Parent Pod Mapping: Community Care for 2SLGBTQ+ Families

Guest Facilitator: Rae Jardine (she/they), MA, RSSW, CC-PMH

Workshop Description:

This interactive session is designed for 2SLGBTQ+ expectant parents, prospective parents and current parents who want to build strong, sustainable support systems for themselves and their families. Grounded in community care and mental health-informed practice, this workshop introduces Parent Pod Mapping as a practical and empowering tool to identify, strengthen and sustain networks of care beyond the nuclear family.

Recognizing that queer and trans families often parent within systems that were not built for us, this session centres chosen family, mutual aid and collective resilience as essential foundations for thriving families—whether you are preparing to welcome a child or already navigating the realities of parenting.

Participants will:

• Learn what Parent Pod Mapping is and why it matters for 2SLGBTQ+ expectant and current parents
• Explore the unique realities, strengths and barriers queer and trans parents face when building and maintaining support networks
• Reflect on how identity, mental health, capacity, boundaries and life stage shape community care
• Identify key people, resources and roles within their current or envisioned parenting pod
• Gain practical strategies to grow, communicate with and sustain affirming, flexible support systems over time

This is a supportive, identity-affirming space that honors the diversity of 2SLGBTQ+ family structures, caregiving models, and parenting journeys. Participants will leave feeling more connected, resourced and confident in building community-based care—knowing that parenting was never meant to be done alone.

Learn more and register for our 2SLGBTQ+ Family Resources programs.