Women Now Have A Safe Space To Share Their Struggles
SAINT JOHN — PRUDE Inc. is launching “PRUDE’s All Women Project” with two goals in mind:
- To provide a platform for women to anonymously share their experiences on the systemic barriers that have blocked their advancement; and
- To harness their stories as a way to work with Greater Saint John municipalities to remove those barriers.
Telling their story, their way
Even though 10 percent of Canadian women have to make ends meet on a low income, we don’t often hear what hardships are like from their point of view.
There’s a natural tendency for some to hide their struggles so as not to worry family and friends. And often, even if they want to tell their story, there’s no easy way to do so without revealing their identity. PRUDE Inc.’s All Women Project hopes to change that.
Women all over Greater Saint John can now share their stories anonymously – in the language and format of their choice. Whether it’s by online survey, video/voice message, written story or interview, they can use the All Women Project website to talk about the obstacles they face.
The site is a safe space where identifying details are strictly optional and will always remain confidential; a welcoming place where women can speak openly in the language they’re most comfortable with.
Stories that effect real change
Another reason these stories are rarely told is that there is a perception that they won’t go anywhere. Why open up when the people you tell can’t really do anything about it?
This is something else PRUDE’s All Women Project has a plan for.
Every story collected from women will go anonymously into a monthly report to a committee. This committee is already in place and its members include Greater Saint John municipal officials and community leaders.
PRUDE Inc. was able to leverage its decades of community outreach experience to bring in key people who have the power to effect change. They have come together to listen to the stories marginalized women go through every day. And they will work together on an action plan to remove the systemic barriers holding marginalized women back.
Though change won’t happen overnight, each story is an actual step in the right direction. For once, every story really does matter.
“Storytelling helps to illuminate the past, present, and future,” said Brenda Diaz, PRUDE’s All Women Project Coordinator. “It lights up the pathway for systemic change.”
To share your story and be part of systemic change, please go to the All Women Project website: www.prudeinc.org/allwomenproject
The All Women Project is funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada.
About PRUDE Inc.
PRUDE Inc. was incorporated in the City of Saint John, New Brunswick, in 1981. The organization offers a variety of training programs on cultural diversity, anti-racism, and skills development, as well as social inclusion programs to increase awareness in public institutions, schools, organizations, businesses, and among the general public. Through its programs, PRUDE Inc. works to sustain an environment of diversity, equality, respect, and inclusiveness for both newcomers and Canadian-born individuals.