Boston Pride to host NERP

About 100 delegates from Pride committees throughout the northeast will converge on Boston for the 20th North East Regional Pride (NERP) conference Feb. 28 - March 2.

Boston Pride is hosting this year's conference, which will draw participants from committees in New England, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and other regions of the northeast and beyond.

Wilfred Labiosa, a board member of Boston Pride and coordinator of the conference, said the goal of the event is to provide Pride committee members with the tools they need to improve their events.

Labiosa said this year's conference has been designed to meet the needs of both Pride veterans and those who are trying to get new Pride events off the ground. The first two days of the conference will feature intensive workshops aimed at newcomers to the Pride organizing world, focusing on development, website construction and other communications issues. The rest of the conference will include workshops that Labiosa said are designed to meet the needs of those who have previously worked on Pride committees and want to fine-tune their events. Workshops will cover everything from fundraising to volunteer management to diversity issues.

"We have really put workshops that the veterans of Pride, they have said which topics they wanted, and we are showcasing some of those," said Labiosa.

The conference will open with speeches by two political heavyweights, Mayor Thomas Menino and Congressman Barney Frank. Labiosa said Boston Pride wanted to show attendees the impact that strong political leaders can have in the struggle for equality.

"We really wanted to invite people who have nationally been known to be allies or members of the GLBT community, so that's why Barney Frank came to mind. ... Also Mayor Menino has been one of our best allies for many years, and that's why we wanted to invite him and show these other organizations coming here how a mayor has been so instrumental in our rights," said Labiosa.

To register or for more information visit www.bostonpride.org/nerp.