Our View – The YW Blog
March 2019
International Women’s Day: Balance for Better
Around the world, March 8th marks International Women’s Day. A celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. A day to highlight the progress made since Caucasian women first won the[...]
February 2019
Guest Blog: Ally is a verb not a noun
A team member at YW took a brave and bold step recently to share her experience for Black History Month. We often speak about being advocates, allies and warriors for and with women. What[...]
Addressing Poverty
At YW Calgary, we work with women on some of the hardest days of their lives. Days when they’re leaving an abusive relationship, struggling with homelessness or poverty, navigating their way forward to a[...]
December 2018
108 years of providing safe shelter
“In 1907, a young woman arrived by train in Calgary and looked for a place to stay. She went to all of the boarding houses and hostels, and finally began knocking on doors of private[...]
Be a light of hope this holiday
On any given night, more than 170 women and children sleep in a YW Calgary shelter because there they are safe. The holidays bring a variety of emotions for the women, children and men[...]
Recapping the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
This week was the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women so our team sat down with Heather Morley, VP of Programs and Services, to talk about why 29 years later[...]
November 2018
YWHISPER 2018
Tuesday, November 20th, was YW’s 8th annual YWHISPER Fundraising Gala, which brought together supporters, donors and advocates to raise funds in support of women and their families who are struggling with poverty, domestic abuse[...]
Poverty is never just about money, but it’s always about money.
Today representatives from YW Calgary joined the Government of Alberta, our community partners and those with lived experience as we celebrated the important changes made to index social benefits like Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped[...]
Can you live on $627 a month?
Can you live on $627 a month? Think about how much you spend on your most basic needs like shelter, food and transportation? Could you find housing for under $627? Could you then afford[...]
October 2018
Week Without Violence
So far this year Calgary Police Service (CPS) has responded to nearly 3,400 domestic violence incidents. This figure represents a 46 per cent increase compared to the five-year average. In Alberta, we, unfortunately, have[...]
Poverty and Thanksgiving
October is End Poverty Month here in Calgary we know that creating communities where women thrive is dependent on ensuring they have access to a fair, living wage. When the minimum wage went up[...]
September 2018
Celebrating Gender Equality Week
It’s the first ever Gender Equality Week in Calgary and boy has it been a wild ride. The week started off promising as we got ready to talk about the important work we’re doing to[...]
Dany walks a mile for vulnerable women and children
When Dany walked into the room, the first thing that he did was to thank our team even though we were there because he chose to support YW. You see, this year’s YW WALK[...]
Visibility and Pride
This weekend Calgary gets ready to gather as a community and celebrate Pride. Many of you may have seen the other Pride marches in towns and cities across the world showcasing the vibrant rainbows and[...]
August 2018
More than a decade of walking for women and their children
Mary found herself trapped in an abusive relationship. Mary faced demeaning and degrading comments daily, but when the abuse turned physical, Mary knew she had to leave. It was through her own knowledge of the[...]
July 2018
GUEST BLOG: Anti-racism
For Nelson Mandela's 100th birthday, we are featuring a blog written by a YW team member on her experiences with Apartheid and the institutionalized racism found in North American and Canadian culture. I’m black.[...]
Greyhound Closure
When you live in the hustle and bustle of big city life with access to hospitals, doctors, groceries and government agencies, it can be easy to take for granted the vital role safe and[...]
Our feminist birthday wish in honour of Canada’s Birthday
Ah Canada Day, the smell of fireworks and barbecue continues to linger in the air as many Calgarians have returned home to work after the long weekend. This long weekend also gave us an[...]