As the manager of Gay Project in Cork City, Konrad Im understands the importance of community engagement.

What are your own family roots?
My mom is born and raised in Ballyphehane. My dad is from Hong Kong and has been in Ireland for over 45 years.

When and how did you first get involved with Gay Project?
I first got involved with Gay Project in an official voluntary capacity in 2015 when I won Mr. Gay Cork. I started out as a volunteer planning and running my Mr. Gay Cork fundraising events and then volunteering with the local LGBT+ Youth Group in Gay Project. Through volunteering and the mentorship of my predecessor Dave Roche I then began down the road of studying Community Development.

What are your current roles & responsibilities there?
My roles and responsibilities are varied and far reaching. My official title is Manager, which involves managing staff and day to day operations. But the role also includes fundraising, accounts, social media, community development work, advocacy, representing Gay Project locally and nationally, and at the moment a lot of Project Management for the ongoing building works to the new community centre we just purchased

What are the challenges of the position?
The biggest challenge is finding more time in the day. As mentioned, it’s a very busy role and it’s difficult to get everything done. The community and voluntary sector is Ireland is historically underfunded so it can be a challenge to meet the needs of the community we serve while not running ourselves as community workers towards burnout.

What are the rewards?
Community Development work is a job that takes a long time to see change, improvement and rewards as the job is really about changing attitudes and behaviors for individuals – and also of society as a whole – to promote positive outcomes in my case for LGBTI+ people. But when that change becomes visible it can be quite rewarding. An easy example would be with our Drag School program with Mia Gold. It’s very rewarding to see a student come in who is very nervous, shy and unsure of themselves on week one before to doing a complete 180 degree about face in the 10 weeks where they become a new, confident and proud version of themselves. It’s those moments that you know you’re doing good and feel the challenges are worth it.

Is enough being done to support the LGBTI+ community in Cork?
I think we have a great support from different angles. But there is always space for improvement. Funding is always an issue for any NGO providing community services that are in high demand. But we could also do with more support from our allies, and even from within our own community in supporting and showing compassion for each other.

How can that be improved?
Funding – more needs to be done from a government perspective in funding the services community organizations provide. The work so many of us do improves the health and well-being of people all over Ireland and is vital in easing the strain on our health systems. I think this is something that goes unrecognized. Community support – we need to all continue to educate ourselves on the issues facing people in our communities. We need to be patient and compassionate towards each other and continue working together to challenge others who seek to tear our communities down.

What advice might you have for young(er) LGBTI+ people in Cork and across Ireland?
Firstly, and very importantly, they need to know that there is a difference between the Gay Scene (clubbing and generally alcohol related) and the Gay Community (places like Gay Project, LINQ Ireland, and the various community spaces for socializing, building community etc.). Take your time to get to know yourself. When you’re ready, reach out to your community and find your tribe. Don’t expect to find your tribe immediately, you’ll find your people and remember that you are never alone.

www.gayproject.ie
@gayprojectirl