"Small acts of resistance when done by many people are the seeds of solidarity.”
~ Deja Foxx, teen activist
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LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
Dear YWCA Toronto Community,
I hope your summer has been a restorative one.
On the advocacy front, we are keeping busy. With the municipal election quickly approaching, we have partnered up with WomanAct to plan a joint campaign. In our first organizing meeting for the campaign, 25 partners joined! We are also preparing for the release of the City’s Gender Equity Strategy, a process we have been involved in for several years now. Last but not least, we are very excited to launch our very first advocacy-driven Speakers Bureau in September!
Warmly,
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Jasmine Ramze Rezaee
Director of Advocacy and Communications
YWCA Toronto
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Provincial Budget Misses the Mark
This month, the provincial government reintroduced the 2022 Budget.
Following the province’s April budget release, YWCA Ontario outlined concerns that the budget did not address the rise of gender-based poverty and inequity in the province.
Ontario’s socio-economic situation has changed significantly since the budget was first tabled in April, which includes increasing inflationary pressures and a deepening health care crisis. However, the updated budget does not reflect this reality. Budget 2022 misses the opportunity to address heightened inequities faced by women, girls, and gender diverse people.
Read YWCA Ontario’s statement here.
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A Safe Space
In a few short weeks, youth will be heading back to school! Are you looking for a new after-school program for your teen daughter? Consider checking out YWCA Toronto’s Girls’ Centre.
We offer a safe space for girls and gender diverse youth nine to 18 years of age to build leadership skills and greater self-esteem, learn about online safety, make new friends and challenge the world around them. Girls receive support on difficult issues, share ideas, express creativity, explore interests and plan their futures. They also have tons of fun!
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Nominations are Open for the 42nd YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Awards
Our community is full of amazing women who are opening doors and challenging the status quo.
Do you know a woman who is making a difference in the lives of women, girls and gender diverse people? We want to celebrate her!
Every year, YWCA Toronto honours remarkable women who have advanced gender equality across a range of areas such as business, education, social justice, advocacy, arts, health, philanthropy and more.
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Photo | Courtesy of WomanACT |
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Employment and Safety Among Racialized Women
Recently, the Woman Abuse Council of Toronto (WomanACT) released a new research report that explores how racism, trauma and intimate partner violence can intersect and create complex barriers to finding and maintaining employment among racialized women.
Limited access to income and financial security can increase a woman’s risk of experiencing and fleeing violence.
The report explores qualitative data collected through surveys and interviews with racialized survivors in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). It shares what is required to better support racialized survivors working to access and maintain employment.
You can check out the full report here.
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Photo | Courtesy of Government of Canada |
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Emancipation Day!
Emancipation Day in Canada was on August 1! This day marked the actual day in 1834 that the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect across the British Empire.
Black and Indigenous Peoples were once enslaved in Canada.
YWCA Toronto celebrates the strength and determination of Black and Indigenous Peoples while honouring the pivotal changemakers who have fought and continue to dismantle anti-Black and Indigenous racism and discrimination rooted in this country.
You can learn more about this significant day and explore some historical resources here.
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Inspirations Studio in the News
In early July, we announced the launch of a new program at YWCA Toronto – Inspirations Studio. We continue to share this good news story about a unique ceramics program for women, gender diverse people and its ability to change lives in our community.
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Femicide – a Global Pandemic
Across the globe, femicide is on the rise. Despite the increase, much stigma remains around the term.
Femicide is defined as the intentional killing of women or girls because of their gender. This includes but is not limited to ‘honour killings,’ domestic violence, and cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability said using the term femicide “can contribute to public awareness about and reduce tolerance toward violence against women. Public awareness can be further enhanced when root causes of femicide are identified.”
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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
YWCA Toronto operates on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We are grateful to work on this territory as we strive to build a more equitable and just city for women, girls, and gender diverse people. For a full land acknowledgment, please visit our website.
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