"ACTIVISM IS MY RENT FOR LIVING ON THIS PLANET"
~
Alice Walker
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
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It has been a busy summer at YWCA Toronto.
Our daycare re-opened to families on Thursday, July 16. It has taken a great deal of planning for us to open and, of course, we are following all the very strict guidelines to protect children, our staff, and parents. Because of physical distancing, only 10 out of the 62 children will start at first.
On the advocacy front, we continue to convene a regular community violence dialogue table with grassroots organizations, community leaders, and mothers impacted by gun violence and we recently sent two letters to Toronto City Council calling for enhanced investments in community-driven safety measures and greater supports for moms and families impacted by gun violence. We have also launched a
survey
for direct service providers to measure the impact of gun violence and I encourage you to fill it out if possible.
I am also happy to report that with the support of generous donors and the City of Toronto, one of our emergency shelter and affordable housing sites will have an air conditioning system installed, which is wonderful news for our residents.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support!
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We continue to underscore the importance of child care in pandemic recovery discussions. In conjunction with YWCA Member Associations across Ontario, we wrote a letter to Premier Ford emphasizing the risk to non-profit child care spots without greater provincial investment in the child care system. With our partners at Ontario Nonprofit Network, we sent a letter to Minister Lecce highlighting the need for affordable and flexible child care for particularly the non-profit sector, which is a women-majority sector.
We were also involved in a roundtable discussion with Associate Minister Dunlop and Minister Lecce where the importance of child care in recovery was highlighted, and a round table with Finance Minister Phillips where we re-emphasized that access to flexible and affordable child care is central to women’s economic recovery.
We remain active on many planning tables, committees, networks, and so forth, that promote social justice, gender equality, and the elimination of poverty. To stay up-to-date with our advocacy work, please refer to the
Take Action
section of our website.
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Earlier this month, our Painter Decorator skilled trades program began under strict physical distancing guidelines and cleaning protocols. For eight weeks, trainees will learn the skills they need to become commercial painter-decorators.
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After four months of responding to constantly changing conditions in our programs, adapting our services to digital platforms, and planning new safety measures, we need your support more than ever before.
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Recommendations for an equitable recovery plan.
We have recently
submitted a brief
to the Senate on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the brief we discuss the impacts of the pandemic on our organization and offer five key recommendations for an equitable recovery plan. Read it over and let us know what you think by tagging us on social media!
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Photo | Courtesy of Now Magazine
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What are we reading?
Summer is definitely here and giving many of us the relief of more time outdoors. Find a quiet spot and check out an abundance of
great books
written by Black Canadian authors to add to your summer reading list!
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At the end of June, our Manager of Housing Supports and Special Projects, Teshia Allen, wrote about the intersections of race and sexuality for Pride month.
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Art | Courtesy of Canadian Women's Foundation
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Earlier this summer, the Canadian Women’s Foundation announced the release of their new podcast, “Alright, Now What?” which airs every Monday for five weeks! This week’s episode looks at the Future of Giving.
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
YWCA Toronto operates in communities that stand on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to share peacefully and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this territory as we strive to build a more equitable and just city for all residents.
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