Second question in our series of questions for the Wall of Stories:
What myths would you like to break down about sexual assault and sexual violence?
Have your response added to our Wall!
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
We are constantly adding thoughts and messages to the Wall of Stories
- voice your opinion and have it added for all to see at Take Back the
Night!
We will be asking a series of questions leading up to the event - respond and see your comment added to the Wall (the comment's author's name will not be included on the brick).
We will be asking a series of questions leading up to the event - respond and see your comment added to the Wall (the comment's author's name will not be included on the brick).
Today's question: Why are events that aim to raise awareness of sexual violence so important, and how do they help the community (and beyond)?
Take a look at the Wall of Stories event page for ideas and guidelines!
https://www.facebook.com/events/884158931657300/
https://www.facebook.com/events/884158931657300/
A variety of beautiful, creative submissions for the Take Back the Night t-shirt contest have been sent to us!
After some difficult decision making, we are happy to announce that we have selected two t-shirt designs, which we are excited to sell to event-goers and community members. This is a perfect opportunity to continue raising awareness to reduce sexual violence, beyond the Take Back the Night evening.
As of today, we are beginning to accept pre-orders! The following form is available at G-W Women in Crisis' 38 Elizabeth St office to fill out. You are also welcome to drop a completed form off or phone in at (519) 836-1110 with your credit card details. We are accepting payments of cash or credit until September 1st! Your shirt will be available for pickup on the evening of Take Back the Night, September 24th, between 5:30 and 7:00 pm.
After some difficult decision making, we are happy to announce that we have selected two t-shirt designs, which we are excited to sell to event-goers and community members. This is a perfect opportunity to continue raising awareness to reduce sexual violence, beyond the Take Back the Night evening.
As of today, we are beginning to accept pre-orders! The following form is available at G-W Women in Crisis' 38 Elizabeth St office to fill out. You are also welcome to drop a completed form off or phone in at (519) 836-1110 with your credit card details. We are accepting payments of cash or credit until September 1st! Your shirt will be available for pickup on the evening of Take Back the Night, September 24th, between 5:30 and 7:00 pm.
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Take Back the Night 2015: September 24 @6pm
This year, community partners in Guelph-Wellington will be
hosting the 28th annual Take Back the Night rally and march, taking place on
Thursday September 24th.
Take Back the Night 2015’s theme will be “Illuminating Our Stories.”
We would like to show how sexual violence impacts people in Guelph-Wellington
and beyond. The more the community knows, the better able members will be to
intervene or support someone who has experienced sexual violence. Hearing
others’ thoughts and messages of support can also show survivors that their
voices matter and their own experiences are important.
To accompany this year’s theme, the Take Back the Night Committee will be creating a Wall of Stories. This wall will
be made of cardstock story “bricks” and illuminated from within. We are in the
process of organizing a workshop before Take Back the Night where all folks are
invited to create their own bricks for the wall. We have also created an online
form where those who cannot attend the workshop or who wish to share their
words and thoughts anonymously are able to do so.
The link to the online form is as follows: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ScWkVwqjpgtjELYOul8TpruvjXBtwBHqP55B5PuJsGE/viewform?c=0&w=1
The full Wall of Stories description can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/884158931657300/
We are also holding a contest to find a design for t-shirts
and promotional material that we will be using at Take Back the Night. We are looking for a stylized
feminist slogan that highlights solidarity and action against sexual violence,
resilience, equality, empowerment or another related theme of the artist’s
choice, and/or an artistic interpretation of the above!
More information can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1622999844645192/
We are hoping you will share this information on Take Back
the Night and current initiatives with your contacts and participate in the
event!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
10 DAYS OF RESILENCE
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO LAUNCH 10 DAYS OF RESILENCE
EVENTS
According to Stats Canada 2013, Guelph is
one of the safest cities in Ontario. Despite being what many people would deem
a safe city, gender-based violence still happens here. That is why some community
organizations have decided to collaborate to bring 10 Days of awareness,
celebration, action, and change this fall from September 25th to
October 4th. While much of
the focus of the 10 Days is around raising awareness of gender-based violence,
the group also wants to try and create more room for discussions around the
ways queer and trans folks experience violence, as well as celebrate the
resilience within these communities.
Because violence in our community affects
everyone, the 10 Days group wanted to provide lots of different opportunities
for people to get involved, says Jessica St. Peter, the Public Educator from
Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis; “People can connect with equality in various
ways and sometimes certain events limit people’s participation but by expanding
the opportunities for people to be engaged and informed we can have a greater
impact in our community”.
Experiencing violence has negative impacts
on people’s health as well and can put them at a greater risk of HIV says
Olivia Kijewski, the Women’s Community Development Coordinator at HIV/AIDS
Resources & Community Health. “It’s important that we work together to challenge
violence and its detrimental effects on our community”, says Kijewski.
Some of the multiple organizations working
together on the 10 Days include: the Guelph Resource Centre for Gender
Empowerment and Diversity (GRCGED), Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis, HIV/AIDS
Resources & Community Health (ARCH), the Ontario Public Interest Research
Group (OPIRG), SlutWalk Guelph, and the Wellness Education Centre.
The week will kick off on Thursday
September 25th at 6:30 pm in Marianne’s Park for the 27th
Annual Take Back the Night march and rally to raise awareness about and end sexual
violence against women and girls. Other
events during the 10 Days include: A workshop for young girls on bullying &
self-esteem, Wen-do self-identified women’s self-defense training, service
provider training on Anti-Oppressive Practice Approaches to Women’s Health, a
sex Toy Workshop, trivia night at the Jimmy Jazz, an LGBTQ+ discussion group on
Queer responses to violence, a documentary screening of “Jasad and the Queen of
Contradictions”, an information
sharing and discussion of ARCH’s sex worker needs assessment, as well as a
workshop on consent by Karen B.K. Chan. The 10 Days will conclude with the 2nd
annual SlutWalk Guelph march at beginning at 1 pm at the Market Square, City
Hall. SlutWalk Guelph is a movement that works to challenge victim blaming,
slut-shaming, and sexual assault, stating that those who experience sexual
assault are never at fault.
For more information regarding any of these
events visit www.gwwomenincrisis.org/
or contact wiceducator@gwwomenincrisis.org for details.
Jessica St. Peter
Public Educator
Guelph-Wellington Women in
Crisis
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT 2014!!!!!
What does Take Back the Night mean to me?
A world where I can walk home alone at night after school or after work, without fearing what might be hiding in the shadows. A world where I can wear whatever I want without living in fear of inviting unwanted attention. A world where I can be a woman and that can mean whatever I want it to.
Take Back the Night means that and so much more. This event unites people all over the world for one night to stand up against the fear, oppression and violence that women across the world experience everyday simply because they are women. It gives women a voice in a world where they are constantly being silenced. This night is an opportunity to reclaim the streets, to become empowered and to raise awareness.
For over the past two decades, Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis has collaborated with the wider community to make this very important event a reality each and every year. This year, the Take Back the Night march and rally will take place on Thursday, September 25 at 6:30 – 9:00pm. We will meet at Marianne’s Park and march through downtown to City Hall. The park itself was dedicated to Marianne Goulden in 1993 by the city of Guelph. Marianne was one of the first women to stay at the Women in Crisis shelter. She became a volunteer soon after and eventually a staff member for Women in Crisis. On January 21, 1992 Marianne Goulden was stabbed to death by her common law partner, Timothy Weldon, in front of her teenage daughter.
Violence affects each and every one of us. It can impact us directly if we experience or witness it ourselves. It can impact us indirectly when we watch our friends, loved ones or even acquaintances live through it. And it shapes who we are as women when we are taught from a very young age to not go out after dark, to not dress a certain way, to live and act in a manner that will keep us safe. What is safety if we live in constant fear? What is safety if your partner is the one perpetrating the violence against you? What is safety if our children, our future, continue to witness acts of violence in the home?
I invite you to answer the question then:
What does Take Back the Night mean to you?
Friday, September 13, 2013
Refuse to Give Up! What is Resiliency?
Take Back the Night’s focus this year is ‘refuse to give
up’, which is an example of resiliency. So what then, is resiliency? Resiliency
is the ability to quickly recover from difficulties, such as trauma, threats, or
tragedies. Being resilient does not mean experiencing no difficulties or hardships, it means moving forward with supportive relationships, encouragements, and reassurance. Resiliency
is refusing to be silenced when standing up against the violence directed
towards women and children.
The beginning of September marks the beginning of a new
school year where students are met with positive beginnings. However, students
from at least two universities were faced with negative messages glorifying
non-consensual intercourse. Last week, a pro-rape chant was used during frosh
week at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The chant itself
celebrated and promoted underage, non-consensual sex: “SMU boys we like them young…
Y is for your sister, O is for oh so tight, U is for underage, N is for no
consent, G is for grab that a**.”
Similarity, the same pro-rape chant was sung during frosh week at the
Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.
It was revealed that this particular chant has been used for
some years. According to the Global Mail, the students’ attempted to conceal
the chants by the mutual agreement that “if it happens in the group, it has to stay in the
group.” Furthermore, there were students that have come forward complaining
about the chants; however, their concerns were dismissed. It was not until the
videos were posted on the internet that disciplinary measures and actions were
taken to stop the chant from occurring.
Resiliency can come from different sources; from individuals or from a
group, it can be personal or it can be public resiliency. Regarding the pro-rape chants,
resiliency came from the public; resiliency came from the students stepping up
against the chants and fellow peers. Resiliency can mean different things to
different people. What does resiliency mean to you?
There are no easy solutions to eliminate violence against women; we
need a joint effort from society, governments, men and women. We can begin by
recognizing and standing up against violence – let’s refuse to give up!
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