Community Grant Awardee Update
Diana Quinn – Psychedelic Liberation Collective
Psychedelic Liberation Collective (PLC) is about to enter the final month of the SRF grant-funded year of their project and are on target to hit all of their projected milestones. By the end of May 2022, PLC will have offered 12 months of free monthly psychedelic integration circles for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities, and 8 months of Anti-racism circles for white allies, made possible by the $3,600.00 facilitator stipend portion of their SRF grant. PLC’s budget included $1,260.00 for facilitator training for their team through AORTA (Anti-Oppression Resources & Training Alliance). They had budgeted $1,000.00 to support honoraria for speakers offering quarterly community outreach & education webinars, and through building revenue streams have been able to provide an additional $500.00 for honoraria for BIPOC speakers/facilitators whose work they’ve featured.
Infrastructure costs comprised $2,568.00 of their SRF budget, covering the expense of web and email platforms, video conferencing, website maintenance, communications and advertising. Finally, the SRF grant allowed PLC to demonstrate their commitment to community-building with partners in the field, with $500.00 earmarked for ad campaign content to uplift the work of BIPOC content creators in the field. For the duration of the year, they’ve continually operated within the established budget to meet their objectives, and are concluding with a small surplus of revenue garnered from paid events that will support their transition beyond the grant cycle.
The SRF Community Grant award has made it possible for PLC to fulfill their mission of providing free psychedelic integration circles for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities, offer multiple community education and healing justice events, and provide spaces for community-building and support. In the last year, they have had nearly 250 community members attend monthly circles, many of whom participate regularly. PLC expanded their email lists to nearly 500 people who receive their monthly newsletter and updates about circles and events. They have nearly 1,500 followers across multiple social media platforms. Over 125 people have attended their community education events featuring BIPOC leaders in the field with a focus on harm reduction and healing racial trauma.
Over the course of the past year, PLC’s People of the Global Majority integration circle saw nearly 100 participants attend a free monthly integration circle hosted by facilitators of color. Their Queer integration circle has also been attended by over 100 different participants. In August of 2021, PLC launched their Anti-racism integration circle, which has had nearly 40 participants. Many of their circles are attended regularly by return participants, contributing to the atmosphere of community-building that is created in those spaces.
PLC's level of engagement with the community has continued to build over the past year. Prioritizing quality over quantity, they have intentionally kept growth slow to focus on building authentic and mindful spaces both online and in the social media space. Their mailing list and social media followers have continued to grow, and they are exploring ways to scale while maintaining a solid foundation in and commitment to relationship building.
The core group of six original co-founders continues to lead the organization, offering monthly facilitation and coordinating events and outreach. Over the past year they have had two additional participants contribute for short stints of time, and currently have three individuals seeking to contribute their time and expertise to add an additional BIPOC circle for participants in the Pacific time zone, create graphics and produce educational materials.
Through their outreach and education program they have hosted several webinars for the community featuring Black, Indigenous and people of color in the psychedelic space. These have focused on healing racial trauma, the impact of the psychedelic renaissance on Indigenous and Native American communities, Afrocentric traditions and legacies in psychedelic medicine, harm reduction and restorative justice, and talking circles for women impacted by sexual violence in the psychedelic space. These outreach and education events have elevated and financially compensated the contribution of BIPOC leaders in the field.
Finally, their community partners have included Black People Trip, TRANSCENDENCE; independent documentary film on racial justice and healing with psilocybin, and the Fireside Project Equity Initiative. Through the SRF Community grant, they have donated to these efforts and lifted up the work of these content creators through our social media networks and newsletter.