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Honour Pride Month all year round

Posted on: June 8th, 2023 by Nellie's No Comments

Pride Month is in full swing across the city of Toronto and in many major cities around the world. With a jam-packed calendar of events throughout June (including the Pride Parade, the Dyke March, the Trans March, and a full schedule of kid-friendly programs), Pride Toronto is one of the largest pride festivals in the world.

But Pride is so much more than just a rainbow-filled, action-packed festival. Every event, performance, talk and march are about uplifting 2SLGBTQ+ voices, celebrating 2SLGBTQ+ culture, and supporting 2SLGBTQ+ rights. It’s a month-long opportunity for 2SLGBTQ+ communities and allies to reflect on the past and push together towards an inclusive and supportive society for all. At Nellie’s, we advocate for all women experiencing oppression, such as violence, poverty and homelessness, so it’s important to us to celebrate Pride alongside the 2SLGBTQ+ community; it’s one of the really important ways we take a stand together against gender-based violence.

Joining the annual Pride celebrations is one of our favourite community events of the year — don’t miss our bright and cheery Nellie’s booth at the street fair on Church Street all Festival Weekend long! We’ll be handing out information and flyers, accepting donations, and taking the time to mingle and enjoy the celebrations.

We encourage all Canadians to learn more about 2SLGBTQ+ communities in Canada, and to learn how they can be supportive allies. Here are a few ways you can do this:

Learn about the history of Pride: Did you know that the first Pride was a riot? Read about the Stonewall Uprising which started it all, and the history of the Pride movement. The Pride Toronto website also has an excellent timeline of the history of Pride in Toronto.
Be an ally and fight for 2SLGBTQ+ rights: Allyship can look like attending or supporting an event that might be protested, or actively addressing anti-2SLGBTQ+ misinformation or hateful rhetoric when it arises — in conversations and on social media. Remember that being an ally isn’t a badge you wear, but an act of consistent doing, all-year long.
Attend Pride Month events: Check out the 2023 Pride Toronto events calendar for the full list of official events and activities throughout June, concluding with the annual Festival Weekend on June 23-25.
Read: With over 3,500 books, movies and magazines of interest to the 2SLGBTQ+ community, the Toronto Public Library has an incredible Pride collection, which includes recommended reading lists for adults, teens, and children.
Watch: Featuring a wide range of stories about identity, family, community, and everyday life, the National Film Board of Canada hosts an extensive collection of films and documentaries which explore 2SLGBTQ+ experiences in Canada and abroad.
Support: Volunteer with local 2SLGBTQ+-led charities and support local artists and businesses in the queer community.

Join us at our Annual General Meeting

Posted on: August 29th, 2013 by Nellie's No Comments

Notice of 40^th Annual General Meeting

6-8:30pm, Thursday September 10, 2013

Ralph Thornton Community Centre

765 Queen Street East, 2nd Floor

Food, Childcare & Sign Language Interpretation

AGENDA
6:00 – 6:30	Business Meeting
6:30 – 7:00	Guest Speakers, Dr. Lisa Bamoff * & Mary Byberg *
7:00 – 7:15	Special Recognition Ceremony
7:15 – 7:45	Buffet Dinner
7:45 – 8:15	Entertainment by Roula Said *

* Lisa Barnoff is currently the Director of the School of Social Work at Ryerson University. She has been a full-time faculty member in the School since 2003. Lisa’s primary research program has focused on the implementation of anti-oppressive practices within community-based social service agencies. She has authored multiple publications on this topic. Lisa has extensive experience in feminist services, having worked in front-line, management, and board positions. Lisa worked at Nellie’s in the early 1990’s and was a 2 term member of Nellie’s Board, in the early 2000’s leaving her post as Co-Chair.

* In 1992 Mary Byberg left an abusive relationship with her 2 young daughters and lived in a woman’s shelter. Despite a long journey, she transformed herself from victim to a proud mother and grandmother. Mary works in the legal profession and volunteers to improve the lives of women and kids and helps other women realize that is possible to be happy and fulfilled. Mary is a 2 term Nellie’s Board Member and past Treasurer, and sits on Nellie’s Fund Development Committee.

* Roula Said is a Middle Eastern dancer who has been performing and teaching bellydance as well as Whirling Dervish spinning for nearly 20 years. She is also a vocalist, percussionist, and qanun (table harp) player, and currently co-leads Gypsy/Arabic funk band, Nomadica. Roula produces the hippest bellydance event in town, FunkaBelly, and teaches her unique system of bellydance-based movement, rhythm and vocalization, Seven Waves. More about Roula @ www.omlaila.com.

BUSINESS
1	Approval of Minutes of 2012 Annual General Meeting
2	Report from Board President
3	Auditor’s Report
4	Appointment of Auditor
5	Election of New Board Members
6	Meeting Adjournment

Please RSVP to Janna/Maja at 416-461-8903 by Friday September 3 to register for childcare.

To apply for Membership to Nellie’s, fill out our Membership Form. Female applicants only, please.

A Life Reclaimed, photo exhibit at Nellie’s 40th Anniversary Open House

Posted on: May 31st, 2013 by Nellie's No Comments

A Life Reclaimed

An exhibition by Annie Sakkab
Text by James Wareham

Nellie’s 40th Anniversary Open House:
June 1, 2013. 1pm-6pm.

Press Release

Marking the 40th Anniversary of Nellie’s shelter for women and children fleeing violence, poverty and homelessness in Toronto, A Life Reclaimed by photographer Annie Sakkab will feature during the Riverside ‘Eats & Beats’ Street Fest in conjunction with the Riverdale Artwalk.

A photo exhibition involving women from the shelter, A Life Reclaimed strives to shed light on the hidden truth of gender-based violence that affects 1 in 2 women in every society, across every class and race, at every stage from infancy to old age.

Freezing moments of sadness and hope, it echoes the deep sense of abandonment and isolation of women forced into exile from their homes, while capturing their extraordinary resilience and the rebirth of their identity and empowerment. Women’s shelters like Nellie’s are vital harbors on this journey back to emotional and physical security.

Annie Sakkab is a documentary photographer who lives in Toronto. Born in Jordan, she has worked and resided in London, Rome, Dubai, and Amman. Her documentary practice investigates socio-cultural issues and questions of identity, and seeks to raise awareness on experiences of exile, uprooting, and displacement among marginalized groups. An honors graduate in Fine Art and Graphic Design, Sakkab’s photographs have been exhibited in Canada as well as abroad. Her work Non-spaces (1993) is part of the collection of the National Gallery in Amman, Jordan. Her recent series, Projections – Ghosts of Dubai’s Boom (2010), was exhibited in a featured group exhibition in the 2013 Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival in Toronto, Ontario.

*Please join us this Saturday June 1st at Nellie’s Community Support and Outreach Office, 754 Queen Street East, between 1 and 6pm to view A Life Reclaimed.

Invitation to Nellie’s 40th Anniversary Celebration

Posted on: May 28th, 2013 by Nellie's No Comments

This Saturday June 1st we will be hosting a 40th Anniversary Community Open House & Drop-In as part of the Riverdale Street Fest. We invite you to stop by our Community Support & Outreach Office at 754 Queen Street East between 1 and 6pm to view some beautiful photos taken by photographer Annie Sakkab and meet some of Nellie’s staff and volunteers.

(click image to enlarge)