Civic Engagement & Participation
For too long, systems of power and oppression have discouraged and disincentivized low-income, Indigenous, racialized, trans, and disabled women and nonbinary people from engaging in politics at a local level—from attending council meetings, providing feedback on policies, to running for and being elected to office.
What We're Solving
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Women and people of equity-deserving genders comprise more than half the world’s population.
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Still, policymakers frequently do not consider or include the impact and the legacy of policies on equity-deserving genders or the diversity of their needs and capacities.
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Cities rarely include women and girls in the policy-making, planning or implementation stage of urban issues.
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These issues become invisible when women and other equity-deserving genders are not at the table.
The Big Picture
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Having a greater diversity of women and nonbinary people involved and engaged in civic issues can yield positive impacts for all equity-deserving genders and other groups who have been made oppressed.
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WTC is committed to increasing the understanding of city politics and processes, particularly for equity-deserving genders from historically underrepresented communities in civic processes.
Women Transforming Cities delivers training programs, mentoring and workshops for equity-deserving genders to learn how to engage and have their voices heard at the city level.
This includes:
Demystifying the civic process:
Understanding the role of city government and city councillors
Speaking up at council:
How to take important community issues to council
Campaigning in your local community:
Gather support in your community to campaign on urgent local issues
Running for elected office:
Support and mentoring for equity-deserving genders interested in running for elected positions
Women Transforming Cities also takes action on the systemic barriers that prevent the meaningful participation of equity-deserving genders at local government. You can read more about these barriers and our work here.
Workshop Offerings
As part of our Cities Action initiative, Women Transforming Cities is currently offering workshops focused on civic literacy & education.
The general target audience for these workshops are women and gender-diverse people who face systemic exclusion from civic processes due to intersecting identity factors and are connected to community organizations across BC.
The content of each workshop can be adapted to meet the specific needs of each community, as well as meet the accessibility requirements of each community and ensure culturally safe and relevant content.
Intersectionality 101
An introductory workshop that breaks down the meaning of the term Intersectionality, the history and origins of the term, as well as how Intersectionality can be used as an analytical tool to ensure equitable practices and policies.
It is recommended, but not mandatory, that this course be taken as a primer to be completed before other workshops.
Community Organizing & Campaigning 101
In this workshop participants will learn practical skills and tools regarding community organizing and campaigning. The course provides insight into the different roles in community organizing, finding a balance between building power and wielding power, creating a campaign strategy, and choosing the appropriate campaign tactics.
This workshop is recommended for budding or established advocates, activists, those interested in grassroots organizing.
Structuring Community Organizing
This workshop outlines how community organizers can structure their work using a framework that centers Intersectionality and equitable practices. The workshop zooms in on the smaller but vitally important details around organizing to help you develop a plan including how to work as a group, the art of delegating, leadership models, and communication practices.
This workshop is recommended for budding or established advocates, activists, those interested in grassroots organizing.
Understanding Local Government
Local Government is the closest level of government to the people and yet many do not understand how municipal governments operate and why they are important. This workshop aims to demystify Local Government by providing an overview of local government councils by shedding light on what municipal governments are responsible for, how they make decisions, why they matter and how they affect our lives.
This workshop provides fundamental civic literacy and is open to all, however, we recommend that those interested in advocacy and organizing at a municipal level take our “Working with City Council” workshop which goes into further detail on how to influence local government decisions.
Working with City Council
In this workshop participants will gain a greater understanding of how local government functions, and the ways in which advocacy groups and community organizers can work to influence local government decision-making. This workshop dives into the different jurisdictions of local government, how to advocate to city officials, and what effective steps can shape policy decisions.
This workshop is recommended for budding or established advocates, activists, and those interested in grassroots organizing.
If you are interested in one or more of our City Action workshops, contact WTC Community Organizer Diana Kamau at diana@womentransformingcities.org.
This project has been funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Speakers
WTC can provide speakers to discuss:
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Key issues related to improving cities for people of equity-deserving genders.
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How your event or your organization’s goals link with creating cities where everyone can belong.
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How city problems like affordable housing and gender-based violence must and can be addressed at the city level
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Wise Practices that lead to cities where all equity-deserving genders can belong.
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Engaging in city politics and the civic process
"At European Women's Management Development International Network (EWMD) we value the collaboration and partnership with like-minded organizations towards building more equitable and inclusive communities. We were thrilled that Women Transforming Cities accepted our invitation to share wise practices of municipalities that are tackling childcare around the world. As municipalities embark on their journey to invest in care and make cities more inclusive, documenting and sharing the impact of such initiatives will help other cities to follow."
— Nadine Nembach, Co-President, EWMD International
"We had a wonderful experience working with the WTC team, who led an engaging presentation and activity for our youth program about intersectionality and climate change. We really appreciated their knowledge and flexibility to adapt the discussions based on our needs."
— Cherry, Youth Program Lead, Fraser Basin Council
"The Office of Diversity and Inclusion/ANSAIO had the pleasure of collaborating with Women Transforming Cities on two workshops.
They supported us with building our team’s awareness of gendered intersectionality, power literacy and how this impacts municipal programs and services. WTC also worked with us to empower Women’s Advisory Committee of Halifax with information about a network of municipal governments and organization. They also shared innovative practices that are key to supporting women and gender inclusion cities with the Committee.
What we appreciated most was WTC’s ability to listen to our needs, design a solution around our goals and to adapt on the spot! We came away from this experience feeling empowered to influence change and build inclusive cities for all."
— Caroline Hemstock, Advisor, Diversity and Inclusion, ANSAIO, Halifax Regional Municipality
"I would like to thank Trudi and Tasha from Women Transforming Cities for teaching me how to look at our cities and libraries through an intersectional lens so that everyone feels included."
— Lorraine Crema, Librarian, Burnaby Public Library, McGill Branch