Women have stories to tell, have experiences that can inform solutions, and face barriers to equity and participation in society, as well as in conversations on issues that matter to them.
One of the key ways that women connect at the Centre is through our issue-related discussions.
The Women’s Centre works with volunteers and community leaders to host issues discussions and joint workshops on topics ranging from motherhood and women (missing) in politics, to violence against Indigenous women and food security in our city, to women and ecological grief, and biking and gender in the urban environment.
You can read more about our issue discussions below and find upcoming topics and times on our calendar.
Social Issues Discussions
Through our Social Issues discussions, we work to provide a space where women can openly explore different social issues that affect our communities, including by learning from those with expertise or lived experience of the issue and by engaging in conversations with facilitators and each other.
Join us for Social Issues Discussions in 2021, as we explore the unequal impacts of the pandemic, what a feminist just recovery and just transition would look like, and much more!
Our February 2021 Social Issues Discussion, “Gender, Care Work and the Unequal Impacts of the Pandemic,” is available to view below.
Slides from the April 2021 discussion, our community chat on “Pandemic Recovery: How do we Build a More Equal Future For Women?” are available here.
Women and Environment
In response to increased interest in our community for opportunities to discuss and increase women’s knowledge of environmental issues, and an absence of women’s voices in environmental work – particularly women further marginalized by other factors – we launched our Women and Environment program in 2017. It creates a safe and accessible space for women to learn about and take action on environmental issues that are important to them, by participating in our Environmental Issues Discussions and other events, as well as in the work of our Environmental Issues Committee.
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Our November 2021 workshop and discussion event, “Women in the Energy Transition” (organized in partnership with the Pembina Institute), is available to view below.
Reconciliation and Indigenous Issues
Our Reconciliation work is focused on building stronger relationships with Indigenous women within the Women’s Centre and with Indigenous partners in the community, and on identifying any barriers to participation in the Centre, including volunteering. The Women’s Centre holds space for individuals to learn about Truth and Reconciliation, to gain knowledge on Indigenous issues, and also how to move forward in being an ally to Indigenous women.
Awareness Into Action
Our Awareness Into Action series create opportunities for women in our community to learn about an issue from an intersectional gender perspective, followed by taking action to affect change, together with other women. Initial workshops provide women with the opportunity to deeply explore a topic through a gender plus lens and build their awareness around an issue. The series then includes an event or activity where women can contribute to change around the issue they are exploring.
For a recap of our 2019 series on gender-based violence against Indigenous women, click here.
To review the speakers’ presentations from our 2020 Herstories in Anti-racism and Decolonial Organizing event view the video below:
Social Issues Readings
We use our social issues readings mailing list as a platform to share easy-to-read articles on current events and analysis on a variety of topics, including gender (in)equality, the environment, women’s and girls leadership, media representation, as well as Indigenous women’s issues. Sign up to receive the monthly reading list with articles on women’s issues from here in Calgary, and around the world!
For the most recent selection, click here.
Missed a newsletter? You can catch up on our archive below.
Issues Discussions Readings Archive
- December 2021 – December reading & Best of 2021!
- October 2021 – Social Issues Readings are Back!
- June 2021 – Your summer readings, What’s Next for Child Care in July, and other summer events at the Women’s Centre
- May 2021 – Check out our May selection of news articles, opinion, analysis and resources — and join us for our June events!
- April 2021 – The child care promise, body positivity, the dark history of Canada’s Food Guide, and much more!
- March 2021 – A year into the pandemic, more unequal impacts, actions to make recovery work for women; family violence in the Divorce Act, and much more!
- February 2021 – Celebrating Black women, looking back at misogyny in the media, examining care work, and much more!
- January 2021 – Canada’s gender power gap, Indigenous fashion, getting to a more equitable recovery, and much more!
- December 2020 – Check out the most-read articles from 2020!
- November 2020 – How compatible are today’s capitalism and feminism, more evidence for how improved child care would boost the economy, and much more!
- October 2020 – Demands for justice, pandemic impacts on mental health, girls and women who inspire, and much more!
- September 2020 – Inequalities of COVID-19 impacts and rebuilding a more equal country
- August 2020 – Could the pandemic wipe out years of progress for working mothers? How do we rebuild for a more equal world?
- July 2020 – Read about the kind of recovery Canada needs, Indigenous art, youth climate activism, and much more!
- June 2020 – Dive into Canadian and US perspectives on anti-racism protests, legacies and impacts of racism and violence, and more!
- May 2020 – A gender-plus look at pandemic impact, proposals for an equitable recovery, and much more!
- April 2020 – Read about how women in Canada are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, what we are learning from the crisis and some proposals for recovery
- March 2020 – Whether you’re looking for a break from the news, or want to explore the gendered impact of COVID-19, we’ve got you covered!
- February 2020 – Canada’s poverty rate declines, a take on that J. Lo+Shakira performance, and much more!
- January 2020 – Teen fights social norms around naked pictures, Canada drops in global gender parity ranking, and much more!
- December 2019 – The viral feminist anthem you need to watch, findings of a survey on racism, how toys became gendered, and much more!
- November 2019 – BC passes UN Indigenous Rights Declaration, online harassment, girls protest, and much more!
- October 2019 – Canada’s uneven progress on women’s equality, the wage gap in 2018, the new budget, and much more!
- September 2019 – Teen girls on strike, women and elections, Calgary’s first Indigenous court, and more
- August 2019 – Changes to the Indian Act, Equality in STEM, Two-Tier Food Systems
- July 2019 – Indigenous Podcasts, Eco-Friendly Sanitary Products, Women in Trades
- June 2019 – The MMIWG Inquiry, Youth Protesters, and Invisible Labour
- May 2019 – Indigenous History Month, Knitting, and a Climate Change Quiz
- April 2019 – Jane’s Walk, Equal Pay and Black Holes
- February 2019 – Black History Month, Women Outside, and much more
- January 2019 – Indigenous Families and Child Intervention Issues
