"If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time,
but if you have come because your liberation
is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
~ Lilla Watson
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LEADERSHIP MESSAGE
Dear friends,
During these turbulent times we need hope. Hope comes in many forms: In the virtual embrace of a co-worker when she is tired; in the prayer for a loved one grappling with illness; or in the struggle for justice in a world marked by inequity.
At YWCA Toronto we are, dare I say it, in the business of hope. Through our housing, shelter, employment, and family programs we offer hope to survivors of gender-based violence and newcomers – to women and trans people determined to rebuild their lives in safety and prosperity.
All of our staff have continued to work during this pandemic to offer this hope, which is needed more than ever as our communities deal with incredible hardships. As an Association we have stepped up as well by providing 20 additional paid pandemic days, a 10% wage top up to frontline staff, and enhanced medical benefits.
To learn more about our work, I would encourage you to read our 2020 Annual Report, Honouring Resilience, which we released this week. It drives home the point that while hope is fragile, it is also resilient.
For all of the myriad ways YWCA Toronto has adapted to this pandemic, I am so incredibly proud. And, if our programs inspire you, I would suggest that you join this year’s 40th Women of Distinction Awards Gala, which will be hosted virtually on June 3rd. Our gala, as you might know, raises much-needed funds for our programs. It would be no overstatement to say that by purchasing a ticket to our awards ceremony, you are investing in hope!
We have a fantastic lineup of performers and incredible award recipients of course, which you can learn more about here. I urge you to support our feminist business of changing lives, of breaking barriers, and of building hope.
Sincerely,
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Heather McGregor
Chief Executive Officer
YWCA Toronto
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Photo | Unsplash_Rom Matibag |
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In the midst of an emergency lockdown order that will now stretch into June, YWCA Toronto raised its voice to draw attention to the gaps in the Province’s pandemic response.
With the support of more than 80 non-profits, we authored a letter that urged Premier Doug Ford to legislate 10 permanent paid sick days (above and beyond their three-day stopgap) and to streamline the vaccination system so that people who face systemic racism and poverty can access appointments with ease.
The May 5th letter also urged the Premier’s office to implement the recommendations of the COVID-19 Science Advisory Table and establish an Equity Advisory Table that can help apply an equity lens to all pandemic-related policy decisions.
This pandemic has highlighted and aggravated systemic injustices. We are proud to have led this letter and will continue, with our community partners, to urge decision-makers to do better.
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Racheal Lawrence has joined YWCA Toronto’s senior leadership team as the Director of Girls, Youth and Family Programs, a new role we have created to support the Association’s growing programming needs. Racheal brings with her extensive community sector experience and a true passion for girls’ empowerment. We are excited to have her on our team – welcome Racheal!
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Our 40th Women of Distinction Awards Gala is quickly approaching! On June 3rd, join us for a virtual fundraiser filled with uplifting feminist content and world-class entertainment guaranteed to leave you feeling inspired and motivated!
In the meantime, visit us on social media for exciting updates, video teasers and conversations with our wonderful recipients!
Starting Wednesdays this month, we’ll be talking to recipients on IG Live! Tune in on Wednesday, May 26 at 10:00 am for our conversation with Dr. Tina Meisami.
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The pandemic has exposed inadequate labour market conditions, particularly in feminized industries. Care work should be more clearly valued and compensated in our society! YWCA Toronto is proud to have worked with ONN on several gender-responsive initiatives around decent work for women.
When women and racialized communities are more fairly compensated for their work, women’s economic and social rights are better protected, children are less likely to grow up in poverty, and our tax base grows, which can contribute to the funding of social, educational and health programs.
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Photo | Unsplash_Marcin Jozwiak |
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The federal budget includes exciting announcements about a national child care program – but the real work begins now.
Join the Canadian Women’s Foundation in urging your elected provincial representatives to support publicly-funded child care and to work closely with the federal government to make this system a reality!
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Photo | Unsplash_Jason Leung |
Happy Asian Heritage month! |
The theme this month is “Recognition, Resilience, and Resolve,” which embodies the struggles and resilience that peoples of Asian descent in Canada have experienced. It is also a call to action for all Canadians to combat the countless forms of anti-Asian discrimination in our society.
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Some salient highlights:
- We have recalibrated our vision, mission and values to serve as strong foundational guideposts;
- We have four new strategic directions rooted in collaboration and poverty reduction;
- Intersectionality informs all of our strategic directions and language; and,
- Equity and anti-oppression remain central to all of our work!
We look forward to working with our feminist community partners to make this new plan a reality.
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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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