Margaret Hancock became the first woman appointed Warden of Hart House at the University of Toronto in 1997. On May 24, she will receive the 2018 YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Award. In an interview with YWCA Toronto, she reflects on the importance of social justice and why voting matters this election. Social justice […]
By Toyo Ajibolade “Girls as young as seven are becoming more self-conscious, losing confidence, and giving up sport as a result” – Huffington Post UK I’ve seen and read plenty of similar articles over the past few years and each time, the ages of the girls are getting younger. These articles and reports are written […]
It takes a village to raise a child, yet in 2018 very few of us live in villages in Ontario. As a result, child care is an essential service for families with young children. There is no question that Ontario needs a universal, affordable, and high quality child care system. As a soon-to-be working mom, […]
On a bright winter day last month, my husband and I joined YWCA Toronto and thousands of people marching in Toronto and around the world to support International Women’s Day 2018: #PressforProgress. Buoyed by the growing impact of movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, we all saw that the time is ripe to get more women […]
The SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch was a reminder that while we can shoot a car into space, we are unable to solve persistent social problems such as pay equity. What a time to be alive! Equal Pay Day, marked this year on April 10, draws attention to what has always been one of the most glaring […]
It used to be that students or workers that missed entering academically driven career paths ended up in the skilled trades. This second choice often carried a subtle – and sometimes not so subtle – stigma of mediocracy and separated potential leaders from perpetual subordinates. It also separated men from women, as women were not […]
YWCA Toronto’s Women of Distinction Awards, now in its 38th year, is an annual event that recognizes the outstanding contributions of women in their communities. Nominated and selected by their peers, Women of Distinction recipients are leaders that have made lasting changes in areas such as pay equity, abortion rights, constitutional reform, gun control, ethical […]
I attended the 2017 Women’s March last year. I was excited to attend and sent a text to my friends inviting them to come along. My group of friends is close-knit and generally supportive. We do not miss birthdays and the whole group attends whenever one of our bands plays a show. When I invited […]
[The following text is adapted from a speech at YWCA Toronto’s December 6 Vigil on the National Day of Action on Violence Against Women, 2017] When Dela asked if I would share a few words, it did not take much convincing for me to say ‘absolutely’. However, the truth is, I have been struggling to […]
It was a day for the YWCA history books. In November, 120 YWCA leaders from coast-to-coast-to-coast participated in the movement’s first-ever advocacy day on Parliament Hill. In meetings with Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament and Senators, we called for a gender lens on the National Housing Strategy that includes a minimum of 25% of funds […]
