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Take Action

(CFUW & GWI advocacy and actions in black; non-CFUW in green, these relate to the mission of CFUW)

Reminder: As a member of a CFUW club in Alberta you are also a member of CFUW Alberta, CFUW national, and Graduate Women International. 

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  • CFUW Advocacy Guidelines "Who Does What?" - click here

  • CFUW Advocacy 101 - click here

  • CFUW Policy Book - click here: official collection of CFUW adopted policies 1964-2021, all remain actionable (until official withdrawn via a vote at an AGM)

  • GWI Policies - click here : official proposed resolutions 2019-2022 and active policies used to make recommendations for policy makers and other stakeholders

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GET INVOLVED

  • CFUW Committees will be reforming/accepting new members after the AGM in August when the new board is elected. Leading up to that there will be a Request of Intent for the Committees in which members can fill in an application for one or more of the committees. Members serve for 2 year terms and are appointed at the beginning of each biennium by the new Board of Directors.

    • Standing Committees, chaired by Board VPs: International Relations, Finance, Advocacy, Membership, Education, Governance

    • Standing Committees for which Chairs are appointed: Regional Directors, Articles and Bylaws, Nominations, Resolutions, Fellowships (appointed by the Charitable Trust)

    • Special Committees: Advocacy Coordinating, Human Resources, Communications

    • Subcommittees:

  • CFUW AB Council is looking for council members: Advocacy Chair and Secretary. Council members will participate in meetings during the year (~7 per year). 

  • Join one of the CFUW national interest groups

    • CFUW National Book Club (online)​: Every month, they have a Zoom meeting where they discuss the books they have read and answer prominent questions about the novels. This group is run via a Facebook page: click here. Books chosen for each month and details for the Zoom meetings are listed on the Events page - click here

    • CFUW Canada GWI Club (2019-2020 =$30 dues): This is an electronic club who work via email and conference calls. for members looking to be an active participant in GWI issues. Find out more by emailing CFUWCanadaGWI@yahooo.com (general inquiries) or CFUWCanadaGWI@gmail.com (to join) and visiting their Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/CFUWCanadaGWI/ 

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TAKE ACTION NOW

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  • CFUW​​​

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    • 2022 Proposed Resolutions: these 6 resolutions will be voted on at the August 2022 CFUW national Annual General Meeting

      • Archiving Selected Policies I – CFUW Advocacy Committee

      • Archiving Selected Policies II – CFUW Advocacy Committee

      • Strengthening Employment Equity - CFUW Nelson & District 

      • Tightening Bail Laws to Protect Victims of Intimate Partner Violence – UWC North York

      • Violence against Women in Politics – CFUW Oakville

      • A Clean, Healthy & Sustainable Environment is a Human Right – CFUW Headwaters​

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    • Sep 2021+ CFUW national 2021 Fall Advocacy Package has letter templates for the new policies (resolutions passed at the June national AGM). Click here to view the package​ (includes backgrounders for the template letters below)

    • WRITE A LETTER: Stand in solidarity with CFUW Calgary North and oppose dangerous coal mining projects in the Eastern Slopes of AB. Click here to write a letter online.

    • CLIMATE CHANGE- SOLUTIONS: Transportation is currently a significant factor of climate change, and bicycle infrastructure can be a healthy solution. Especially in the cities, bicycle use is increasing as people seek cheaper forms of transit. The health of the riders and the city’s air improves, and emissions are lowered as less fossil fuel-driven transportation is used. Infrastructure to ensure the safety and accessibility of bicycle transport is crucial to keep and increase ridership. Click here to learn more.

    • PETITION: Tell the Trudeau government to end drinking water advisories in First Nations communities. Click here

    • PETITION: Tell your MP to support Canada's FIRST Basic Income Bill! Click here

    • PETITION: This petition, spearheaded by the PCWQ and the Quebec Council of University Women's Clubs (QCUWCs), calls for the Quebec government to strengthen its standards in long-term care facilities. QC Residents 18+ only. Click here for information.

    • CLIMATE CHANGE: Do you know about "carbon offsetting" myths? While 2050 is often referenced as the goal year for achieving "net zero emissions", this is too far in the future! If we don't press our government leaders to achieve more ambitious targets by 2025, we will consume our remaining carbon budget within a few years. Click here to learn more!

    • COURSE in CLIMATE CHANGE: December 12th was the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Parties to this UN agreement commit to limiting global temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. But action so far is not promising for us to achieve this goal. Check out this “Climate Change Crash Course”  for a refresher on the causes of climate change, the urgent need for government action and climate justice, carbon budgets, feedback loops & more!

    • CLIMATE CHANGE-SOLUTIONS: Climate change solutions are often win-win. A study (February 2021 Lancet Planetary Health) has made the positive connection between efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and efforts to solve some of the world’s biggest health challenges. It focuses on 3 areas: air pollution from fossil fuels which causes as much as 8.7 million deaths a year; the food system which produces up to 37% of GHG and causes 11 million deaths a year through consumption of red meat and dairy; and the leading risk factor of the physical inactivity of more than ⅓ of adults in high-income countries, which can be mitigated by “ active travel” such as biking and walking, thus reducing transport emissions. Click here to read more about the connections between human health & climate change goals.

    • CLIMATE CHANGE- SOLUTIONS: Agriculture, as it is practised now, causes 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. There are multiple reasons such as land use, production methods and types of crops, and there are multiple solutions. One solution is revolutionizing production methods. Click this link for a free documentary that showcases 3 examples of such solutions.

    • PETITION: Sign this petition urging that Long-Term Care be placed under the Canada Health Act. More information and how to sign here

    • LETTER: Write a letter to Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change to tell the government that reducing & reusing plastics must be a part of their "zero plastic waste" strategy. More information and how to send your letter here

    • Calls for inputs by the United Nations Independent Expert on the rights of older persons. (due March 22)

    • Walking to Kabul To Support Women's Rights in Afghan Peace Negotiations. Information here 

    • CFUW 16 Days of Activism Against Gender based Violence Toolkit. Includes tips on how to get involved in the campaign. From November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to December 10th, International Human Rights Day, let’s help put an end to violence against women and girls. The toolkit includes an article on the 30th Anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre. It discusses key themes on the topic of gender-based violence. Click here for toolkit

    • CFUW national wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau and Members of Parliament about the need to fund Child Care in early September. Clubs who are concerned about child care can send to their MPs and MPPs a letter. CFUW has a template letter prepared, click here, and a personal template letter if you want to send a personal letter template to Ministers.

    • Moving people out of poverty is a crucial goal of the CFUW. On the day of the Speech from the Throne, you can add your name to a petition to tell Prime Minister Trudeau that Canada must take action on income inequality with a guaranteed livable income here  

    • CFUW Gender Lens Article Research. Includes helpful tips and recourses for how CFUW members can apply a gender lens to their research. Using a gender lens is essential for the advancement of gender equality because it allows for greater insight into social issues. A gender lens raises questions of why social processes, standards, and opportunities differ systematically between men, women, and gender diverse people. Read article here

    • ACTIVE CAMPAIGN: Environment & Climate Change - Read about this active campaign here

    • ACTIVE CAMPAIGN: Non-state Actor Torture - Read about this active campaign here

    • ACTIVE CAMPAIGN: Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women - Read about this active campaign here

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  • GWI

    • GWI LETTER TEMPLATE: Advocate for unarmed civilian peacekeeping. More information here

    • GWI ACTIVE CAMPAIGN: GWI joins the international community in voicing concerns about the shadow pandemic of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) during the COVID-19 pandemic. More information and template letter here

    • GWI ACTIVE CAMPAIGN: Child marriage and COVID-19 - Girls Not Brides advocacy toolkit. Read about this campaign here

    • GWI Discussion: Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) - Emerging Patterns of Discrimination against Women - Read about this initiative here

    • 2020 GWI 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Toolkit. Click here for toolkit. Actions can be taken year round.

 

RECENT PAST ACTIONS

November 2021

October 2021

  • 2021 Fall Advocacy Package (resolutions passed at the national AGM are now policy) - Click here to view the package​

  • PETITION: e-3484 (Indigenous affairs): addresses residential schools that may have indigenous children buried by doing proper surveys to look for them. Petition was open June 3-October 1, 2021 and received 42,195 signatures. Click here for petition details.

June 2021

May 2021

April 2021

January 2021

December 2020

  • CFUW Accomplishments in 2020 by Board Members, Councils, and Committees working together to advance CFUW's goals and objectives. Read here 

  • Dec 10  GWI marks Human Rights Day. This day marks the landmark adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General Assembly in 1948. GWI joined the UN in saluting Human Rights Day. GWI published on social media posts related to the day and the celebrating the founding mother, Virginia Gildersleeve, who played an essential role in teh inclusion of women's rights in the UDHR. 

  • 2020 GWI 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Toolkit. Click here for toolkit. Actions can be taken year round.

  • CFUW Clubs from across Canada participated in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign from November 25 to December 10. Clubs raised awareness about gender-based violence and took action in creative ways:

    • CFUW Nanaimo partnered with Vancouver Island University Faculty Association Status of Women Committee on a multi-prong strategy to raise awareness in the community about the 16 Days of Activism - the Bastion & VIU Art Galley were lit in orange, banners were hung, the Mayor issued a renewed proclamation, and created a playlist of 1-minute videos where community members expressed support for victims of gender-based violence.​

    • CFUW Welland & District was also very busy during the 16 Days. Members wrote letters to the mayors of the area's four municipalities, attended the Welland Bridge 13 lighting, held a Zoom event on human trafficking, and with approval of the Indigenous communities in their area, created a "Red Dress" art installation to honour the many Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada. View their report

November

  • GWI COVID 19 Outreach - Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, GWI has expressed concerns about the probable and pervasive gendered impacts of the pandemic. There is, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, disturbing reports about the rise of GBV against women and girls. With one in three women globally experiencing violence over their lifetimes, the world was already facing a crisis. Now, COVID-19 is exacerbating the problem. We especially note that the restrictive measures adopted worldwide deemed as necessary to control the spread of COVID-19 are intensifying the risk of domestic violence and other forms of GBV- related violence against women, girls and boys alike. Today, we are sharing with you a statement with findings about your country on the acute impacts of the COVID-19 on GBV. The goal of the statement is to provide non-GBV specialist family members, partners, friends and colleagues with information to identify COVID-19, GBV-specific risks in their communities and how to take actions to mitigate those risks. See Canada's Letter here

  • Nov 17 GWI marks International Students' Day 2020 with a social media on it's various platforms. GWI brings particular attention to potentially devastating consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on student’s education and the urgent need for concerted action to mitigate the impact of the crisis on students’ current and future academic and professional paths. 

October

  • GWI in October, for the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (institutionalized the Women, Peace, and Security agenda), called on the UN Members States to build upon progress worldwide to ensure women are guaranteed the meaningful protection and participation mandated by UNSCR 1325. To participate in the success of the UNSCR 1325 and enhance women’s role in preventing, resolving, and recovering from conflict, GWI works tirelessly to take meaningful action towards the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. 

  • GWI Beijing+25 Town Hall Report submitted by Dr. Sophie Turner Zaretsky GWI UN Representative, New York - Read the report here

  • GWI Commission on Social Development 2021: Digital technologies as a strategical and challenging turn towards the social development and wellbeing of women and girls - Read the report here

  • CFUW 2021 Written Statement to UN CSW 65 (UN Commission on the Status of Women 65th meeting). Read the statement here. UNCSW meetings take place at UN Headquarters in New York, NY, USA. The UN CSW 65 meeting will take place virtually from March 15 to 26, 2021.

  • Oct 22 to Nov 12 GWI GWI international advocacy webinar series "Raising women's voices through strategic advocacy planning in a changing world of advocacy" 

  • Oct 17 GWI press release and social media campaign for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Read press release here

  • Oct 15 GWI social media campaign for International Day of Rural Women - to galvanize action by all stakeholders to support rural women and girls

  • Oct 15 GWI co-sponsored event at United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The side-event was on the theme of environmental crime and corruption, with a focus on hazardous waste. It featured a presentation by Professor Verena Winiwarter and was followed by discussion. Environmental crime is increasing globally – it is greatly exacerbated by corruption and in many instances particularly impacts women. The side-event was well received, and we are hopeful that a new resolution on environmental crime will be adopted by UNTOC shortly. 

  • Oct 11 GWI issued a toolkit for the International Day of the Girl. Toolkit can be viewed here 

  • Oct 5 GWI social media campaign and toolkit for World Teachers' Day. also partnered with Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan). view toolkit here 

  • Oct 3 GWI Young Member Townhall occurred on Oct 3 and was recorded (watch recording; GWI member login required). This town hall provided discussion space for young members to examine their GWI targets for the remainder of this triennial, with a keen focus on how global communities are fighting to emerge from the current COVID-19 crisis. 

September

  • CFUW Response to the Speech from the Throne - click here . read full Speech from the Throne here

  • Sept 21 GWI joined the international community in observing the International Day of Peace. GWI reminds States of their commitment to women as means to building sustainable peace. Press release click here

  • Sept 22 CFUW had a presentation on "Women and COVID - The Global Impact" by Zoom. Senator Marilou McPhedran and Member of Parliament Brenda Shanahan as they discuss the challenges being faced by women around the world due to the current setback trends caused by the pandemic

  • Sept 18 GWI United Nations Representative, New York, Dr. Sophie Turner Zaretsky, participated in the NGO Committee on the Status of Women monthly meeting - Generation Equality Forum: inclusive of young people in decision making processes, Read the report here 

  • Sept 17 GWI United Nations Representative, New York, Dr. Maureen Byrne, participated in a side event, “The Future of Education is Here for Those Left Furthest Behind”, during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Read her report here 

  • Sept 14-Oct 6 45th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC45).

    • GWI's written statement can be read here

    • Information on the HRC45 sessions and GWI reports available here 

  • Sept 8 GWI Infographic and social media campaign for International Literacy Day. click here

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