I was 22 years old, living in Ottawa, going to Carleton University. And although I was a journalism student — my sister is the engineer in our family — I have never been able to escape the brutal reality that if the gunman had walked into my classroom, he’d have shot me, probably while [...]
When you’re a woman coping with the fallout from an abusive situation, just making ends meet can take all your energy. And when the holidays come along, the idea of finding extra money for Christmas gifts can be crushing. That’s where two special seasonal initiatives come in: our Elf Express and sponsorship programs. “The [...]
Anyone who pays any attention at all to the news is rarely surprised to see evidence of women’s oppression, but recent events have made even the most cynical take notice. In Afghanistan, weeks of fear and chaos have been especially devastating for women. With the ultra-religious Taliban taking control of the country in the [...]
As of the time this blog post was written, women had won the first 13 Canadian medals at the 2020 Olympics (which are being held in 2021 because of the pandemic). From swimming to rowing to judo, softball and weightlifting, women kept up the pace set at the last Summer Olympics, when they won [...]
Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes is pleased to announce the launch of a new program initiative for youth and victims of Human Sexual Trafficking made possible through funding from the Provincial Government, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. This four-year program will address the two pillars of the new Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy through: [...]
With so many demands on your time, why would you choose to give up several hours a month to become a member of our board of directors? For many local women, the answer was easy, but what’s interesting is that each of those answers is a little different. That’s because our dynamic board offers [...]
June is National Indigenous History Month. The federal government website describes it as “a time for learning about, appreciating and acknowledging the contributions First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have made in shaping Canada.” It must also be a time when we acknowledge that the history of colonization has an enormous, pervasive influence on [...]
The many-coloured flags of Pride Month signal joy and love, and as a society we’ve come a long way in recognizing and honouring relationships that don’t fit a traditional heterosexual pattern. But the cheerful colours and legal gains can’t hide the reality that lesbians, and bisexual and trans women experience even more violence than [...]
Some countries, most notably the United States, have named April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Some jurisdictions, including Ontario, observe Sexual Assault Prevention Month in May. Both are valuable, but that one word makes a huge difference. Because after all, women don’t really need more awareness of sexual assault, do we? What we need [...]
We all know that social media can be a nasty stew of insults and prejudice, strong opinions and snap judgements. And while there seems to be plenty of that to go around for all kinds of people in the public eye, from performers to politicians, we can’t lose sight of the fact that women [...]
