2023/24 Impact Highlights At North York Women’s Centre

It was a joy to reopen NYWC’s doors five days a week. We hosted numerous inspiring, in-person events throughout our 34th year. We resumed distributing free menstrual products, toiletries and other basics to those who need them most. Plus, we added a hybrid mix of online and in-person offerings that increase accessibility, leveraging learnings and digital capacity building from the pandemic. 

With economic insecurity and isolation on the rise, our work to advance equality and empower and support women, woman-identifying and non-binary people was more important than ever in the 2023/2024 fiscal year.

Record Attendance at our International Women’s Day Event

The Empower-Her Showcase, our first in-person IWD Celebration since 2019, welcomed over 100 attendees. With 12 organizational partners, the event featured lunch, service provider exhibits, drumming, self-defence, podmapping, anti-trafficking and other interactive workshops, and the launch of NYWC’s Ending Gender-Based Violence Toolkit. The event touched minds and hearts, with attendees reveling in the opportunity to reconnect or—in the case of those who had only met through online programming—to meet in-person for the first time. We are beyond grateful to the Board, staff, volunteers, donors and community members who helped make the event such a success.

Partnerships Enabled Us To Expand our Community And Support

NYWC participants—aka “Awesome People” or “APs” as the staff call them—continue to appreciate the valuable information, skills building, support and connection provided by our popular Women’s Empowerment programs. New and continued projects in partnership with like-minded organizations also helped us support the community we serve. For example:

• We partnered with Weston Collegiate Institute to deliver a spoken-word poetry project for young women and girls to address gender-based violence. Participants looked critically at their perceptions, where they came from, and how they expect to be treated in future relationships with peers, family, community and intimate partners.
• NYWC continued to work closely with The Redwood, which brought free, accessible primary health care and counselling services to 116 Industry Street via the Mobile Healing Centre.
• We reinforced our ties with education, training and employment partners to support participants in our STEPS to Work program and added new partners along the way.
• NYWC worked with the Hospitality Workers Training Centre to develop training and counselling support to help new managers in the hospitality sector identify, understand and address gender-based violence in the workplace.

Our Board of Directors Provided Diligent Oversight and Guidance

With strong organizational governance, the Board tackled a wide range of critical tasks, including preparation and getting endorsement from the membership of new Bylaws and Articles of Amendment, making NYWC fully compliant with the new Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act. (Well ahead of the October 2024 deadline!) Our first in-person board-staff retreat since 2019 allowed the Board and staff – some of whom had never met offline—to connect and collaborate. As we wrap up NYWC’s strategic plan for 2019-24, the Board’s continued engagement, support and counsel will help us develop our next five-year strategic plan, and particularly plans for 2024/2025.

We Enhanced NYWC’s Staff Supports

When we empower our employees, we strengthen our ability to support the community we serve. Post-pandemic, it’s well-known that people across sectors are re-evaluating how work works for them. Like many other nonprofit organizations, NYWC faced human-resource challenges including skill shortages, workplace stress, staff burnout and turnover. 

We now offer staff increased paid time off, free office snacks, hybrid work and flexible work schedules. We know that it’s more important than ever to recruit and retain the best people to carry out our mission during these complex and challenging times.

NYWC also invested heavily in training, professional development and other activities to support sustainability, capacity-building and succession planning, including:

• Anti-oppressive and trauma-informed practice;
• Information, assessment and referral standards;
• Evidence-informed program planning;
• Effective coaching and supervision;
• Community engagement;
• Working with funders; and
• Cybersecurity and mitigating digital service delivery risks.

Together, We Made A Difference

Thanks to our funders and donors, and the incredible work of our staff, Board, program facilitators and volunteers, we were able to positively impact the lives of many women in our community. For example, participants found the courage to leave abusive partners and newcomers gained new employment connections. At least one mother cried with relief at receiving free menstrual products; it meant she could buy more food. Our work at North York Women’s Centre matters more than ever.

As one recent program participant said, “Your program has given me new ways to understand my power. Thank you!” 

Your contributions to NYWC helped make that happen, and for that we couldn’t be more grateful.

Jodi Wright                                                                                  Iris Fabbro

Chair, Board of Directors                                                           Executive Director