Celebrating Neurodiversity!

by Teeebone

In August 2021, the CSPC introduced a new online discussion group for neurodivergent members to meet on Zoom on the fourth Tuesday each month. The ND/DG became so popular that a couple months after its debut, a second time slot was established on first Sundays. This group creates a safe space and provides access for this “community within the community” to talk and be themselves.

Public awareness and celebration of neurodiversity has grown over the last two decades. Founded in 2018 by Siena Castellon when she was 16 years old, Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an official yearly event coming up on March 21-27, 2022. This teenager from the UK had faced many challenges, including prejudice and bullying in school, which motivated her to create this event to address and challenge misconceptions and stereotypes that still prevent autistic people and people with learning disabilities from reaching their full potential.

Supportive recognition of neurodiversity is an ongoing endeavor. While public education still has a way to go on this matter, primarily due to limited school funding, there are encouraging signs from the business sector. Places like AMC movie theaters offering Sensory Friendly Films and Chuck E. Cheese restaurants hosting monthly Sensory Sensitive Sundays are good examples of this. The general public is becoming more educated on this subject and are learning better ways to communicate and connect with neurodivergent people.

Want to find out more about Neurodiversity Celebration Week? Just follow the magic footprints: https://www.neurodiversityweek.com/

And if you’re curious about the ND/DG, we’re on Zoom on the first Sundays of the month from 5-7 pm and the fourth Tuesdays of the month from 7-9 pm–during Neurodiversity Celebration Week this month! You don’t have to be a neurodivergent person to attend, just be aware, respect the space, and be understanding and supportive. :^)

,

Let's Get This Party Started!

,

by Sakari

Do you have any parties centering around…?

Do you have any parties centering around foot worship?  Around poly mingling?  Around WAM?  Around furries?  Around sex in swimming pools?  Around left-handed people?  We get variations of this question all the time.  I wish that we already had all those parties set up, but the truth is, we don’t throw parties.  You, our members, do.  The good news is that if there’s a party or focus you’d like to see at the CSPC, you can bring your vision to life!

Let’s say you desperately want a party with a certain focus.  You can have that if you’re willing to put the work in!  An event like this takes some work, but we have it all set up for you and your team.  It takes about 3-6 months to put an event together and a couple months to get a regular schedule going. 

First step is contacting our Events Director at EventsDirector@theCSPC.org.  They have resources and know-how to help you plan an event, whether it’s your first or fiftieth. 

The process goes something like this:

  • A month or two of envisioning your party while recruiting and creating your team.  What is the theme, what will it look like, feel like, what aspects are needed?  Who is going to work with you on bringing this to fruition? 

  • Sharing a proposal with the CSPC board and presenting at a board meeting.  Once you have your vision, our Events Director will help you flesh it out and write it up into a proposal.  It will be sent to the board a week before the board meeting so they can comment and ask questions.  At the board meeting, you will tell a little about your proposed event, answer any lingering questions, and the board will vote as to whether it can move forward or offer feedback on what it still needs before it can be approved. 

  • Once you’re approved, you’ll work with Events to get posters designed, Operations to get ticketing and website links, and Communications to help with marketing.  You’ll also be promoting the party as you continue planning.  Your first event can happen six weeks to two months from the approval. 

  • As we get close, you’ll be promoting the party and continuing to recruit volunteers for your team.  All CSPC events are by members, for members, and having a committed team of trained volunteers makes every party more fun for everyone!

  • On the night of the event, you’ll be in charge of what the party looks like and how it’s run!  With the support of Events and your volunteer team, you can settle into your groove as the Host with the Most, connecting with party goers and bringing the energy and activities that you envisioned to life.

  • After the first event, you’ll debrief with our Events Director and decide if and when you’d like your next event.  If you’re looking to do the party regularly, we have a policy of two months between the first and second party, ramping up to once a month or whatever your desired cadence is. 

So there you have it!  It may sound complex, but if you have a vision, we have the resources to make it happen and to simplify the process along the way. 

Reach out to EventsDirector@theCSPC.org to get your party started! 

Interested in volunteering? We can’t do what we do without trained volunteers! Many roles are open, both at parties and behind the scenes. Complete your online volunteer orientation and submit your volunteer application form today!

Community Matters: Spotlight on The Swirl

by Emma Atkinson

Have you heard about The Swirl Events - the Seattle area’s first Lifestyle group owned and operated by POC and allies?  Are you looking for a culturally diverse and inclusive place where your sexy self is most welcome?  Can you find your way to Kent? 

The Swirl is a small members-only club, and Deziree and Avon want to make sure you have a safe and sexy experience.  They have parties on Friday and Saturday nights every other weekend.  Friday night features fun themes that let members and non-members meet and mingle - for example, Karaoke Night, Erotic Poetry Open-Mic Night, and Kink Night.  After midnight on Friday the social activities give way to a members-only sexy afterparty.  Saturday night is usually a hot dance and sex party.

Don’t let the small size fool you - they’re equipped to support seriously fun times.  The club has nine play spaces, a swing, and a fuck box (!!).  What’s a fuck box?  I don’t know but I’m pretty sure I need to find out, and you probably do, too.  We’ve included a pic to pique your curiosity.  

When you check it out, you’ll want to find your fanciest clothes and plan to dress to impress.  Get more info at their website,  www.theswirlevents.com, and take a peek at the flyers below for some of their upcoming events.  

How great are these humans?  They’re offering us 10% off a new annual membership that’s already an amazing deal - just use the promo code: CSPC.  The CSPC is glad to let you know about places that we think you’d like and, in the process, help our many like-minded communities thrive and prosper.  

,

Community Matters: Covid-Related Updates

,

The in-person Fresh Meet event on 1/21 has been cancelled, and the Myself! Party is the only in-person event scheduled in February. The CSPC is committed to safe, consensual experiences for both event attendees and volunteers. The current levels of illness (Covid and otherwise) in our community have put tremendous pressure on our healthcare workers and systems, and have made staffing for our in-person events impossible to predict and fill. We anticipate going back to multiple in-person events per month beginning in March, as levels will hopefully reduce and there will be correspondingly less pressure on healthcare resources.

As a reminder, all CSPC events require full vaccination for all attendees and volunteers, and we require masks to be worn at all times except when it is necessary to remove them. Some examples of necessary times are eating, drinking, or using your mouth in a scene. We strongly recommend N95 or KN95 masks be used at this time. We have a limited supply available for use by volunteers and members. While rapid testing is not a substitute for vaccination as a requirement to attend in-person parties, you may consider rapid testing prior to attendance as another measure you can take to help prevent Covid spread in our community. Free rapid tests are now available for order at https://www.covidtests.gov.

Additionally, the Board has established temporary guidelines for eating and drinking at in-person events in order to minimize unmasked exposure. Hydration and nutrition needs will continue to be prioritized, especially during aftercare, but sipping and nibbling throughout the party will be discouraged. While this measure is in effect, canned drinks and pre-packaged snacks will be available at reception. We ask that, if possible, you take these outside. If they are needed for aftercare, they may be taken back into the playspace. Water will continue to be available at the water dispenser, and members may bring their own snacks as needed for personal health and comfort.

Community Matters

By Kelly McAllister

Why does the CSPC community matter to me, you ask?

Simply put, this community changed my life.

My community affords me the acceptance and space to live more authentically and to accept myself more readily. I strive to live without pretense in every realm of my life and in many ways, this is easy. Both my self concept and esteem are pretty solid and I know that folks see me through the lens of their perception (thanks to don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements).

However, I had a hard time not judging myself for the things I like, and honestly have liked as far back as my adolescence. Finding the community at the CSPC allowed me to see that not only am I not alone in my kinky predilections, but some of the people who like the same things I do are truly amazing human beings. 

I really don't have many vanilla friends now and those who are, aren't judgemental. This shift allowed me to be more authentic, more of the time. I don't have to separate my sexual life from the other aspects of myself, so it simply integrated, rather than feeling like an isolated part of me. While my sex/kink life is certainly a large part of me, it no longer feels so separate - so siloed. I am simply me, which feels beautiful.

Thank you to everyone in this community with whom I've crossed paths, either for a moment or continuously for years.

_______________________________________

Kelly sits on the CSPC’s working Board of Directors and serves as our HR Director. She welcomes conversations with damn near everyone, and is hard at work recruiting members/volunteers and helping those new to kink develop ways to explore their sexuality safely. She can be reached at kelly@thecspc.org.

Join our community today! Register for New Member Orientation or renew your membership on our Membership page.

Already a member, but want stronger connections through more involvement with the CSPC community? Join our team of volunteers! Both party and non-party volunteer roles are open now.