Advocacy

CFUW has a long and celebrated history of bringing about constructive change at the national, provincial and local levels. 

As members of CFUW we are encouraged to use our expertise to better our local community particularly with reference to issues such as violence against women, early learning and childcare, the environment and climate change.  The CFUW PQ Advocacy Committee has been proactive in each of these areas.  

Here is a selection of the things we’ve participated in or organised recently:

• Hanging Red Dresses annually throughout the community aligned with the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women & Girls campaign (MMIWG), and the UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. When possible we’ve coordinated opening day ceremonies at both the Parksville Civic Centre and the Qualicum Beach Town Hall.
• Hosting an expert panel discussion “Silent No More” on Gender-Based Violence
• Actively supporting $10 a Day Childcare and other affordable childcare initiatives
• Collaborating with local environmental groups to host expert panel discussions and film showings (Beyond Climate, Artifishal are examples)
• Supporting our local high school students and teachers in “Zero-Waste” (Ballenas Secondary School) and “Fridays for Future” (Kwalicum Secondary School)
• Supporting the launch of “Climate Hugs” – a program that acknowledges individuals who demonstrate environmental leadership in our community
• Sponsoring a student to attend the Encounters Canada Program in Ottawa
• Sponsoring the local Back-Pack Program to bring food to students in need and their families
• Participating in letter writing campaigns to political and civic officials that address pressing issues such as the drug overdose crisis and access to free prescription contraception
• Arranging for Dr. Laura Cranmer (Namgis First Nation, Professor, Vancouver Island University) to speak on the Reconciliation theme at the Club’s September 2022 general meeting
• supporting CFUW National and Provincial campaigns such as Elder Rights & Long Term Care, Poverty and the Gender Pay Gap
• Walking to raise funds Homelessness in the OceanSide area in  The Coldest Night of the Year
• Raising funds for Parksville Haven House (Haven Society) which provides emergency shelter for women and children in crisis experiencing domestic violence and abuse

advocacy@cfuwpq.ca