Many of the women in the group are survivors, coming from many different walks of life and backgrounds, all suffering loss on some level, drawn together by circumstance, driven by purpose. In the program, we are encouraged and given the opportunity to share as much or as little as we want. But we learn quickly that we are not alone on our journeys.
That being said, here’s the thing: I don’t always use my voice to call these things out. I fear being shut down. I fear being told I’m wrong. I fear white people with more power than me will not only tune me out, but encourage others to follow suit.
So, rather than asking “do you see me?” in the physical sense, I ask “would you think of me?” Would you think of me the next time someone says “we don’t have Indigenous people around here”? This is a question I want you to keep in your heart.
Today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we’re launching a mini blog series from guest blogger and YWCA Cambridge employee Tara Kleinsteuber exploring Truth and Reconciliation and her own story of moving through the world as an Indigenous person. Before I attended YWCA Canada’s Annual Membership Meeting, I was told how powerful the movement was, and …
Despite all the progressive policies in Canada today, there are still so many risks to being anything but cisgendered and heterosexual and out. According to Statistics Canada 2014 General Social Survey, “for every 1,000 cisgendered, heterosexual Canadians, 69 reported they had been the victim of either sexual assault, physical assault or robbery. That number jumps to 142 for lesbian and gay Canadians and is even higher for bisexual Canadians at 267.
The intention of GLOW is to make a space for participants to move from “how do I look?” to ”what am I capable of?” in movement spaces.
The 10th Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes walk to end gender-based violence was an enormous success, even getting some media pick-up! More than 50 red-shoed walkers traipsed through downtown Galt on Saturday, and as YWCA Cambridge Board President Christine Vigna said, by some 10th Anniversary miracle, the weather held up, despite the dismal …
It’s been ten years and the issue of gender-based violence still lingers. According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, approximately every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner, and Canadians collectively spend $7.4 billion in dealing with the aftermath of spousal violence alone. According to the same report, “half of women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16.”
When I was around 13 years of age, I used to take care of child with autism whose mother was our landlord. There are two women who have impacted me heavily. One is my mother and I always struggled not to be like her, obedient and silent. The second was the mother of that child who taught me in an early age that if women speak up louder, they will be heard.
Don’t apologize for being, for taking space, for asking for things. Be unapologetic about where you are, even if it’s not where you would like to be. But, on the other hand, sometimes you need to know when to step back, shut up, and help to uplift other voices.
