"Each time a woman stands up for herself,
she stands up for all women."~ Maya Angelou
LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

Dear friends, 

Happy Women’s History Month! To celebrate, we released a wonderful interview with historian Kathy Grant about YWCA Toronto’s Ontario House, a safe haven for Black women. Learn more about this important piece of (her)story on our blog.
 
On October 18th, we also celebrated Persons Day – the day in 1929 when Canada’s legal definition of ‘person’ was expanded to include some women. It was not until the late 40s when Black and Asian women secured full voting rights – and the early 60s for Indigenous women.
 
Additionally, we launched a new advocacy campaign with our provincial YWCA partners this month that is already drawing some exciting interest from provincial leaders! Read the Toronto Star coverage of our campaign. With ONN and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, we have also sent an open letter to Premier Ford urging him to sign Ontario's child care agreement.
 
Lastly, the nomination deadline for YWCA Toronto’s Women of Distinction Awards is quickly approaching – please make sure to nominate a feminist leader in your network.
 
While women are not a monolith, it is important to keep celebrating us – our stories, our struggles and our achievements. Happy Women’s History Month again!
 
Warmly, 

Jasmine Ramze Rezaee
Director of Advocacy and Communications
YWCA Toronto 
ADVOCACY CORNER
YWCA Ontario Advocacy Campaign

The pandemic is not over – and neither is the she-cession. With a coalition of 10 YWCAs province-wide, we have launched #SheCoveryON, a campaign to urge the Ontario government to create a comprehensive recovery plan that centers women’s employment and re-entry to the workforce.

We also issued an open letter to the province, signed by more than 30 community advocates, to help spread our message. Add your voice to the growing chorus of Ontarians urging the
government to create a plan for ending the she-cession.

Sign and share our petition and amplify our message using the hashtag #SheCoveryON

 
Photo | Courtesy of Beach Metro Community News
PROGRAM UPDATE
Returning Home

YWCA Toronto’s emergency shelter will be moving back to Davenport Road from its temporary location in the Beach. In a recent Beach Metro News article, our Director of Shelters and Clinical Services, Nina Gorka, said the temporary location supported social distancing measures during COVID-19 and was a much needed extension of space for the women served by our shelter system.
PHILANTHROPY HIGHLIGHT
Who inspires you? Let’s celebrate them! Nominate a woman who is a trailblazer in her field. #YWCAWOD

YWCA Toronto has a history of applauding the remarkable lives and work of women who, through a desire for transformation in their community, have championed better conditions for women and girls. This tradition will continue at our annual Women of Distinction Awards on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at the Fairmont Royal York.

Who should we honour? Have your say! Nominate colleagues, teachers, professors, friends, mentors, and neighbours to celebrate their commitment to creating space at the table and shattering the glass ceiling.

Nomination deadline is Monday, November 1, 2021. Click here to put forward the name of an inspiring woman in your life.
Photo | Courtesy of ODSP Action Coalition
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
Honouring Child Care (S)Heroes
 
October 21st is Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day! Join us in honouring the child care (s)heroes who have provided exceptional care to children and families across the province during the pandemic. Thank you for all that you do!
 
Pair your appreciation with action by calling on the Ontario government to say yes to the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care’s Roadmap for Universal Child Care in Ontario.
 
Photo | Courtesy of YWCA Canada

Week Without Violence
 
This week marks 25 years of YWCA’s Week Without Violence initiative, a time to draw critical attention to gender-based violence.
 
One in three women worldwide experience this type of violence. Since COVID-19, domestic violence cases have only intensified, leading advocates to call it the Shadow Pandemic.  
 
Now, more than ever, we need to advocate for an end to all forms of violence against women, girls and gender diverse people. This includes intimate partner/domestic violence, bullying, racism, elder abuse, trafficking, child marriage, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.
 


Edgy
(Her)story Matters
 
In celebration of #WomensHistoryMonth, we published a compelling interview between our Manager of Marketing & Communications, Kim Quashie, and local Black historian and archivist, Kathy Grant, on the history behind the framed photograph in the foyer of our head office on Elm St and the remarkable Black women in the image.
 
Learn about the struggles of these Black women, their resilient efforts in escaping abuse, and their remarkable legacy.
 


Photo | Courtesy of Shoppers Drug Mart
Growing Women’s Health Campaign
 
As part of their continuing efforts to support women’s health, long-time partner Shoppers Drug Mart has committed their annual Growing Women’s Health Campaign to raise funds for women’s health and women’s shelters across Canada. From October 9 to November 5, local Shoppers Drug Mart locations across the country will accept donations from customers.

Support YWCA Toronto shelters with a donation at your local Shoppers Drug Mart today! Click here to see a list of participating locations.
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.