It Gets Easier.

It is always a pleasure to connect with you around this time of year.

Not only have things moved in to high gear with our education and prevention work across the country; we are on the “heels” of another amazingly successful Walk A Mile In Her Shoes Toronto 2010; we have a number of new and exciting initiatives for you to read about in this newsletter; and we are rapidly approaching the highlight of our annual campaign period (Nov 25 – Dec 6).

Someone recently framed our work with men and boys to end violence against women and girls like this, and it really stuck with me.

“You can’t solve a problem that you can’t even talk about”.

So much of our work is an effort to get men and boys talking about the problem of violence against women. Challenging them to see the connections between male privilege, men’s silence and violence against women; giving them the tools and inspiration to speak about something they likely have never spoken about before; getting to some of the root causes of why men don’t speak up or challenge violence against women – these are the nuts and bolts of our work.

My message today is not to focus on those details, but to share a phenomenon I witness regularly, and have been through personally.

Every time you speak up about violence against women – it gets a little bit easier.

I see this phenomenon in action when we are working with young people in the classroom. When we are training teachers how to address these issues. When I return to a community to do a speech, and find some of the men I spoke with months earlier are now volunteering at a women’s shelter. When I look out at a crowd of 700 men in women’s shoes, walking to end violence against women. When I am tying my skates in my own hockey dressing room, thinking back to my first days in this work almost five years ago, and I had the responsibility to speak up.

Every time a man has the strength to speak up it gets a little bit easier. Every time one man speaks up, there are other men within hearing range who may be saying “If he can say something, I can too.” Every time a young man or boy hears a man he respects speak up, that action pays it forward. Every time a woman hears a man speak up, she might be saying “we can work together to make a change.”

Never underestimate the power of saying something, for only when we break the silence around violence against women, will we see the end of it.

Thank you all for the support of our work at the White Ribbon Campaign.

Until the violence stops,

Todd Minerson, Executive Director
White Ribbon Campaign

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Micro-action

White Ribbon Campaign has started a series of micro-actions through the website ifwerantheworld.com

Micro-actions are very simple ways of turning your good intentions into action. Most take less than a minute, some are bit more involved. The best part is that you get to choose how to act and how often and even start your very own micro-actions to get your friends and communities involved.

Some of the micro-actions we have so far are:

• Get your campaign started by ordering ribbons & educational materials from our online store.
• Read the following article about how to run your own campaign.
• Wear a ribbon and pledge to never commit, condone, or remain silent about violence against women.
• write an article in your community or school paper about the positive role that men and boys can play in ending violence against women.

We will continue adding more micro-actions the closer we get to November 25th. Please like us facebook and follow us on twitter for the latest news.

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You Took Up The High Heel Challenge!

Thank you! With your participation, and the pledges you collected, White Ribbon Campaign has raised over $120,000 during this year's Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event. Your upport will help fund our programming to educate young people on gender issues, respect and healthy relationships.

This year we surpassed our goal and had some amazing results:

• 750 participants joined us and walked the walk
• 97 volunteers helped us run the event seamlessly
• 35 Corporate Teams raised more than half of the money raised
• Total Media and Marketing Impressions surpassed 50 Million
• Presidents and CEO’s were challenging others to step up and join the walk
• Spectators, both men and women alike, cheered us on as we walked the streets of downtown Toronto

You walked the walk now it's time to talk the talk.

It’s critical to open up communication about gender-based violence. When hidden away, it’s almost impossible to stop. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get people talking. People unfamiliar with it often don’t want to know it exists. It’s ugly. People who have experienced it themselves want to forget about it. How do you get them talking now, so that they can prevent if from happening? And after it’s happened, how do you get them to talk about it so they can recover?

We hope to see you, your friends and your friend's friends, at next year's walk!

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It Starts With You It Stays With Him.

Did you know that many young men who believe in gender equality are generally able to identify a male figure or male role model in their lives that inspired or demonstrated more gender-equitable roles?

Our It Starts With You It Stays With Him campaign encourages men to reach out to the young men and boys in their life and inspire them to build healthy, equal relationships. Fathers, grandfathers, family members, teachers, community leaders, youth workers, coaches, visit the site at www.itstartswithyou.ca (www.cacommenceavectoi.ca in French) to check out tips, tools, and information you can use to mentor the boys around you.

We are currently working to strengthen this campaign to further advance the capacity of educators and those working with boys and young men, to promote healthy, equal relationships in schools and in the community. The campaign will also provide men with interactive tools and learning experiences to supplement their knowledge of violence against women, gender equality, role modeling and healthy masculinities. This new phase of the campaign will be launched in the winter of 2011. In the meanwhile, check www.itstartswithyou.ca for updates, share your stories, and read about others' experiences.

Men’s positive involvement as inspiring role models in promoting gender equality and ending violence against women can have a tremendous impact on the lives of women, men and children.

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The Choice to find Common Ground

Recently WRC & YWCA hosted the annual Common Ground Conference. Long-time White Ribbon Campaign volunteer and collaborator Jeff Perera hosted a workshop during the Conference. We asked him to reflect on his experiences there.

Please read Jeff's experiences on the White Ribbon Campaign Blog.

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Become a White Ribbon Sustaining Partner

The White Ribbon monthly giving program offers a convenient and effective way for you to support The White Ribbon Campaign throughout the year. Each dollar you contribute helps us educate more young people on the issues of gender equity, respect and healthy relationships.

How can my donation make a difference?

Why should I give monthly?

It’s green. Monthly giving minimizes the amount of natural resources needed to process your donation. You will also receive fewer paper mailings.

It’s flexible. Choose the amount and day you would like to give. Adjust your donation level or cancel anytime. You can choose any amount, starting at just $10 a month.

It’s hassle-free. Monthly support creates a stable and reliable source of revenue for The White Ribbon Campaign, and it's easy for you. The donation amount of your choice will be automatically charged to your credit card each month. You will see your donation on your monthly credit card statement, and we will send you your tax receipt at year-end for the total of your monthly gifts.

The first 10 donors to sign up for the monthly giving program will receive a White Ribbon T-shirt. You will also receive a bi-annual e-newsletter with updates about the success of the monthly giving program and other exciting White Ribbon initiatives.

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Legacy Giving

Canadians give for many different reasons: for some it is a way to ensure their memory lives on, for many it’s a way to ensure that their favourite charity is able to continue its important work, while for others it represents a way to facilitate the tax implications that come with the transfer of one’s estate to surviving relatives.

Your will is more than a legal document. It can be one of the most powerful tools you have to help end violence against women. Through a bequest in your will to the White Ribbon Campaign, you can leave a legacy of change that will end violence against women for future generations. Fulfill your philanthropic dreams and support White Ribbon Campaign to creating a future without violence and bequest a gift today.

To request more information on bequest giving, please click here,.

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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!

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