Honouring Women’s History Month | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Elise Dintsman and Elpida Morfetas, School of English and Liberal Studies

in the December 2019 issue

October is Women's History Month, and at Seneca two faculty from the School of English and Liberal Studies organized the following events:

• Votes for Women: Celebrating 100 Years of Women's Vote in Canada is an exhibit that explores the political work involved in granting women the right to vote. Students in the Women's Studies and Women in Canada courses toured the exhibit and used it in their assignments. We hope that you had the opportunity to see this exhibit and appreciate the challenges women faced, before you headed to the polls yourself.
• Hosting Sistering: Sistering is a multi-service agency that supports marginalized women in Toronto. On October 18, a support worker from Sistering, together with two peer-support women, visited Newnham Campus. They held an information desk and engaged with students and staff about the services Sistering provides to homeless and marginalized women. In conjunction with this, a donation drive was organized to help Sistering gain some much-needed supplies. We would like to thank all those who donated toiletries, especially Seneca’s Evolutions Spa for donating a bag full of cosmetic products. The Seneca Student Federation was also involved in this donation drive and collected boxes full of sanitary products and toiletries. Later in the afternoon, students in our classes met for an informal talk with the three women about their personal experiences with Sistering. The students were given an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the agency’s services. We are planning to continue working with Sistering during the year by organizing more donation drives and inviting Sistering to visit Seneca again. We hope Senecans will continue supporting Sistering and the incredible work they do in support of women.
• White Ribbon Campaign is the largest men's organization to end violence against women and promote gender equity. We hosted the workshop Draw-the-Line together with the Seneca Student Federation on November 29. This workshop is funded by the Ontario government, and is specifically for post-secondary students, faculty, and staff.

We would like to expand the events for Women's History Month 2020 and to invite all who are interested in working on this initiative to contact us.

View the December 2019 issue of the Academic Newsletter.