QT Blog

With international borders beginning to open up again, we recognize that some of our readers may be feeling restless and eager to travel. With that in mind, we wanted to resurface the conversation we had with Athena Lam (she/her) about her amazing global professional journey. At the time of our conversation, Athena was a B2B content marketer at Passbase, an identity verification company with offices in Berlin and New York City. Today she is a Senior Content Manager at Pitch where she creates content to help individuals and teams shape, share, and present their best thinking at work. 

She is a board member at Yarrow Intergenerational Society for Justice 世代同行會, based in Vancouver's Chinatown and Planet Ally, a global LGBTQ travel and human rights advocacy platform.

Athena Lam, Senior Content Manager, Editorial, Pitch

QueerTech makes Toronto debut, uniting 2SLGBTQ+ tech talent

Non-profit advocating for diversity, inclusion and belonging in tech expands Canadian footprint.

BIG NEWS: ANNOUNCING QUEERTECH BRAND REFRESH!

ATTENDING THE QAREERS VIRTUAL FAIR? THIS BLOG POST IS FOR YOU!

We are excited to have you join us at the QueerTech Qareers Virtual Fair! We highly recommend that you take a look at all of these event logistics, tips and tools to help your prepare and make the most of your experience.

We can't wait to help you find your newest opportunity as we work to QUEER THE TECH ECOSYSTEM!

CHECK OUT WHO'S HIRING?

Take a moment and check out all of these hiring partners. Click on the link to their website, or check them out on the QT Talent Network. You can also sign right into Brella and find all of the HIRING COMPANIES Virtual Booths.

Hiring companies include: (Presenting) RBC (Pride) Chrome, Loopio, Shopify, Tucows (Ally) AlleyCorp, Chili Piper, Loblaw Companies Limited, Medavie Blue Cross, Moment Factory, Petal, REDspace, Rogers, Sage, Scotiabank, Sun Life Financial, Ubisoft, Unity Technologies, View the Space, (Qmunity) OroHealth, OSEDEA, TouchTunes, Transit, WINK Technologies Inc (Content Partner) Rangle.io

CHECK OUT THESE PARTNERS ON THE QT TALENT NETWORK!

QueerTech Partners with EngiQueers, Providing More Opportunities to 2SLGBTQ+ students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Montréal, March 16th, 2022 - Collaboration is a critical component of increasing the impact of QueerTech’s successful events and expanding their ongoing support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community within STEM. This is why QueerTech is excited to announce that they have partnered with EngiQueers (EQ) Canada, a national non-profit organization that represents over 30 engineering member groups at universities across Canada. EngiQueer Canada's three main focuses are professional development, education and advocacy and education, and building social connections. To achieve these goals, EQ Canada provides equity, diversity and allyship training at all the Canada-wide Engineering Conferences as well as to all our partners. We also host fundraisers to support Queer Initiatives and host networking events throughout the year for students to connect with industry members. 

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QueerTech elects six new Board of Directors to help achieve its mission to “Queer The Tech Ecosystem”

Montreal, February 10th 2022 - Last year was an incredible year of growth for QueerTech and with a new year, comes new opportunities. It is our mission to empower our members to achieve their personal and professional goals by bringing their authentic selves wherever they go, striving to encourage a sense of belonging that comes from both giving and contributing to our communities. We believe in education, in reciprocity, and that everyone has something to teach and learn. By combining all of these factors, we are building strong communities to help Queer people thrive.

QueerTech nomme six nouveaux membres du conseil d'administration pour l'aider à réaliser sa mission : Queering The Tech Ecosystem.

Montréal, le 7 février 2022 - L'année dernière a été une année de croissance exceptionnelle pour QueerTech et, avec une nouvelle année, se présentent de nouvelles opportunités. Notre mission est de donner à nos membres les moyens d'atteindre leurs objectifs personnels et professionnels sans devoir compromettre leur authenticité. Nous croyons à l'éducation, à la réciprocité et au fait que chacun a quelque chose à enseigner et à apprendre. Nous espérons construire des communautés fortes pour aider les personnes se définissant comme “Queer” à s'épanouir.

Looking for a job where you feel safe and secure being yourself can often feel like a daunting task – how do you really know if an employer really comes as advertised? Luckily we’re living in a time when many industries are making diversity and inclusion at work a top priority. Here at QueerTech, we’ve partnered with a variety of companies that have set shining examples with their commitment to making workplaces a safe place for Queer people. One company that’s working hard to blaze the way as a leader in diversity is RBC.

QueerTech’s mission to queer the tech ecosystem is driven not only by a desire to have greater representation in the tech industry but also to ensure that the jobs queer people are finding will be safe and secure no matter how we identify. As a part of this mission, we can’t wait to host the Qareers Virtual Job Fair, a fantastic opportunity for you to meet with employers that we trust to be committed to fostering safe and inclusive work environments. 

Our next job fair in 2021 will take place over 2-days on November 4th & 5th! 

RSVP Today

To make sure you get the most out of your Qareers experience, we’ve written up a short guide to help you navigate the virtual platform we’re using and to give you a sneak peek at the employers who will be there.

Get familiar with Brella.io

Jarret Leaman (he/him) has dedicated a lot of time and effort to find not only professional success but also happiness for himself and his community. He’s worked hard to attain a Bachelor of Business Administration with a minor in Indigenous Studies from Trent University, a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations through the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University, and he’s also won awards for his work with the 2SLGBTQ+ Indigenous community.

He received The Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor-General, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, and he was named one of Huffington Post’s Top 3 Indigenous Millenials in Canada. These impressive accomplishments didn’t come easy to Jarret though – like all of us, he had a unique journey to proudly claim his identity.

“We're always looking to build our community and safe places for people who are like us,” says Justin Finnegan, the leader in charge of Wealthsimple’s 2SLGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group (ERG), known as Rainbow. Finnegan and his team are devoted to helping the employees of Wealthsimple “find their people” – something crucial to easing the stress of coming into a new workplace. Rainbow’s efforts have grown considerably over the past few years; proof of how important the group has become.

Back in 2018, when Rainbow was founded, it consisted mostly of allies. At first, it was hard for the group to find a purpose, which resulted in an unfortunate lack of community. After Wealthsimple employees shifted to mostly remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rainbow took on a new level of purpose and began to really take off with the help of communication tools like Slack.