Community Builder
“I enjoyed it so much! My mental health and self esteem are already improved. Such a valuable experience - thanks to all involved!”
Feedback from peer support group participant
In 2019 I was looking for a way to improve the experiences of other LGBTQIA+ people with South Asian heritage living in the UK. I started volunteering with Sarbat Sikhs and was asked by them to collaborate with Taraki on setting up a group for LGBTQIA+ people with Punjabi heritage living in the UK.
I called the group The Open Minds Project with the hope that it would contribute to greater acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in Punjabi cultures. Over time the group expanded to include the broader group of people with South Asian heritage living in the UK.
The role required me to learn webdesign, sharpen my writing and design skills and to expand my group facilitation skills. The role also gave me a crash course in social media marketing, event management and managing funding applications. It was a busy 5 years and I was lucky to learn from so many different people.
I stepped back from the role in 2024 to concentrate on my creative career.
I am keen to continue working in the charity and voluntary sector and if you think I might have something to offer you, please get in touch.
Community Focused Public Speaking and Workshops
2025
May - Panel Member for Taraki: Masculinity , Creativity and Mental Health.
Live event in Southall, London.
2024
Jan - Workshop Series: Art as Self-Care - A 6 Week Online Course for LGBTQIA+ POC.
The Open Minds Project.
Feb - Panel Guest: LGBTQ+ Pride. Pride Month.
University of East London.
Feb - Panel Guest: Joyland Film Screening.
The New Black Film Collective
Mar - Panel Conversation: Sexual Wellbeing in Our Communities.
LGBT Hero.
May - Lecture: Language, Identity and Belonging.
JAAG Festival Birmingham.
Jun - Workshop: Solidarity, belonging and making space for contradiction – considering the successes and challenges of our community-based space.
Outside/rs Conference, University of Sussex.
Aug - Lecture: Punjabi and Gay.
YBS South Asian Heritage Month.
Sept - Guest Facilitator: Being LGBTQ+ and Punjabi.
Taraki Mens Group.
2022
Mar - Lecture: Intersectionality and Psychiatry.
Basingstoke Psychiatry Academic Meeting.
May - Panel Guest: Mental Health in Our Communities.
LGBT Consortium Racial Justice Network.
Jul - Lecture: What is Well-Being Anyway?
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust Wellfest Event.
Jul - Panel Guest: Finding Queer South Asian Voices in the Archive.
The British Library.
Oct - Workshop: Intersectionality and the Value of Difference.
Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation