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YWCA week without violence

October 12 to 18, 2008

Art! Awareness! Education! Action!

Be a part of the Week Without Violence. Help us eradicate violence from homes, schools, workplaces and our neighbourhoods. Join YWCA Toronto in our efforts to stop violence before it claims another victim.

The undeniable increase in school shootings, gang activity, the upsurge of bullying and sexual assaults in all schools indicate a swell of violence, especially gender-based violence in our city, leaving everyone at risk. All of us have experienced violence in our communities, and for many of us it has been too close to home. During the Week Without Violence, October 12 to 18, 2008, we invite the community to address violence in lots of different ways, to help us think about the ways.

Through education, art, empowerment and action YWCA Toronto, in concert with YWCAs across the country and the world will spread a message of peace and non-violence, welcoming communities across the city to host and participate in free events.

common ground

The Power of Being a Girl,
Respect for Being a Boy Conference

When:
Friday October 17, 2008 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM

Where:
Oakham House, Ryerson University, 63 Gould Street

What:
A one day conference during school hours and available to teachers in a the GTA will operate in two streams: boys in one, girls in another with a plenary at the end to share resources and make some action plans for shared change agendas going forward.

YWCA Toronto and the White Ribbon Campaign will join forces to link emerging leaders and youth in our first-ever attempt to create common ground on the issues of gender based violence among high school aged youth.

The Power of Being A Girl | Respect for Being a Boy conference is a response to a broadly acknowledged need to "build common ground" between young women and young men in today's Toronto. It is a conference that will use engagement with different media - such as writing, story-boarding, videography, news analysis, interactive skill-building - to explore gender, power and race in the advent of and solutions to violence in schools and community. It will pay specific attention to the role that unequal dynamics between girls and boys has in the high rates of sexual harassment and sexual assault among school-aged girls.

Common Ground | Respect for Being a Boy & the Power of Being a Girl Conference flyer

take action against violence

You can participate in a number of ways. For example, you can make a personal pledge or plan an event in your community. To find out how to host a Week Without Violence event, contact Raine Liliefeldt at YWCA Toronto, 416.961.8100 ext. 326 or email rliliefeldt [at] ywcatoronto.org.

All the information on how to do this will soon be available on this website. Everyone is welcome to join us in stopping violence!

10 tips for expressing healthy anger.	Are you cool? Is your relationship healthy? Take the relationship quiz and find out!

host your own event

Help end violence in your community! There are lots of ways to get your school, business or community group involved in the Week Without Violence, and YWCA Toronto wants to help.

Here are four steps to hosting your own event:

1. select an event

No matter what your group is interested in, there's a grat way to celebrate peace. Be creative.
Here are a few ideas:

• Wen Do
• Conflict Resolution
• Yoga meditation to boost inner peace
• Art
• Healthy Dating Relationships Workshop
• Peace Tree Movie and Workshop
• Peace Pledge

This is by no means an exhaustive list - feel free to get creative and come up with your own unique Week Without Violence event.

2. contact us

Let us know you're holding an event so we can provide you with support, promotional material ideas and any other information you might need. We may also be able to arrange for a YWCA Toronto guest speaker to attend your event (e.g., if you're holding a Healthy Dating Relationships Workshop, you might be interested in having someone from YWCA Toronto as a facilitator.)

3. hold your event

Between October 12 and October 18, have fun promoting a Week Without Violence! Make sure you take lots of pictures - we're hoping to create an online photo album for all of this year's community events.

4. evaluate your event

Make a few notes on how the event is going, and get some feedback from participants. What would you do differently next year?

For further information, or to host an event at your school, workplace or other organization, contact:
Raine Liliefeldt at YWCA Toronto
416.961.8100 ext. 326
rliliefeldt [at] ywcatoronto.org.

more

download:
women's resource funding brief to Ministry of Finance (01/2007)
Senate Commitee on children's human rights brief (01/2007)
Status of Women Canada letter to House of Commons (01/2007)
Cyber Safety Internet (CSI NET)
- a girls' guide to being safe on the internet (4.8Mb)

ways to give
ywca december 6 fund
shelter, housing & support
policy papers & deputations
media releases
media coverage
code blue for childcare | code bleu pour les services de garde
No Religious Arbitration Coalition
2006 election: one woman - one vote
week without violence
if you are experiencing violence
women's housing advocacy group (WHAG)

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