Our View – The YW Blog
May 2015
Mother’s Day at the YW
Mothers’ Day has a lot of meaning here at the YW. It’s bittersweet. It’s a time when our little Pandas, Bunnies, Koalas and Chipmunks are busy creating artwork and crafts that will be treasured. It’s[...]
Voting for Justice
Over the past several weeks, provincial candidates have been sharing their thoughts and opinions on the future of Alberta as they campaign for the votes we will cast on Tuesday, May 5. As this article:[...]
April 2015
Sexist assumptions limit women
Remember when Barbie told girls math was hard? In October 1992, the Teen Talk Barbie uttered the phrase “math class is tough”, a statement that awarded Mattel Inc. a great deal of criticism from American[...]
Calling for a Safe, Respectful Red Mile
A great playoff start by our Calgary Flames is worth getting excited about but, this week, I’m also cheering the plucky upstarts behind an emerging campaign for a Safe Red Mile. In response to reports[...]
Volunteers key to our mission – a message of thanks!
National Volunteer Week, Canada’s largest celebration of volunteerism and civic participation, is April 12 through 18th. Albertans have a rich history of volunteering and community involvement, and have been celebrating National Volunteer Week for more[...]
Fundraisers return: a chat with Nadine and Aisha
“Is that the one where people sleep on cots?” We hear this question a lot in lead up to our annual fundraising event YWCA KEEP A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS®. The answer in short is,[...]
March 2015
Stop cyberbullying: start with compassion
Cyberbullying, or the use of information technology to repeatedly and deliberately harass other people, is a relatively new term. Yet it has become such a common act since 1998 that we are already in need[...]
Fresh starts and opportunities
On the first day of spring, many of us are thinking about fresh starts, house cleaning and ideas for the garden that is yet to sprout. For many however, it is just another day when[...]
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is on Sunday, March 8, 2015. The first International Women's Day was observed on March 19, 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. More than one million women and men showed[...]
In Memory of Donalda Vine-Mutton
Donalda Vine-Mutton, a long-time ambassador, alumnae and supporter of the YWCA, passed away on Friday, February 20, 2015 at 88 years of age. Donalda was connected to the YWCA for more than 60 years. In[...]
February 2015
Reflections on the YWCA Canada Young Women’s Leadership Conference
Imagine calling up 130 of your best feminist lady-friends from across the nation and heading off to Southern Ontario for a weekend of growth, learning, and sharing. Recently I had the pleasure of doing just[...]
Celebrating healthy relationships
Each year when Valentine’s Day arrives, the deeper meaning of the day is often lost in chocolates and flowers. But when the chocolate is eaten and the roses wilted, you might want to consider if[...]
Domestic violence awareness at Super Bowl
Yesterday, millions gathered around their television sets to cheer for their favourite football team, eat junk food, and enjoy the Super Bowl. While Canadians did not see the same, highly anticipated commercials during the game[...]
January 2015
Gifts for the season: gifts for all seasons
As the 2014 holiday season comes to a close, the YWCA is grateful for a total of $648,000 in cash donations and the many gift-in-kind donations we received to support vulnerable women and their children.[...]
December 2014
The value of giving
Having recently met some of the women, children and men the YWCA supports; I can imagine how impactful this holiday season will be for them. At this time of year, throughout the YWCA, there are[...]
Calgary’s Housing Crunch
Once again, Calgarians looking for safe and appropriate housing options were disappointed by City Council’s failure to vote in favour of legalizing secondary suites. Elsewhere in Canada secondary suites are a viable option for individuals[...]
YWCA gives back to donors on GivingTuesday
This year, GivingTuesday was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the values and passions of our donors. The YWCA Resource Development team decided to give back to donors this year with a small token[...]
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women
On December 6, 1989 at a busy college campus in Montreal Quebec, 14 women were brutally murdered by a man targeting women. The man claimed he was “fighting feminism” according to news outlets capturing the[...]