Subjects: ECO, WOM, CFG
Government of Canada announces investment in women's organizations in St. John's
ST. JOHN'S, July 18, 2019 /CNW/ - Women's organizations provide vital services in our communities, supporting women and girls to be financially secure, free from violence, and able to fully participate in all aspects of our economy and society. Yet for far too long they have been chronically underfunded, underestimated and undermined. The Government of Canada recognizes that women's organizations are the lifeblood of the women's movement, and that maintaining and growing the ability of these organizations to do this important work is the most effective way to advance gender equality.
That's why today, Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John's East (Newfoundland and Labrador), on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, announced that the Government of Canada will invest $681,380 in two women's organizations in St. John's.
Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador is receiving $440,120 to develop a training system for all shelter staff, management, and board members on inclusion, cultural sensitivity, mental illness, addiction, trauma, and best practices. By making the training universal, its staff will be better able to provide well-informed and beneficial services to the community.
YWCA St. John's is receiving $241,260 to strengthen its organizational viability, provide quality training for its staff and board on best practices, and improve its overall service to the community. This will better enable it to pursue its vision to create a community where all girls and women are safe, supported and empowered.
Funding for these projects stems from historic Budget 2018 investments in the Capacity-building Fund to support a sustainable women's movement.
Quotes
"In making this historic investment, we recognize the women and women's organizations that have long been breaking through barriers, and we express our gratitude to them for what has often been decades of important work, on little more than a shoestring budget. For too long, women's movement across Canada has been asking for a reliable, predictable and accessible source of funds to ensure the sustainability of their work ? our government listened. I am proud that now, with stable and flexible funding, we are helping organizations in St. John's grow and endure, because we know that investing in women's organizations is the most effective way to advance gender equality. By supporting a movement that has achieved amazing results, we are growing the middle class, strengthening families and communities, and creating lasting change that benefits everyone."
The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.
Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality
"Violence by men against women and girls is an ongoing frightening and, frankly, embarrassing aspect of our society. The two projects being funded today, including the one in my riding of St. John's East, provide capacity building supports for frontline organizations and the victims they service. These are two steps of many that our government will be taking to meaningfully address the scourge of violence by men against women and girls."
Nick Whalen
Member of Parliament for St. John's East
"In order to eliminate violence against women, we must all do our part to create a new societal standard. We are elated to have the opportunity presented by today's funding announcement from the Government of Canada to ensure that our staff, management, and board members receive top-tier training that will allow them to carry out their work with a heightened ? and necessary ? sense of social awareness."
Dan Meades, Provincial Coordinator
Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
"We are grateful for the Government of Canada's support of our work. This investment will greatly improve our ability to serve the St. John's community, and to continue to work towards establishing St. John's as a safe, empowering, and supportive place for women and girls to live."
Rhonda Tulk-Lane, Chair
YWCA St. John's
Quick Facts
- Budget 2018 announced $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women's movement across Canada. Adding to this historic investment, Budget 2019 invests a further $160 million over five years, starting in 2019?20, in the Department for Women and Gender Equality's Women's Program. This means that by 2023?24, the Women's Program, which supports eligible organizations to carry out projects to advance gender equality by addressing systemic barriers, will total $100 million annually.
- This funding will enable women's organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women to tackle systemic barriers impeding women's progress, while recognizing and addressing the diverse experiences of gender and inequality across the country.
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Backgrounder
Women and Gender Equality Canada's Women's Program
One of the ways Women and Gender Equality Canada advances gender equality in Canada is by providing funding to eligible organizations through the Women's Program. Projects are selected via calls for proposals on specific themes, as well as through a continuous intake process that allows the Women's Program to address emerging issues as they arise.
The Women's Program funds projects that address systemic barriers to women's equality in three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security and prosperity of women and girls; and encouraging women and girls in leadership roles.
Capacity-building Call for Proposals
In October 2018, Minister Monsef announced a Call for Proposals under the Capacity-building Fund of the Women's Program. Projects at the local, provincial, and national level were eligible for different amounts of funding, based on their specific need and reach.
On March 8, 2019, International Women's Day, Minister Monsef announced that over 250 women's organizations across the country would receive funding from the Capacity-building Fund.
The objective is to fund proposals that will increase the capacity of eligible women's organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women, whose initiatives contribute to a viable women's movement in Canada that advances gender equality. Funding will increase the ability of organizations to grow, meet the increasing demands for their services, and continue to work collectively to address gender equality issues. The fund stems from the Budget 2018 announcement of $100 million over five years to help support a viable and sustainable women's movement across Canada.
St. John's Projects
Today's announcement profiled two projects in St. John's selected for federal funding through the Capacity-building Fund:
Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (THANL)
Project title: Setting the Standard
Funding amount: $440,120
THANL will develop a training system for all shelter staff, management, and board members on inclusion, cultural sensitivity, mental illness, addiction, trauma, and best practices. By making the training universal, its staff will be better able to provide well-informed and beneficial services to the community.
Established in 1987 as the Provincial Association Against Family Violence, THANL provides provincially funded shelters across Newfoundland and Labrador with guidance, training, and program development opportunities. It is committed to supporting women and children in establishing a sense of safety, security, and freedom within their communities and homes.
YWCA St. John's
Project title: Capacity Building at YWCA St. John's: An Organizational Viability Project Contributing to the National Women's Movement
Funding amount: $241,260
The YWCA St. John's will work with its partners to create a community where all girls and women are safe, supported and empowered. It will provide quality training for its staff and board on best practices and improve its overall service to the community.
The YWCA has been an integral part of the St. John's community since 1925. It works to provide women and girls with empowering programs and services on a local basis, while also contributing to bettering the status of women on national and international levels in combination with YWCA Canada and World YWCA.
Associated Links
- Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
- YWCA St. John's Inc.
- Capacity-Building Fund Call for Proposals
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SOURCE Department for Women and Gender Equality
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