects- We haven’t done a service project yet, the more projects we do, the more we have to share about our club and what we do, and get more people involved.
  • No Service Leadership Programs- These would be programs like Key Clubs- getting high schoolers involved in community service projects. We would like to eventually get connected with high school GSA groups to develop SLP’s with an LGBT/GSA focus
  • Board/Committees- better understanding of roles for board and committees, to help with service projects, membership, etc. and follow through
  • Communication- Communication can be improved on all levels- through Facebook, website, newsletters, conference calls, etc
  • Understanding Kiwanis policy- Learning more about what is expected as far as dues, activity, etc

 

Opportunities:

  • Service Projects-LGBT+ Scholarships
  • Partnerships- We can partner with LGBT+ Centers, pride events, schools, youth centers, affirming churches, businesses that support LGBT+
  • Service Leadership Programs- team up with high school GSA programs to get youth involved in helping the LGBT+ community
  • Region- Our region of Southern California provides a lot of places and opportunities to reach out to LGBT+ youth
  • Outreach/Support- Pride events in small communities, Mental Health resources/partners, LGBT+ support groups
  • Parents/Families- When we support parents and families, we help them support youth
  • Membership- Our membership can appeal to professionals, families, allies, as well as LGBT+ individuals
  • Family fun nights- providing safe and inclusive family fun activities, such as a movie night, or amusement partk

 

Threats:

  • Lack of Communication
  • Misunderstanding- among Kiwanis clubs, or the society/community- standing against old ways of thought, and confusion on what our club is about or who can participate. Pushback from anti-LGBTQ groups
  • Distance- Distance is a challenge when trying to meet up, or hold events

Parking Lot

Our Parking Lot was a list of things to work on or ideas, that maybe didn’t fit into the other categories, but we don’t want to forget about them

 

  • Website/Social Media- Tara and Delia are working on updating our website, and we want to keep our social media groups active and up to date.
  • Annual Schedule- board meetings. conference calls monthly, and face-to-face meetings quartery
  • Dues questions- need to get a better understanding on our due owed to district
  • Marketing Material- Need to work on brochures, business cards, newsletter, shirts
  • Bank Account- set up bank account and paypal account

Service Project Ideas

  • Hemet LGBT+ BBQ-
  • Movie Night
  • Pride Volunteer/Booth- volunteer or have a booth at local pride events
  • LGBT+ Centers in So Cal- team up with centers to support activities
  • GSA groups at high schools
  • Partner with college GSA programs
  • Members pick a city- each member pick a city or contact person, to see what can be done in that particular city
  • Providing resources/pamphlets- connecting with LGBT+ support centers, and mental health programs to help connect those that need help/support with those that provide it
  • E-Club- Creating an online space for LGBT+ youth to meet and share and encourage each other
  • Support/Speakers Series- Have a series of events with speakers who are LGBT+ models, allies, support for families, etc

ANNUAL CALENDAR

We have created a calendar for 2019.  We will have a conference call once a month, with a face-to-face meeting quarterly.  The conference calls are easy and convenient and allow more members to join from wherever they are, but we feel that face-to-face meetings are vital to keep the connection and energy going for our specialty club.  We are going to try to accommodate our large region by having our face-to-face meetings in different locations.  They are currently TBD, but we will update this info as we get closer to each.  Our calender is also now available on our new website kiwanislgbtsocal.org and you can link it directly to your Google calendar.

February 16th– Mid Year Conference South in San Diego

March 27th– Conference Call 8:00 PM

April 27th– Face-to-Face Meeting 6-8PM Location: TBD

May 22nd-Conference Call 8:00 PM

June 12th-Conference Call 8:00 PM – this will be an extra meeting to finalize details for the Hemet LGBT+ BBQ

June 29th– Hemet LGBT+ BBQ 3:00 PM Location:TBD

July 24th-Conference Call 8:00 PM

August 15th-17th– Cal-Nev-Ha District Convention in Las Vegas

August 28th– Conference Call 8:00 PM

September 28th-Face-to-Face Meeting 6-8 PM Location:TBD

October 23rd– Conference Call 8:00 PM

November 20th– Conference Cal 8:00 PM

December -Face-to-Face/ Christmas Get together Date/Time/Location TBD

 

Firm Goals for 2019

We are still a new club with lots of passionate people filled with big, beautiful ideas.  We hope to continue to grow and have a bigger reach and impact as our club grows.  First, we need to set up a foundation to build off of, so we decided to narrow our ideas into 3 goals to achieve this year.

  • Hemet LGBT+ BBQ– This event was sort of our flagship/kick-off event that pushed our club into existence, so this will be our big Service Project this year. We will need to find a location, plan a menu, reach out to local groups that might want to have a booth, or make donations, and determine entry/food cost, and have volunteers present.  Last year, we charged $5/person which covered the BBQ, and raised about $225 towards start-up costs for Kiwanis, this may change if we have to pay for location.
  • 1 Youth Night– We want to plan, organize, and host 1 youth night in 2019- a movie night or something similar.  For this, we will need to pick a location, determine costs, and get the word our for the event, as well as have volunteers there.
  • 1 Volunteer Event- We don’t know what this will be yet, perhaps supporting another event that is organized by another group/center, or volunteering at another pride event