The Fund for Gender Equality: A commitment to women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people
In 2019, Community Foundations of Canada and the Equality Fund launched a five-year initiative to advance gender equality in Canada, with support from the Government of Canada. Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) was 1 of 21 participating Community Foundations taking part in the Fund for Gender Equality, to strengthen local initiatives working towards a future grounded in justice and gender equality, by providing funding to organizations that have demonstrated a long-term commitment to empowering women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people.
Here are two examples of initiatives supported through WRCF:
Stepping Out My Way
The African Women’s Alliance of Waterloo Region has a strong history of serving immigrant girls and women through educational and social activities. In 2021, it received funding to launch Stepping Out My Way, to focus on empowering young women with goals including breaking down barriers of isolation, building trust and fellowship, increasing social networks, enhancing self-confidence and fostering personal development.
“Stepping Out My Way is a mentorship and social etiquette program for girls and women of colour and visible minority, with a focus on social, communication and literacy skills,” says Kathy Takacs, Board President of the African Women’s Alliance of Waterloo Region. “Bi-weekly training workshops – both online and in person a re being held on various topics such as body image, gender roles and myths surrounding them, gender based violence and the role culture and religion play to perpetuate the occurrence of gender based violence.”
“The team held community consultations to get specific feedback from potential participants about the topics that would be discussed, and when sessions should be held. This process allowed African Women’s Alliance of Waterloo Region to develop a series of sessions that would be meaningful to the participants, rather than what the organization felt should be included.” says Takacs.
The community consultations provided great input, and the first workshop was held online on March 28, 2021 focused on “Self-Identity”, generating a lot of emotions and feedback from participants.
To learn more about the African Women’s Alliance of Waterloo Region, participate in their programs, volunteer with the organization, or provide support to their initiatives, visit www.afrowomen.ca or email outreach.afrowomen@gmail.com.
IN•PRINT program
Button Factory Arts (Waterloo Community Arts Centre) is no stranger to being at the forefront of the gender equality movement in Waterloo Region. Ongoing collaborations with SPECTRUM have provided meaningful artistic projects for LGBTQ2S+ folks including Queer Craft Circle with facilitator Carly Leyburne (2021/2022) and The BENT Collective and Zine, facilitated by artist Ellie Anglin (2016). Projects specifically for newcomer women to Canada and refugee women have included The Memory Cookbook project with Hiba Abdallah (2017). The organization continues to collaborate with artists and other community organizations and members to provide meaningful programming based in the arts.
Button Factory Arts has continued their history of collaboration and serving underserved communities with the project, IN•PRINT in 2021/2022. IN•PRINT is a community art project focusing on the creation of art through printmaking & engagement with text-based work. These projects take place to create intentional, creative community spaces for marginalized genders including women, two-spirited people and gender diverse individuals including non-binary and trans people as well as BIPoC individuals, artists with disabilities and parents with young children to affordably create art, ideas & an exhibition which will open March 31, 2022 (pandemic permitting).
The project offers sessions for a variety of demographics, including; Screen Printing Technique & Theory: A space for women and gender diverse individuals with a focus on accessible printmaking practices led by Amanda Damsa, Allie Gingerich & Tee Kundu; Text Collective: an online residency for writers, performers and text based artists led by Lauren Prousky; BIPoC Book Club with facilitator Jasmine Mander and a Parent/Infant Postpartum Therapeutic Arts Group with Catherine Mellinger. Button Factory Arts aims to further print art’s relationship to resistance, and social justice, by providing access to art opportunities and equal representation within the arts.
To learn more about Button Factory Arts, participate in their programs, volunteer with the organization, or provide support to their initiatives, visit www.buttonfactoryarts.ca.
Note: This feature was written prior to Cambridge & North Dumfries Community Foundation and Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation unifying to become Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Although the content was created by KWCF, we have updated the organization name to WRCF throughout the text.