Welcome to the PEARS Program registration!


Thanks for your interest in the PEARS program, brought to you by ARCH and Out On The Shelf. By filling out this form and submitting it, you agree to participate in the PEARS program.

Please fill out as much information as you feel comfortable doing so – the more information that is provided, the more effectively we can match you! All information provided is kept confidential.

The sign up process shouldn't take more than 15 or so minutes to complete. You will not be able to save your responses for later, so please be sure you have enough time to complete it before beginning. Please click ‘Next’ to begin.

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* 1. Contact Information
Please fill out the following sections so that we can get in touch with you to pair you with your match. Please note this information will be kept confidential, and only your email address will be disclosed to your match.

What is your name?

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* 2. What gender pronoun would you like us to use now?

We recognize that many people use multiple gender pronouns and that this can change from day-to-day. Let us know what feels most comfortable for you for now, and if you have any ideas about how we could do this better, please let us know.

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* 3. How old are you?

One of the things we are hoping PEARS will do is connect people to matches who are in a different age bracket than them. This question is optional at this point.

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* 4. What languages do you speak?

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* 5. What city, town or municipality do you live in?

ARCH serves Guelph, Wellington, Dufferin, Grey & Bruce Counties. Please let us know what city, town, or municipality you live in so we can connect you with someone who lives close to you.

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* 6. How did you hear about this program?

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* 7. Contact Information

We need to get ahold of you to connect you with your pair. Please let us know the best way to get in touch, and what information you would like us to pass on to your future pair.

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* 8. Please contact me by:

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* 9. I give my permission for the PEARS program to release the following information to my pair:

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* 10. Program Considerations

The program is intended to be flexible to meet your needs. With your ‘pair’, you can choose mutually convenient times and places to meet, including the ARCH office for folks in the Guelph area. This information will help us make sure you and your pair have similar expectations for how often you would like to meet.

How often are you able to commit to meeting with your match?

Please let us know approximately how often you see yourself meeting with your pair. You can discuss how often you would like to meet with your pair once you are matched - this just helps us get a sense of what you are looking for from the program.

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* 11. Are you involved with LGBTQ+ community or groups? If yes, please describe.

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* 12. Would you like to be paired with someone older or younger than you?

One of the things we are hoping PEARS will do is connect people to matches who are in a different age bracket than them. This won't be the case for all matches, but may be the case for some.

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* 13. This question is for people living with HIV. Would you like to be matched with another individual living with HIV?

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* 14. Making Pairs

Please fill out as much information as you feel comfortable doing in the next sections. Keep in mind that the more information that is provided, the more effectively we can match you.

Shared experience

Would you like to be matched with someone who shares your experience as it relates to LBGTIQ+ identities, people, or communities. This is the section is intended for people who are looking for a pair who has a similar experience to your own. Experiences in this section could include raising a gender-independent child, coming out older, coming out to a partner, or a new HIV/STI diagnosis for yourself or a partner.

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* 15. If yes, please select an experience you have:

These are just some of the experiences that you may have had. You can select one from the list that applies or you can tell us about your experience in the text box below.

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* 16. You can use this space to expand on or further describe your experience.

This information will not be shared with your pair. We will use it to help match people with a shared experience.

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* 17. Do you identify as part of the LGBTIQ+ umbrella?

Choose 'yes' if you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer, two-spirit, pansexual, polysexual, asexual or another identity considered sexually or gender diverse.

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* 18. Shared experience continued

I would like to share my experience with someone who wants to learn more about  LBGTIQ+ identities, people, or communities. Earlier, we asked people if they wanted to be paired with someone who shares their experience. Here, we are asking LGBTIQ+ people if they would like to meet with someone who is not LGBTIQ+ to share their experience.  

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* 19. If yes, please select an experience you have:

These are just some of the experiences that you may have had. You can select one from the list that applies or you can tell us about your experience in the text box below.

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* 20. You can use this space to expand on or further describe your experience.

This information will not be shared with your pair. We will use it to help match people with a shared experience.

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* 21. Hobbies or Personal Interests

I would like to be matched with someone who shares my hobbies or personal interests. If you have a hobby (e.g. hiking) or personal interest (e.g. LGBTQ+ history), and want to meet someone else who shares your interest in this area, choose yes.

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* 22. If yes, please let us know about your hobbies or interests.

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* 23. Identities

I would like to be matched with someone who share(s) aspect(s) of my identity. If you want to meet someone whose identity (within or beyond the LGBTIQ+ umbrella) is the same as yours, choose yes.

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* 24. If yes, please let us know about your identities that you would like us to consider when pairing you.

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* 25. Additional Comments or Concerns

Please let us know if you have any additional comments, concerns or things we can do to make it easier for you to participate in PEARS.

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