Thank you to the trainers from South Riverdale COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program, from left, Rhiannon, Mona & Debbie for giving a wonderful full day workshop to Nellie’s staff on “Women and Harm Reduction Workshop” on April 28, 2014.
Thank you to all of Nellie’s staff who attended the COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program workshop!
Aboriginal Awareness Week began in 1992 to acknowledge the work of Aboriginal people in federal public services. Since its inception, it has grown into a government-wide celebration held annually for the week following the Victoria Day long weekend. During this week, participants raise awareness about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cultures across Canada and celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal people to Canadian culture. Those involved participate in a variety of workshops, art and performances, traditional Aboriginal cuisine, and traditional and contemporary ceremonies. Previous years have included such performers and speakers as Jaime and the Jiglets (Métis jiggers), Cynthia Pitsiulak and Charlotte Qamaniq (Inuit throat singers), and Albert Dumont (an Algonquin Elder).
For us at Nellie’s, Aboriginal Awareness Week 2014 will be a time to reflect on the connection between Aboriginal women and the topic of our upcoming position paper: criminalized and incarcerated women. Plain and simple, the Canadian Justice system disproportionately criminalizes and incarcerates Aboriginal women. In 2010/2011, Aboriginal women, while making up less than 5% of the adult female population,[1] made up 41% of the Canadian female prison population.[2] This high rate of incarceration represents a group of women who have inherited the calamitous effects of European colonialism[3] and experienced various forms of violence from an early age; out of incarcerated Aboriginal women, 90% reported experiencing physical abuse, 53% reported being sexually abused, 41.1% disclosed childhood abuse/neglect, and 35.3% experienced “severe” childhood poverty.[4] In other words, criminalization goes hand-in-hand with previous experiences of violence and oppression.[5] Nellie’s recognizes this connection between criminalization, oppression, and experiences of violence and understand these issues as serious interpersonal and systemic challenges many Aboriginal women face.
As Nellie’s continues to support Aboriginal women, there are many things you can do to celebrate Aboriginal Awareness Week. If you are interested in activism or working in the community, check out the Idle No More movement or the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto. There are also a number of cultural events and activities you can participate in, such as viewing the ROM’s collection of contemporary Aboriginal paintings by Jane Ash Poitras or checking out the week long festivities in Ottawa. Also, many universities across Canada celebrate Aboriginal Awareness Week at different times throughout the school year, so keep an eye on your local university’s events postings for more information. If you want to explore Aboriginal culture even further, June 26th features the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto Aboriginal History Month celebration in Yonge and Dundas Square.
[1] Canada. Statistics Canada. Ethnic Origin Reference Guide: National Household Survey, 2011. Comp. Government of Canada. Ottawa: Statistics Canada = Statistique Canada, 2013. 2011 National Household Survey: Data Tables. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
[2] Canada. Statistics Canada. Adult Correctional Statistics in Canada, 2010/2011. By Mia Dauvergne. Government of Canada, 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
[3] Dyck, Jennifer. “Stories From the Front: Realities of the Over-Incarceration of Aboriginal Women in Canada.” Thesis. University of British Columbia, 2013. Print.
[4] DAWN. “Women in Prison – CAEFS Fact Sheets.” Women in Prison – CAEFS Fact Sheets. Disabled Women’s Network Ontario, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
[5] Ibid.
Many of the women in the community at Nellie’s receive food from the Tuesday afternoon drop-off which is kindly donated by the Good people at Second Harvest, or collected at fundraising events. However, with the introduction of foods such as collard greens, leeks, rhubarb, kale and quinoa which are not native to their home countries or cultures, we have started a class on Thursday mornings where the women learn how to experiment and cook with these new products.
We started with requests for how to make Kraft Dinner and expanded to everything from tortillas and quesadillas, to dumplings, soups, salads, strawberry rhubarb pie and apple crisp!
Since foodstuffs are collected from all around Toronto, there is no telling what will arrive next, but in keeping with the spirit of adventure and discovery, we intend to continue these classes as more foodstuffs arrive on our doorstep!
Cooking healthy meals on a budget may not be easy, but with a little imagination, it can be a lot of fun!
On April 2, 2014, Nellie’s began the Women Experiencing Abuse and Violence (WEAV) group. The group will run every Wednesday for 12 weeks at our Community Support and Outreach Office.
The first week began by having women discuss their own goals in attending the group. One goal that many women identified was developing the tools for self-empowerment and to improve self-esteem and self-confidence. The participants also wanted to learn about healthy relationships and recognizing signs of an abusive relationship. The participants of the group also spoke about the importance of gaining support from other women who have gone through similar experiences. One woman stated that attending the group means, “knowing I am not alone and finding strength in leaning on each other.”
Week 2 of WEAV addressed systemic forms of violence and how society is shaped by patriarchal social relations as well as by racism and oppression based on class, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identification, place of origin, religion and record of offences (only to name a few). Participants in the group unpacked how their own experiences are based on fundamentally unequal power structures. For example, participants spoke about the unfair pressure on women to “have it all”, be seen as objects and one woman stated “I now see that no one can tell me I need to do all the chores because I am a woman, it should be 50/50.”
Week 3 explored the topic of different forms of abuse that goes beyond thinking of abuse as being only physical abuse. The different types of abuse participants named were: psychological abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, using children, social abuse, sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, cultural abuse, intellectual abuse and financial abuse. Participants in the group related to experiencing most of the different forms of abuse that were discussed. Participants spoke about not recognizing the different types of abuse when in the relationship, but how important it was to see their experience reflected in this activity and to see all the different forms of abuse they experienced validated.
It is with great sadness that we have to communicate that Rebecca Rogers; Nellie’s Program Manager for over 7 years has presented her resignation effective May 2nd, 2010.
Rebecca’s passion, commitment, integrity and skills are shown in the many partnerships, programs, services, position papers, staff development opportunities that she developed during her time at Nellie’s
Her strong commitment to gender equity and Social Justice issues affecting the life of women and children we serve, makes her an excellent leader.
Her departure from Nellie’s will be greatly felt by staff, residents and our community partners.
In a persona l level, we will miss her sense of humor, her energy, her integrity. We are losing an excellent working partner!
We wish her the best in her new life path.
As spring arrives, an important week is upon us: National Volunteer Week. This week is about celebrating, recognizing and thanking volunteers for their contribution, and for me, it is also time to reflect on my own volunteer experiences and commitment to supporting Nellie’s.
The contribution of volunteers is incredibly important in our society, particularly for non-profit groups and organizations like Nellie’s that rely on volunteers to help shape and deliver its programs and services.
In 2010, according to the Canada Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating[1]:
For many, volunteering is way to give back to the community, gain valuable experience, develop new skills or meet others with similar interests and passions. For many Nellie’s volunteers, like myself, it is all of these things and much more.
Volunteering with Nellie’s means having a positive impact in our community and society at large. By supporting the goals, programs and services of an organization striving for social justice, economic and political equality for all women and children, we are not only helping to empower and engage those we directly interact with, but also advocating for and promoting broader social change.
I currently volunteer on Nellie’s Social Justice, Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Committee (SJ/ARAO Committee). This board committee is made up of Nellie’s staff and members of the community. The committee’s purpose is to develop annual social justice priorities and organizational positions on social issues. It also ensures that the principles of feminism and anti-racism and anti-oppression are consistently reflected and active at Nellie’s.
My experience is just one example of how you can volunteer with Nellie’s. At a recent International Women’s Day event, we took turns introducing ourselves and identifying our role or affiliation with the organization. I knew there were many ways to participate and support Nellie’s, but there was even more variety among the volunteers than I imagined:
For those reading who already volunteer with Nellie’s – keep up the great work and know that your efforts are truly appreciated. For those thinking about getting involved, I urge you to visit Nellie’s volunteer page for more information: http://www.nellies.org/get-involved/volunteer/ .
For more information about National Volunteer Week please visit: http://volunteer.ca/nvw2014 .
