By Katrina Pyne, Staff Contributor
Despite undergoing a major governance review, liability issues, and operating without any paid staff, the Dalhousie Women’s Centre (DWC) is continuing its fight to provide a safe space for women in Halifax.
On Friday evening the sounds of megaphones, poets and drums echoed throughout Downtown Halifax. Hundreds of women reclaimed the streets for Take Back the Night, an annual event that brings the community together. It is a time to reflect on the work accomplished, as well as consider what is left to be addressed by Halifax women’s community and the DWC plays a part in organizing the event each year.
Jann Ticknor has volunteered on the board of the DWC since July 2009. She says the history of the DWC – the Board in particular – has been rocky for several years. Many of the volunteers return home or take up jobs during the summer, which can leave the Centre without its core volunteer support.
“The wheels can fall off the cart, come summer,” says Ticknor. “Our board just barely recovered after these summer months.”
Working with an eight month school year schedule, but providing services all year, it is hard to maintain and sustain the community support needed.
In March 2010 Julie Sobowale, a volunteer for the DWC and second-year law student at Dalhousie, was asked by the DWC to review their policies and constitution. In her report she found that the centre “offered no long-term strategic plan.”
The DWC is currently one of few societies at Dalhousie that does not fit the regular executive model. Instead, the DWC has a board of directors. In the new model proposed by Sobowale, the board of directors would be replaced with an advisory board and an elected executive board. Each executive would then have individual responsibilities. No decisions have been made yet as to whether the DWC will switch to the proposed governance model, because it is a decision that lies with the DWC membership, and is not a board decision.
“We went through our policy and realized that there is very little of it,” says Hayley Gray, a board member at the DWC.
Sobowale’s report found issues, primarily the advocacy program as mentioned in the DWC constitution. Ticknor says the membership has to decide what advocacy means to them and what is reasonable, given the limitations that exist at the Centre.
“We have been trying to align our constitution with what we are regularly doing at the centre, what have the capacity to do, and how to best serve the community,” says Grey.
In the past, the DWC has provided advocacy support for individuals by referring their cases to other organizations or offering general support. However, due to liability issues found by Sobowale’s report, the advocacy services (for individual legal advocacy) have been “unofficially but indefinitely suspended,” according to Ticknor.
“Right now, no one is protected, including the women were trying to help,” says Ticknor. “The liability falls on us as individuals and that was not made entirely clear to the board prior to the July 2010 board meeting.”
Until the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for October, the board cannot say whether they will continue with their advocacy services for the upcoming year. This will be decided at the AGM by the membership vote, and again is not a Board decision.
All other services of the DWC are running as normal. The DWC maintained its presence on campus at orientation week events, and pulled off a successful “Sex without Sue” event. However, low numbers of volunteers make it difficult to keep up with opportunities.
One of the unique features of the DWC is that is offers a gender-inclusive “safe space,” home away from home, for students, staff, and faculty of the Dal/King’s community. This includes a library, community kitchen, childcare, computer, and couch to crash on between classes.
“Unfortunately, the doors are not open as much as we would like them to be,” says Ticknor.
With only one paid staff member, it is difficult to keep the doors open.
Both Gray and Ticknor were eager to point out that the DWC is always looking for volunteers and people to run for board positions.
Julie Sobowale’s report outlined more than just the advocacy issue. She concluded that the DWC also needed to increase its capacity for accountability via a complaints system. The current system for filing complaints requires people to submit their concerns directly to the board. There is no space for anonymity.
Sobowale also concluded that the DWC needs a code of ethics and increased volunteer training, both of which Gray says they are looking into at the centre. However, none of the issues outlined by Sobowale’s report can be addressed until the new staff is appointed at the October AGM.
A campus and community service like the DWC relies on volunteers to push through the logistical challenges. Take Back the Night was a rewarding experience for those who coordinated it.
“This year especially, I hope that it is a demonstration of our solidarity despite some of the tensions,” says Ticknor. “We can still come together as a community, honor each other, and stand up against violence.”
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