# Community events and Rainbow Connections

Source: https://www.qaravan.org/annual-report/2023/events/

*A group photo in a meeting room.*

This page covers the community events of RUSA LGBTQ+ (now QARAVAN) in 2023 and Rainbow Connections, the one-to-one program that started in November 2023.

- **47** events in 2023, mostly in person
- **25-30** new participants join each month, on average
- **15 to 200+** people attend an event

## Community events

Regular in-person community meetings and events provide a safe space to build a sense of belonging, make friends, receive support, and learn. We serve refreshments and distribute necessities like clothing and personal hygiene items. Guest speakers from nonprofit and public agencies join to present their services.

*Sabina*

Our social outings and art programs foster community engagement and give LGBTQ+ immigrants opportunities to connect and express themselves creatively, which promotes social integration and overall well-being. Community members who are musicians, singers, painters, and drag artists perform and present at Brighton Beach Pride, World Refugee Day, and other events around the city.

The events of 2023 included:

- Advocacy and community organizing events
- Health and well-being events
- Information sessions
- Social and cultural gatherings and programs
- Volunteer trainings
- One winter coat distribution event

*A speaker at a Pier 57 podium.*

## Events shown on flyers in the report

- August 17: Music of Curiosities, a night of music from immigrants from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, on Surf Avenue in Coney Island
- October 7: a free film screening followed by a question-and-answer session with the director, at Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street
- November 4, 2023: a clothing drive with RIF Asylum Support and the First Presbyterian Church, at 12 West 12th Street

## Rainbow Connections

The Rainbow Connections program started in November 2023. It offers one-to-one pairing between local volunteers and LGBTQ+ newcomers for English language practice and orientation to the United States.

- **40** active Rainbow Connections pairs, meeting in six-month cycles

We are working to expand the program by recruiting more volunteers.

The program is based on an earlier, similar program that took place from 2015 to 2017 in partnership with Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST), Welcoming the Stranger. Several volunteers from that program returned and now volunteer in Rainbow Connections, which shows long-term volunteer dedication and the program’s success.

*Asel, Zulfia, and son*

[PDF, 19 pages, 3.2 MB](https://www.qaravan.org/files/qaravan-annual-report-2023.pdf)