Women@NCSA invites you to “Uniting Pride LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency Training” on Wednesday, June 28 from 2–3 p.m. on Zoom led by Nicole Frydman, director of operations at Uniting Pride – a non-profit organization that advocates for the equality, wellness, and visibility of the LGBTQ+ communities in Champaign County.
This free event is designed to help attendees gain knowledge and understanding around LGBTQ+ topics, terms, and best practices. It starts with basic terminology, definitions, and concepts, but then takes attendees into a deeper dive around what affirming language and behavior should look like, what not to do, how to handle when mistakes are made, and the positive impact that can be made with even just a few small changes. This training is designed to engage attendees in discussion and get specific questions answered.
Nicole (she/they) started on her journey of volunteerism, advocacy, and action at a very young age. Her first experience was going along with Mom to the picket lines when Mom’s teachers union was close to striking, and as she knocked doors for political candidates - something Mom did a lot. This helped Nicole get an incredible lesson in direct action at a very early age that left an indelible impact. And then, after their middle school class did a day of service at a local homeless shelter, she and some school friends started their own action group called Kids Who Care in order to continue contributing to solutions to a vast array of problems. That would be the first time Nicole took a leadership role in what would become a long list.
Since then, Nicole’s work has spanned performing arts, political and social advocacy, education, administration and operations, fundraising, and programming and events. While studying classical acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, they explored history, sociology, psychology, literature, political science, and art across a variety of mediums, to deliberately and purposefully become the kind of producing, teaching, and performing artist who affects the world around her. She still practices their craft today. But alongside her work as an artist, they discovered a love for the mechanics of how things work, and how a better functioning system can make a bigger impact on the world. This appreciation for organization and structure, while deploying the creative process at its best, is what brought her to nonprofit management and operations.
Now with 20+ years of adult work in this world, and 40+ years of participation when including work as a young person, they join Uniting Pride at a pivotal moment. UP is on a massive growth trajectory and Nicole is honored to be tasked with harnessing its potential to the greatest effect. An organization like this one always hopes our work results in us being out of a job, because there is no longer a need. Sadly, we’re seeing renewed energy in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, bigotry, and violence that makes our work even more relevant than ever. Nicole welcomes the partnership of anyone interested in tackling the challenges we face today, with a commitment to integrity, transparency, kindness, and respect.
To better understand Nicole and how she approaches their work, think of this quote: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead