By Huda Idrees I am incredibly humbled to receive the YWCA Toronto Young Woman of Distinction Award. When I first received the call from Bessy Triantafyllos, then Board President, that I had been selected, I thought, there must be a mistake! Doesn’t the “C” in YWCA stand for “Christian?” I have been accused of many […]
By Eleanor Moore and Diane Goudie Given the recent discussion around education and how to build resilience in students, we find ourselves looking again at the reasons we created an independent, feminist girls’ school 25 years ago. A fundamental question we asked 25 years ago: How do we make a feminist school? Little did we […]
Judy Huber has had a multi-decade career in software engineering including two decades of global executive roles. She made history as the first Canadian woman software development executive at IBM Canada. Her most recent roles were Vice President World Wide Analytics IBM and the Executive Director of the IBM Canada Software Laboratory. Now retired, Judy […]
On the eve of International Women’s Day 2019, I found myself surrounded by some pretty amazing women. Looking over a frozen Toronto from the 54th floor of the TD Tower, I joined more than 100 guests and colleagues to meet and hear from the nine women who will receive a YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction […]
Opinion by Lisa Kimmel, Chair & CEO of Edelman Canada; Chair, Edelman Latin America and Global Women’s Equality Network; and, 2019 YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Every year, International Women’s Day (IWD) comes around again and reminds us gender inequality still requires our attention and action. It might be easy to be frustrated at the […]
Happy 2019 Black History Month! In honour of Black History Month, we celebrate YWCA Toronto’s Women of Distinction from Canada’s diverse Black communities. This annual award is given to women who have demonstrated an unshakeable commitment to improving the lives of other women and girls. Trailblazers, door-openers, activists and change makers – YWCA Toronto celebrates […]
October 30, 2018 In 2004, YWCA Toronto honoured Debbie Douglas with a Women of Distinction Award for her exemplary commitment to social justice. Debbie is currently the Executive Director of OCASI – the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants – a provincial body representing over 234 agencies across the province employing over 20,000 workers. Recently, […]
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 […]
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 […]
