A huge thank you and congratulations to all who supported or participated in the White Ribbon Campaign’s first annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event. With your support we were able to raise $83,000 towards our work to end violence against women.
Thank you GTA for showing how much you care!
The event would not have been possible without so many of our sponsors and volunteers, but a few stepped up beyond the call. The Allan Candy Company, Espresso Brand Infiltrators, Environics Communications, Clark’s Shoes, CV Studios, Zoom Media, ClearChannel, KPMG and more.
Over 400 people came out for a fun, thought provoking event, raising money and awareness for an issue that is anything but funny. After the blisters and sore calves, I will never forget the look of support from people on the street in downtown Toronto, the streetcars drivers clanging their bells, and the look of satisfaction on all the participants knowing they were stepping up for a great cause.
Have a look at our Flickr site for 200 event photos, and see if you can spot anyone you know in their shoes!
(click the image above to see the entire flickr gallery)
Plans are already underway for Walk A Mile in Her Shoes 2010, if you are interested in getting involved, please contact us at info(at)whiteribbon(dot)ca
Thanks to all once again for an incredible event, and an important step forward in the effort to end violence against women and girls.
Until the violence stops,
Todd Minerson,
Executive Director
White Ribbon Campaign
United Way & White Ribbon Campaign
Did You know… that you can designate gifts to the White Ribbon Campaign through your payroll-deducted United Way contribution?
Although the White Ribbon Campaign is not a member agency of the United Way, you can designate gifts to us through the United Way's payroll deduction program at your place of work. United Way allows you to make a donation anonymously and directly to any Canadian registered charity. Why not designate it to the White Ribbon Campaign?
To do so, simply enter the White Ribbon’s charitable registration number: 141050708RR0001 and an amount on the payroll deduction form. You can designate all or part of your United Way pledge to the White Ribbon Campaign to help support our work to end violence against women.
The United Way of Toronto will issue you your charitable receipt and designated donations are forwarded to the White Ribbon Campaign on an annual basis.
The United Way campaign launch is just around the corner, now is the time to think about designating the White Ribbon Campaign as your charity of choice for this year's campaign.
Helping Launch The White Ribbon Campaign in Cape Verde, Africa
Earlier this summer, WRC’s Executive Director, Todd Minerson, and Director of Programs, Humberto Carolo, travelled to Praia, Cape Verde, to deliver a week-long capacity building program to promote greater involvement of men and boys in ending violence against women and to set the stage for the local launch of the White Ribbon Campaign. The initiative was organized by the Cape Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity with support from UNIFEM, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation.
The program consisted of several training sessions on various topics such as the history of the WRC, the importance of engaging men and boys in gender equality, gender-based violence, raising gender equitable children, and responsible fatherhood, among others. Participants included twenty-five men representing different regions and sectors of Cape Verdean society, including the military, police, educators, health care providers, municipal governments, and justice officials. The week ended with the development of a two year strategic plan aimed at creating a strong national network of men working to end violence against women. The local White Ribbon Campaign is being launched on December 4, 2009.
Finding Common Ground
Respect for being a Boy & the Power of being a Girl
For the second year in a row, the White Ribbon Campaign partnered with YWCA-Toronto to deliver a conference for young men and women in Toronto’s secondary schools. The one day event was held in October and brought together 150 students and teachers from high schools across the city. This initiative, supported by Local 12 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, is a response to a broadly acknowledged need to ‘‘build common ground’’ between young women and young men in today’s Toronto, with a particular focus on finding solutions to gender-based violence.
The conference included action oriented and interactive workshops focused on discussing healthy relationships, popular culture, gender stereotypes, and youth violence, and a professional development session for teachers on effective school based strategies to help end men’s violence against women. The day ended with a report back from youth participants about what they had learned throughout the day and a discussion on how to promote awareness about gender-based violence in their schools.
It Starts With You. It Stays With Him.
An innovative new campaign was launched earlier this summer by the White Ribbon Campaign in partnership with Le Centre ontarien de prévention des agressions aimed at inspiring and supporting men to be good role models for the boys in their lives, and to teach them the skills and benefits of healthy equal relationships with women and girls. The campaign helps men positively influence their younger sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews, students, and community members; engage young people in meaningful dialogue about gender equality; and, connect with other men to find out what works when talking with the boys in their lives.
“It Starts With You.” consists of a website filled with tips, tools, and information that men can use to help influence the boys and young men around them. The site is divided into sections for fathers, family members, educators, and coaches and community leaders, and provides practical strategies to engage young men in discussions about gender equality in the home, in schools, and in the community. Visit www.itstartswithyou.ca to learn more about this groundbreaking initiative and help us promote it in your community by including a link to the campaign in your website.
Call To Action: The Pixel Project
The Pixel Project is a global campaign in aid of Malaysia’s Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO)and the USA’s National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV ).
We are a worldwide coalition of volunteers using the power of Web 2.0 to mount a global effort to raise awareness about and mobilize millions to get involved with ending violence against girls and women. We believe that men and women must work together for the right of women to live free of violence.
We aim to raise US$1 million for NCADV and WAO by selling an exclusive million-pixel collage of Celebrity Male Role Model portraits online for US$1 per pixel. Award-winning international photographer Jillian Edelstein (http://www.jillianedelstein.co.uk) is the project’s principal photographer.
The philosophy behind choosing positive male role models from different walks of life is to highlight that men have a major role to play in breaking the cycle of violence against women. The first of our mystery Celebrity Male Role Models is a Nobel Prize Winner.
We are now recruiting for more volunteers for various teams. For more information, please contact Regina Yau at regina(at)thepixelproject(dot)net
The Pixel Project: It’s time to stop violence against women. Together.
Gear Up For White Ribbon Days!
November 25th is rapidly approaching, but there is still time to get educational materials, ribbons, posters and other items to get your campaign off the ground.
We now offer two methods of obtaining White Ribbon materials.
Our revamped secure online store still has all the educational materials, posters and ribbons that you need from Education & Action Kits, sets of our Strength and Choices poster series, fabric ribbons (pre-pinned and folded), to our durable enamel lapel pin.
We have also opened an official Cafe Press store for promotional items such as t-shirts, sweatshrits, buttons, pins, magnets and even cups, thermoses, bags and onesies!
Supplies are limited so please place your order now.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact Clay Jones at cjones(at)whiteribbon(dot)ca
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Support White Ribbon by Shopping Responsibly This Holiday Season
More and more people are trying to find ways to shop responsibly during the holiday season. That's why we want to tell you how a few clicks can turn the gifts you're already giving into support for the White Ribbon Campaign — at no extra cost to you.
With the We-Care Reminder, you can have a percentage of what you spend at hundreds of online merchants automatically donated to The White Ribbon Campaign, without paying a penny more. It takes less than a minute to set up, and then it keeps on giving.
It's this easy:
- Go to http://whiteribbon.We-Care.com/Start and download the We-Care Reminder. (Then forget about it.)
- When you visit a participating merchant, you'll be asked if you want a portion of your purchase donated.
- Click "Yes," and a donation will be made — without taking a penny from your wallet.
Even better, it works throughout the year, so your holiday gifts keep on giving!
It only takes a few clicks, so please do it before you close this email newsletter. To get started, just visit http://whiteribbon.We-Care.com/Start.
Please spread the word by forwarding this to your friends and family and by posting on Facebook, Twitter, and your other social networks!
For special holiday savings and the ability to track your donations, visit our Online Mall as well. Just go to http://whiteribbon.we-care.com.
Upcoming Events
White Ribbon Campaign is committed to being involved in our community. Here are some upcoming events:
November 16th – Community Awareness Event in Orangeville
November 24th – Launch of the UN Secretary General’s Network of Male Leaders, part of the UNiTE to End Violence Against Women Campaign
December 3rd – Presentation and training at USAID in Washington DC
December 5th – Keynote Speaker at the CAW Council Toronto
December 6th – Female Eye Film Festival
December 16th – Online discussion with the Research Population Bureau in the US
Support the White Ribbon Campaign
Did you know that the White Ribbon Campaign receives no core funding from any level of government? Except for some very limited project-specific funding, our work is made possible only through the generosity of the foundations, corporations, and individuals like you who donate to our cause. If you are already a supporter, please consider a few ways you can make an even bigger impact.
- Become a monthly donor. This enables us to plan our fiscal year more securely, and helps us with a more consistent source of donations.
- See if your workplace has an employee charitable program. Many corporations help employees by supporting causes they are aligned with – see if you company is one of them.
- Tell your friends, family and colleagues about the White Ribbon Campaign!
What are we doing right? What could we do better?
Want to get involved?
For any of these issues, or any others that come to mind, please let us know by e-mail at info(at)whiteribbon(dot)ca or by phone at (416)920-6684 or 1-800-328-2228 .
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