June’s Awesome Ottawa award goes to Ava Anderson and Holly Brown for a client celebration for Centretown Community Health Centre’s Trans Health Clinic.

“We would like to have a celebration,” explains Ava, “to foster connections between our clients, uplift and celebrate the trans community of Ottawa, and provide services that may otherwise be unavailable.”

“Ultimately,” she continues, “we want to bridge the gaps. We want to help connect gender diverse people in our catchment and foster friendships and community. We want to affirm our clients’ identities in an environment that is safe, affirming, and welcoming. We want them to know that they are valued, appreciated, and have resources out there available to them.”

The award will support including local businesses – such as a stylist to provide gender-affirming haircuts to clients, or a makeup artist to share gender-affirming tips.

“Our clients,” explains Ava, “are gender diverse individuals from Ottawa and the surrounding regions, 17 and up, who are seeking support on their gender journey. This could look like seeking referrals for hormone replacement therapy, referrals for various surgeries, counselling, and group support. We currently have a client base of over 350.”

Ava is a fourth year Bachelor of Social Work student at Carleton university completing a practicum at the Centretown Community Health Centre, and Holly is Team Lead of the Centre’s Trans Health Program.