In this summit, we will explore a roundtable panel discussion, an interactive forum theatre play and an arts based workshop to raise awareness, encourage participants to engage in thoughtful self-reflection and accelerate support for immigrant women who are GBV survivors!

The program objectives include:

Create safer spaces that support newcomer survivors: Engage in discussion with roundtable panelists and community members on strategies that are already in place and that need to be implemented in order to create and maintain safer spaces for newcomer/immigrant survivors of GBV and become better accomplices

Generate awareness: To generate awareness of the unique barriers and experiences of newcomer/immigrants GBV survivors  when interacting with different systems such as the legal and immigration systems, first responders and overall access to compassionate resources and advocacy supports that promote healing.

Engage in critical self-reflection and accountability: To provide a safe space to engage in discussion, learning and interactive activities to critically self-reflect on how to support survivors better and to hold systems and communities accountable that generate, enable and perpetuate oppression and harm.

Call our communities to action: To call on community members to take action to join the fight through advocacy, activism, knowledge sharing and other supportive practices to help eradicate gender-based violence and to help create safer communities for all.

SistersatthecentrE

SistersatthecentrE is a collaboration between Newcomer Women's Services Toronto and WomenatthecentrE. This collaboration aims to support & empower newcomer and immigrant survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) on their healing and advocacy journeys! Participants consist of survivors of GBV or accomplices/allies. They will be mentored by survivors from WomenatthecentrE. The purpose of this collaboration is to support the Sisters in developing forums that feature the declarations/stories of survivors and highlight the issues and barriers that are currently faced by racialized immigrant survivors of GBV.