YWCA Metro Vancouver

What a powerful moment! Today, we brought together incredible community organizations and advocates who have been tirelessly working to combat gender-based violence. Being in one space and united by our commitment to moving this critical issue forward was truly inspiring. While we missed some crucial folks this time, we look forward to seeing you at our next gathering.

Gender-based violence is a hidden epidemic, often overlooked and misunderstood. Our collective efforts aim to shine a light on this pervasive issue and bring about meaningful change.

Special shoutout to:
West Coast LEAF (Legal Education and Action Fund)
Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland
BC Society of Transition Houses (BCSTH)
The Houssian Foundation
The Cridge Centre for the Family
Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR)
justice for girls outreach society
Nikki Hill
Ange Valentini
PearlSpace Support Services Society
Atira Women's Resource Society
Tawâw Strategies Andrea Reimer
Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre
Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC)
Alma Mater Society of UBC (AMS) Student Union UBC
AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC)
Vancouver Women's Health Collective

We are delighted to announce that our longtime colleague and friend Wanda Pelletier is the recipient of the BC Council for Families’ 2024 Carol Matusicky Distinguished Service to Families Award for her work at YWCA Crabtree Corner. Wanda has been a pillar of the Downtown Eastside YWCA Crabtree Corner community for 30 years and has improved the well-being of countless families during this time. Among her many roles, Wanda committed her efforts to providing accessible, low-barrier support for those affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and made immeasurable impacts through her work on the FASD Dictionary, which provides much needed information on the realities of living with FASD and removing the stigma surrounding the condition.

A member of the Cowessess First Nation, Saulteaux First Nations band government in southern Saskatchewan, her role as a co-chair on the YWCA Truth and Reconciliation Committee has been instrumental in fostering understanding and healing within the Downtown Eastside community.

We are so lucky to have worked with you and to know you, Wanda!

Our YWCA City Shift team presented to the City of Port Moody's Community Services team today! We were talking about embedding an inclusive and equitable lens into city planning.

Thanks for having us and learning about our Equity Kickstart Guide for Cities!

City of Port Moody

Summer is here and it’s coming in hot! There are great events happening across Metro Vancouver, perfect for families and offering something for everyone.

Did you know the Hotel Vancouver - A Social Enterprise Hotel has a guide to upcoming events in Vancouver? From concerts, fairs and festivals to farmers' markets and sports games, there's always something to keep you inspired and busy!

Visit https://ywcavan.org/hotel/vancouver/events-and-things-do-vancouver-season to see what’s happening this season.

Did you know that YWCA Metro Vancouver offers 19 support groups for mothers who are parenting alone?

These groups are available throughout Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, both in-person and online. We also have a specialized support group for mothers of children with special needs.

Together with other women on a similar journey, mothers can find companionship, peer support and community. Many participants form lifelong friendships!

If you know someone who could benefit from this supportive community, please share this post with them. More information here: https://ywcavan.org/single-moms

A heartfelt thank you to the fantastic volunteers from Gore Mutual Insurance's Vancouver team! On June 14th, four of their employees joined us at the YWCA Rooftop Garden to harvest fresh herbs and create beautiful herb bundles for YWCA Crabtree Corner's community kitchen. They also worked alongside Kim, our Rooftop Coordinator, to add a splash of color with painted plant markers, making our garden even more vibrant.

We're incredibly grateful for Gore Mutual's ongoing partnership, providing funding for YWCA Rooftop Garden and for including us in their Canada-wide volunteer day, Community Day. This annual event sees 500 employees nationwide volunteering their time and energy to make a difference in their communities. Your efforts truly help us thrive!

As we celebrate Canada for its beauty, diversity and opportunities, it’s also essential to acknowledge the complex history of our nation. The founding of Canada involved colonial practices and systems of oppression that still profoundly impact Indigenous and First Nations communities across the country.

With deeper insights and a commitment to truth and reconciliation, today is an opportunity for meaningful reflection and action. Let's reimagine Canada Day by honouring the truth and amplifying Indigenous issues and voices. By acknowledging the deep wounds inflicted by colonialism and residential schools, we can commit to fostering genuine healing and redress. This is how, today and every day, we can truly evolve and unite as a nation.

Here's how you can celebrate, get informed AND show your support:

➡️ Educate yourself on the reality of Canada’s history and the injustices Indigenous peoples still face.
➡️ Wear the colour orange which represents the “Every Child Matters” movement, put into place to honor the countless Indigenous children lost to the residential school system.
➡️ Donate to Indigenous organizations and residential school survivor funds like IRSSS.
➡️ Learn about the stolen land you are living on. Go to https://native-land.ca/ to find out.

The gender pay gap in Canada's tech sector has nearly tripled from 2016 to 2021, with women earning $20,000 less than men on average, according to The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Ongoing efforts to promote equity have not closed the gap. While men's salaries increased, women saw little wage growth, highlighting systemic issues in salary decisions and the ongoing challenge of achieving pay equity in tech.

Visible minority tech workers also face disparities, earning $78,800 annually compared to $93,000 for non-minorities. Black and Filipino workers are among the lowest paid, highlighting broader inequality in the tech sector.

"The people in power controlling salary decisions are letting women get paid less," said Marissa McNeelands, CEO of Toast.

This is a reminder to continue advocating for gender equity, as there is much more work left to do.

Read the full story on in Vancouver: https://www.biv.com/news/gender-pay-gap-in-canadas-tech-sector-almost-tripled-between-2016-and-2021-study-9111516?utm_source=BIV&utm_campaign=db9425c81b-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ba3660ab09-f74cc7858e-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=db9425c81b&mc_eid=6e11c15459

To raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people, Clarence Abraham, a 55-year-old from Takla Nation, is walking 370 kilometres from his hometown of Takla to Burns Lake along the Highway of Tears.

Stemming from the personal loss of family members, Abraham was determined to create awareness for this cause to honour the memory of those lost and support affected community at various check points by listening to their stories.

This courageous feat reminds us that change requires action and about the importance and strength of community. Through honouring their loved ones along the way, Abraham is shining a spotlight on people too often overlooked.

“This is for those women who are voiceless. I’ll keep doing this for them, to give them a voice.” –Abraham

Read the full story at

YWCA Gear Up is thrilled to be the official charity partner for this year's GranFondo Whistler!

Thanks to this incredible collaboration, YWCA Gear Up will be able to support even more youth in gaining the skills, certification and work experience needed to thrive as bike mechanics.

We are also super excited about RBC GranFondo Whistler’s Project 30by30. In celebration of their 15th anniversary, this project was introduced to encourage more women to take up and stay in the sport of cycling. The project’s goal is to have at least 30% female event participation by 2030 (currently 22.5%).

A big thank you to RBC GranFondo Whistler for empowering the next generation of bike mechanics and for their positive impact in promoting gender equity in cycling. 🚴‍♂️

To learn more about YWCA Gear Up, visit: https://ywcavan.org/gear-up

To learn more about the RBC Granfondo Whistler, visit: https://www.rbcgranfondo.com/whistler

In May, a team of dedicated volunteers from TELUS went above and beyond to spread joy and uplift spirits. They curated and delivered 80 wellness hampers to YWCA Crabtree Corner, each one was assembled with care and included personal handwritten messages of positivity and strength.

We are deeply grateful for the time, effort and compassion poured into this initiative by every single volunteer. Thank you, volunteers! 😊

Bill C-332 recently passed in the House of Commons and is now heading to the Senate. This bill criminalizes coercive control in intimate partner relationships, defining it as a pattern of behavior that instills fear for safety through actions like controlling finances, monitoring movements, and threatening violence.

By recognizing coercive control as a form of abuse and providing legal recourse for non-physical abuse, Bill C-332 aims to protect victims and prevent the escalation of violence. While there are concerns about implementation and potential misuse, this legislation is a crucial step toward addressing intimate partner violence and providing necessary protections. Stay informed and learn more with us in this quick guide.
https://ywcavan.org/blog/2024/06/explained-impact-bill-c-332-intimate-partner-relationships

Today we recognize National Indigenous Peoples Day by honouring the traditional form of oral storytelling in Indigenous and First Nations communities. At YWCA Metro Vancouver, we recognize the importance of decolonizing our systems – including how we tell stories – and are striving to learn and incorporate ways of being that are not solely based on a Western or colonial approach.

Earlier this month, we hosted an event with a panel of guest speakers who shared their stories and lived experiences relating to the so-called “child welfare” system. We listened, honoured them and learned about using a trauma-informed approach in our work. Read more about what that means and why it’s important in our blog:
https://ywcavan.org/indigenous-peoples-day-2024

On June 19, African Americans celebrate Juneteenth, a day that marks emancipation from slavery and the long, violent struggle for Black people to be recognized as equally human.

While not an official holiday in Canada, Juneteenth is a significant time for reflecting on the history of race, racial relations and education, as well as the legacy of anti-Black racism in this country.

Slavery was practiced in Canada for over 200 years and the country benefited from chattel slavery as a part of the British Colonies. Racism is still highly prevalent in Canada, despite its multicultural image, and Black people continue to face discrimination and systemic barriers in our communities.

Juneteenth is a reminder of Canada's own history with slavery, a time to educate oneself and reflect on meaningful actions to dismantle systemic racism in this country.

From 2018 to 2022, more than 850 women and girls were murdered in Canada, mainly at the hands of men, equaling one femicide every two days. With femicide and gender-based violence on the rise since the pandemic, the Province released ‘Safe and Supported: British Columbia’s Gender-Based Violence Action Plan’ in December 2023. Although this is a step in the right direction, words must be put into action, and that is not what we’re seeing rolled out in policy and budget priorities. Read our statement on why we need a gendered lens applied to provincial budgeting and a holistic approach to supports for survivors.
https://ywcavan.org/blog/2024/06/when-will-we-see-end-gender-based-violence

Yesterday, the YWCA Racial Equity Committee hosted our highly anticipated annual Cultural Feast, where all YWCA employees are invited to bring dishes that represent their unique cultures or ethnicities.

We always look forward to this event because food is such a powerful connector, and we love to celebrate and learn about our colleagues on a deeper level. Our team members proudly represented their countries and chatted, while sampling dishes that tasted like home to someone in the room. As usual, it was a delicious event and a fabulous world tour through the very welcome medium of food - no passport required! 🌍

Yesterday, at our Annual General Meeting, our equity committees shared their inspiring work to promote Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) at the YWCA. The Racial Equity, Gender Inclusion, and Truth and Reconciliation Committees highlighted their priorities and upcoming events, sparking important conversations on how we can grow in each area to better serve our participants and staff. It was an opportunity for board members, donors and staff to learn about the progress our committees continue to make to IDEA, both internally and externally.

This National Indigenous History Month, we gathered to learn about trauma-informed storytelling and the impacts of family separation on children, families and communities. All staff were invited to this hybrid event, "Weaving Stories of Strength - A Film Screening and Discussion on Trauma-Informed Storytelling," which featured the powerful documentary 'Kids Are Only Kids Once', reflecting the harms brought about by the so called “child welfare system.”

The screening was followed by a panel discussion with parent-advocates Heather Spence, parent-advocate from KANDU and PACK, and Patricia Dawn, parent-advocate from Red Willow Womyn’s Society. Moderated by Alana Prochuk from West Coast LEAF, the panel explored the importance and power of storytelling in healing and advocacy, and shared visions for change to a system that continues to harm.

We are incredibly grateful to Avanade and reBOOT Canada for their generous donation of 14 refurbished laptops to the participants in our YWCA Single Mothers’ Support Services program. Your support makes a world of difference to the moms in our program. Thank you, Avanade and reBOOT Canada!

is a time to celebrate the many achievements of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. It is also a time to reflect on how far we have come since the establishment of Pride and to acknowledge the struggles the community has faced for decades. We continue to fight for inclusion and safety for all gender identities and proudly celebrate the love and acceptance shown every year around the world for our q***r friends and family.

This year's theme is "Infinite Horizons" and symbolizes a call to look beyond the horizon and embrace the limitless potential of Canada's diverse and vibrant 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Pride has such a rich history! Navigate the images to read all about it.

As we recognize National Indigenous History Month, we reflect on the importance of understanding and acknowledging the Indigenous history of the land we reside on. While territorial acknowledgements are widely practiced, it is crucial to deepen our knowledge of the colonial history of the places we live, work and play and to recognize the significance of this land to the Indigenous peoples who were here first.

To honour this theme, we are highlighting some areas around the city that is now called Vancouver and looking back on this land before colonization. We have also included a resource section to learn more on the subject. Read now: ywcavan.org/landstories

As Child Care Month comes to a close, we reflect on the dedication and love our YWCA Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) bring to work every single day. Through their training, our ECEs are able to foster an environment for children to thrive mentally and emotionally, encouraging them to grow as individuals.

We continue to advocate for public investment in child care and fair compensation for ECEs, who are key to providing high-quality care that meets the needs of children and families and is essential in achieving BC’s goal of an affordable child care system that families can rely on for $10 a day or less.

We want to say a huge thank you to all our ECEs for the commitment and love they give to their jobs and our YWCA families!

YWCA Vancouver Health + Fitness A Friendly and Health Focused Space in the Heart of Vancouver.

Join the YWCA Health + Fitness Centre on Saturday, June 1st to celebrate National Health & Fitness Day! 🥳

We’ll be offering tours, free workouts, a Cardio Bootcamp feature class from 12-1pm, and no joiner fee for those who want to become members. Bring your friends or family members, everyone is welcome!

Please register beforehand with Member Services by calling 604 895 5777. 📲
We hope to see you there!

A heartfelt thank you to DP World Canada's Procurement team for volunteering with us! Your efforts in assisting with planting new greenery in the garden boxes at street level and helping with garden maintenance and planting in the Rooftop Garden have made a significant difference. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to beautifying the YWCA building.

Emily and Amy, two exceptionally talented Grade 11 students, collaborated on this incredible painting, inspired by YWCA Pacific Spirit Terrace. Their artwork captures the essence of resilience and community. Through their project, they aim to uplift the voices of strong women and families, shining a light on the vital services provided by the YWCA.

Learn more about the story behind their inspiring creation: https://ywcavan.org/blog/2024/05/young-artists-making-difference

May is Child Care Month, so let's talk about it. It's essential to recognize the pivotal role child care plays in achieving gender equity. By supporting women's economic participation, promoting shared parenting responsibilities and fostering children's development, child care serves as a cornerstone of equity in both the workplace and society at large.

Did you know that we are actively involved in advocating for public investment in child care? We also operate four child care centres across Vancouver (three of which are $10 a Day sites), offering a range of options to meet the diverse needs of families in our community. Join us in advocating for accessible and quality child care for all.

Visit ywcavan.org/FundChildCare to learn more and make a donation today.