Advocacy

YWCA Hamilton is part of a national and international network for Gender and Equity.

We were there when women were advocating for the right to vote, for reproductive rights, for maternity leave, we were there when the first women’s shelters were opened.

Since then, YWCA Hamilton has been a strong voice, advocating for gender equity locally and through our affiliation with YWCA Canada and the World YWCA. YWCA Hamilton knows that a holistic approach is needed in order to achieve women’s equity.

We advance social justice for women and gender-diverse people through our programs, services, supports and advocacy.

YWCA Hamilton is dedicated to:

Ending gender-based violence

Achieving women’s economic equality

Providing affordable, accessible high-quality child care

Ending homelessness for women and gender-diverse people

Promoting the leadership development of women and girls

Advancing women’s equity rights

Week Without Violence

The third week of October marks the YWCA’s Week Without Violence™, a globally-recognized, week-long series of community events that works to promote a violence-free world. Individuals across Canada in schools, workplaces and neighbourhood organizations recognize this annual violence prevention initiative aimed at making violence a thing of the past.

Activities throughout the week focus on raising awareness, promoting attitude change, and enabling individuals and organizations to begin positive actions towards ending violence in their communities.

Violence against women remains a global concern despite the work being done. We know that not all violence is acknowledged or responded to equally. Some survivors of violence go unrecognized, unheard, and unanswered.

Get involved! To learn more about planning a Week Without Violence™ event in your community visit YWCA Canada’s campaign headquarters.

Learn More

Day on the Hill

Lobbying for Women and Equity

Every November, hundreds of YWCA representatives from across Canada including leadership from YWCA Hamilton, rally together at Parliament Hill to call on Canada to invest in the lives of women, girls and gender-diverse people.

Day on the Hill highlights

In November, we called on the Federal Government to invest in women’s economic security to promote inclusive prosperity. Together, we shared the critical impact of YWCAs across Canada. We organized and we were heard.

As a result of our lobby efforts we were able to:

Mobilize $1.25 million dollars in funding to research systemic employment barriers for vulnerable women for YWCAs in Canada.
Call on the government to invest $75 million dollars in scaling up programs that promote women’s economic security.
Engage in conversations with over 60 Members of Parliament and Senators. YWCA Hamilton and YWCA Canada was also recognized in Question Periodin the House of Commons, by all parties. We will continue to mobilize to strengthen women’s economic security as investing in women’s economic security will improve Canada’s financial future.

EXCLerator Report

Advancing women and diversity in executive and community leadership

The Women & Diversity EXCLerator Project is the first of its kind to present a comprehensive overview of women’s representation in senior leadership positions in Hamilton and Halton’s most prominent organizations. This report analyzes women in leadership across nine sectors, and provides an essential benchmark against which future progress may be measured.

This 2017 report is the second installment of the Women & Diversity EXCLerator Project and quantiﬁes the racial diversity of Hamilton and Halton’s top leadership. It also adds a ‘youth sector’ to gain insight into the diversity of the regions’ youngest leaders.

Read the FULL report here

Read the SUMMARY report here

Advocacy Campaigns and Actions

YWCA Hamilton advocates on issues affecting the lives of women and gender-diverse people across Ontario and beyond.

Learn more about our local, national and global advocacy campaigns!