The Native Women’s Resource Centre in Toronto
Posted: November 22, 2017
Categories: GoodFoodBites / Opportunities
The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) is a registered charity that directly supports thousands of Aboriginal women and their families every year. Their work is directed and guided by the Seven Sacred Teachings: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth. The Centre’s teachings, traditions, and cultures all inform the activities that are conducted. Our teachings, traditions, and cultures inform our all of our activities. All of the information regarding the NWRCT is taken directly from their website.
The NWRCT started with a dedicated group of Aboriginal women saw the need for a gathering place in Toronto where Aboriginal women could share resources, support each other and practice traditions. This all began in 1985 with this vision in a downtown basement office, known as “The Pit”.
The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto is a safe, welcoming environment for all self-identifying Aboriginal women (cisgender, transgender, and two-spirited people) and their children within the GTA. The NWRCT offers life-enhancing resources, cultural ceremonies and teachings, skill development and programs to build collective capacity and celebrate cultures. They do this through individual supports, group programming, and cultural initiatives.
Their programs fall under the following six categories:
The NWRCT can help to find individuals safe, affordable housing for you and your children. The centre is a safe space and will always help to find temporary, short term or long term housing solutions that work for families.
Another program available at the NWRCT is the Aboriginal Healthy Babies Healthy Children (AHBHC) Program. This program helps women to prepare for their newborns prepare women’s for their newborns through various teachings such as access to the community kitchen to learn to cook nutritious meals, sharing circles with other moms, parenting workshops, and pre/postnatal sharing circles
The NWRCT has one-to-one support services to empower and allow individuals to navigate systems access resources they need to move forward. The Advocacy program coordinates support across agencies, presenting workshops and advocating on clients behalfs. There are legal services, health services that the Centre can contact and guide individuals to.
They also guide clients through their Investing in Women’s Future (IWF) program, which ensures Aboriginal women find employment, training or support them to start their own business. This can also consist of resume building, finding work placements, aiding in job searches and using the “Dress for Success” clothing bank.
The Centre can assist in education and guide individuals to create a plan to upgrade education, find an apprenticeship or enroll in college or university.
The Centre has a weekly Youth Drop-In Program that is organized by youth volunteers. It is a supportive and celebratory space open to any Toronto based, self-identifying Aboriginal; females between the ages of 12-24. Available activities include crafting, traditional sharing circles, drum circles, etc.
There is also a food bank directly connected to The Native Women’s Resource Centre which is located near Gerrard Street East and Sherbourne Street. An article written by CBC news describes the food bank as a “comfort zone” for families in the core of Toronto. They are dedicated to help many community members over the holiday season through this food bank and rely heavily on cash and food donations to keep up with the needs of living in the city.
The article also describes the kitchen style and some delicious dishes that are served! The center’s kitchen and dining area comes fully equipped with fresh ingredients and many volunteers that help to serve dozens of clients warm meals daily. Bannock- a traditional form of flatbread- is one of the client’s favorites. It is something that everyone enjoys together as a community. They also try to access other traditional Indigenous foods, but it is difficult in the city. Yet, they do make “three sister’s soup” in the kitchen which is another popular item! The Foodbank is open weekly and on their November calendar you can see it runs every Friday from 10:00 am -12:00 pm. Please contact Christine- pimaatsiwin@nwrct.ca or info@nwrct.ca to register.