About me
The Yellowknife Women's Society was formally incorporated as a non-profit society in January 1990 after an 18-month consultation process with local women. The Society governed by a volunteer board of a minimum of five women was mandated to support and assist women in empowering themselves so they could develop their goals, achieve wellness, enjoy equality and be recognized for the contribution they make to the community.
Founding members decided the Yellowknife Women's Society would operate by consensus using a decision-making model designed to allow all women to co-exist equally in one group. Its operating principles were based on a positive agenda that fairly recognized the worth and validity of both majority and minority views held by women and as a result the Society served as an umbrella for many types of women-directed activities without trying to rationalize them in terms of any single philosophy.
The primary goal of the Yellowknife Women’s Society was to establish a drop-in centre were women could gather together for support and to network, share ideas and information and work on projects of mutual interest. The drop-in centre was opened within the first three months of the Society’s existence and was maintained over a period of four years without funding. Finally, in 1995 the Government of the Northwest Territories provided a small amount of core funding to the Yellowknife Women’s Society in recognition of their valuable contribution to the city and communities across the Northwest Territories.
Over the past 16 years, the Yellowknife Women’s Society has been deeply involved in addressing social justice issues and in developing and implementing programs that support the health, social, cultural and economic autonomy of northern women. The involvement of women who access services at the Centre in decision-making roles, the influence of Aboriginal cultural values and traditions and a prioritization around training and mentoring young women are reflected in programs that are gender-specific, family-focused and inclusive of men and children. Services are innovative, unique, flexible, culturally relevant, person rather than program directed and developed along a continuum of care.
On average the Centre for Northern Families, formerly known as the Yellowknife Women’s Centre serves 450 individuals and families each year. Most are Aboriginal, originally from small communities across the NWT and Nunavut who struggle with a myriad of challenges including making the transition from life in a rural environment to an urban setting. The majority are multi-stressed and marginalized from the impact of racism, trauma, addictions, family violence, poverty and illiteracy. Generally, individuals and families that access services at the Centre for Northern Families are unable or unlikely to access community resources that have strict expectations and/or consequences for the people utilizing the services.
The Yellowknife Women's Society was formally incorporated as a non-profit society in January 1990 after an 18-month consultation process with local women. The Society governed by a volunteer board of a minimum of five women was mandated to...
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