2010 Student Research Symposium

Urban Youth & the Determinants of Sexual Health Urban Interest Group

The Centre for Urban Health Initiatives (CUHI), along with the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, Planned Parenthood Toronto, Gendering Adolescent AIDS Prevention (GAAP), Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Centre for REACH “Universities without walls training initiative”, Toronto Public Health, Indigenous Education Network, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education’s Adult Education & Community Development Graduate Program and others invite you to join us for the...

2010 “URBAN YOUTH AND THE DETERMINANTS OF SEXUAL HEALTH”

STUDENT RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

This is a FREE symposium that will be held on THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010

Submissions are welcomed from Students interested in youth sexual health across Canada.

The goal of the symposium is to bring together university students to share their research and artistic pieces on youth sexual health and to engage and network with other students, academics, policy makers, and community members interested in Urban Youth and the Determinants of Sexual Health.

**DEADLINE FOR ALL ABSTRACTS IS FEBRUARY 3, 2010!**

WE ARE CALLING FOR SUBMISSIONS--research-focused or artistically-focused

(ie. film, photography, theatre, music, spoken word, etc.) on any of the following areas:

• Aboriginal sexual health and/or Indigenous methodologies and cultural

relevancies to sex education

• HIV/AIDS prevention, sexual health and harm reduction

• Intersectional approaches to equity and the social determinants of

adolescent sexual health

• Exploring the impact of sexual diversity on health

• Improving youth access to sexual health services and education

• Participatory methodologies that promote youth involvement,

leadership and community development

• Leveraging youth media for sexual health promotion

Three awards will be granted to students in categories of oral, poster, and artistic presentation.

The final deadline for abstract submissions is WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 03, 2010

For more information please find attached a detailed description of the Symposium, and a registration form or contact cuhi.admin@utoronto.ca

Underground Garage Sale

WASH will be tabelling zines and handmade crafts at this years Underground Garage Sale in Mississauga.

2800 Erin Centre Blvd, Erin Meadows Community Centre, Mississauga, ON

Saturday, January 16th - 12PM - 5PM.

Come and say hi!

Facebook event here.

- Evy

Let's Talk About Sex

Create Community Expore Research Build Change

Research with Pride is taking place on October 2nd! For any of you interested in participating, go over to the website and register as it will likely fill up soon.

"The Research with Pride Forum provides the opportunity for community members, academics, and students to come together to explore community-based research (CBR) with regards to wellness and health among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, and queer people and communities (LGBTT2Q, henceforth referred to as the "Queer" community). Research with Pride is about exploring the potential of CBR to transform our communities and create positive change."

- Vivian :)

Ladyfest seeks volunteers!

Ladyfest Toronto 2009 is a celebration of arts, feminism, and community featuring the work of women and trans- people in Toronto and beyond. This year's festival will take place November 4-8 in various locations in Toronto! Our festival is completely wheelchair accessible and we are working towards putting together an entirely free festival.

New Dates!
Ladyfest 2009 will kick off November 4th with Grannyboots at the Gladstone Hotel Ballroom! We are still organizing the rest of the events for the weekend following.

Volunteer with Ladyfest

We are always looking for people to organize with us! The first meetings for potential committee volunteers will take place near the beginning of September. All committee meetings will take place at free and wheelchair accessible spaces. If you are interested in joining a committe (such as arts, music, film, fundraising), or you want a smaller commitment, email your name, interest, and availability to ladyfestvolunteer@gmail.com

Check out their blog here

Event: Orgasm for Peace!

I came across this group on facebook called orgasm for peace.

Click here to be directed to the group.

I think that it's a great idea. My only criticism of the group/event description is that it was said that war is about "men trying impress their potential mates". I think that ideas of masculinity and femininity are central to militarism and war, but I think that it's much more complicated than men and their alleged "mating habits". Regardless, I hope that many of you will be having an orgasm on the first day of winter (December 21st) and thinking of peace.

Event: Intimate Conversations with Women of Action in Our Communities

(Copied from my email)

Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape

Political Think Tank

presents:

Feminist Activist Herstory Forum
Intimate Conversations with Women of Action in Our Communities

Rejoice with us as the women who have worked to make our voices heard,
our talents seen, and improve the lives of women everywhere share their stories.

This free interactive speakers series celebrates our lives, adventures, successes, and struggles in front-line and grassroots participation, in all its incarnations.

Taking place in and around the City wherever our energy is effected, the Forum

* recounts our stories
* remembers our purpose
* re-embraces the activist in all of us
* redefines Feminism, and
* rejuvenates our spirit for continued personal and political action

this week:

Cheryl Dobinson is a bisexual writer, researcher, and activist. In addition to working on various DIY projects such as the bi women's zine she founded in 2002, The Fence, Cheryl facilitates support groups, leads workshops and teaches courses on bisexuality. In 2003 she completed a project on bisexual health for the Ontario Public Health Association and was co-convenor of the first ever Bi Health Summit, held in San Diego. She is currently involved in research on bisexual mental health and emotional well-being as well as on sexual orientation and health disparities in Canada. Cheryl is very involved in her local bisexual community, lives in Toronto’s gay village, and wants to start wearing a t-shirt that says "This is what a bisexual feminist looks like."

Your input is invited: Bring your questions, ideas, thoughts, and energy.

Please join us

Sunday, August 9 at 2:00 pm
519 Community Centre (519 Church Street)

Refreshments. ASL by request. Accessible.

FREE. Everyone welcome.

Call TRCC/MWAR 416-597-1171 x230 for more information.

Stay updated on future events. Join our facebook group: Feminist Activist Herstory Forum

July 25th: The Sacred Prostitute

Something interesting to check out this weekend!

The play by Santo Cervello and Grace Lebecka, "The Sacred Prostitute"
to explore exciting new possibilities for creating fresh models of femininity in the society.

Please join us on
July 25th at the Bloor Street United Church
300 Bloor St. West, Toronto
at 7:30pm

TICKETS: $25
Buy Now On Line or Call: 416 245-3871
info@sycamoretreeinternational.com
www.sycamoretreeinternational.com

Our intention is to bring the archetype of a Sacred Prostitute to a new level of appreciation for contemporary women and men.The play is inspired by Esther Harding "Women's Mysteries" and Nancy Qualls-Corbett "The Sacred Prostitute"

Santo Cervello is a member of the Theosophical Society in Toronto and a wayshower for the psychic program at the Edgar Cayce Institute in Virginia Beach. He has been working in theatre for 30 years. .

Grace Lebecka received a MA in Clinical Psychology in Poland, and a MA in Spiritual Psychology from The University of Santa Monica, California. She also received training through Jean Houston's Mystery School. Grace has dedicated herself to the Sacred Feminine for the past 12 years.

ZINE ISSUE #1 AVAILABLE NOW!

WASH is really pleased to present issue #1 of its brand new zine!! Issue number one tackles, Hormonal Birth Control, an important topic that people do not know enough about! This issue tackles hormonal birth control myths and misconceptions, and begins to dissect what it is, how it works, and how it affects women's bodies. In conjunction with the zine there is another book that goes into more detail about each individual method and its medical and non medical (active and inactive) ingredients and what you should know about them. There are a limited amount of handmade, handbound, silkscreened copies for sale for $10. There are also photocopied copies available for anyone who is interested. We will accept pwyc donations for them but no one will be refused one for lack of funds. If you would like either copy, please get in contact with us and we will send you one!

Starting June 19th copies will also be available for purchase at Toronto's, Heartbeat 960 (960 Queen St West) and for reading at the Toronto Zine Library located at Brunswick and Bloor! The Sheridan Zine Library as well as the Zine Library at the Ontario College of Art & Design will also be carrying copies shortly. We will be working on getting the zine into more and more locations so we will keep you updated. If you have a distro, store or space that would like to carry our zine, please get in contact with us!

And finally, WASH now has miniature hand knit uterus pins (currently in pink or multicoloured)! They are cute and only four dollars. Want to support the cause? You can donate and get one in return!

The purpose of our zine is not to dictate but to educate and inform those interested, unsure or curious. Learning is fun!

Please email us with any interest or feedback!

-Evy

Event: Why Sex Matters (in medicine)

Women's College Hospital presents Why Sex Matters (in medicine)

Where: Sutton Place Hotel, Queen Victoria Ballroom, 2nd Floor, 955 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario
When: 8 Jun 09 (7:30 - 9:00 am)

When Women Rule the World

From February 11 - September 7th, the Textile Museum of Canada is presenting the work of Judy Chicago. Click her for more information!

Exhibition Overview

Living legend of feminist art, Judy Chicago’s place on the landscape of contemporary textile practice is a significant one. Best known for her groundbreaking sculptural installation, The Dinner Party (1974-1979), Chicago has spent decades exploring the possibilities of “thread as brushstroke.” This exhibition surveys some of Chicago’s most important contributions in cloth, highlighting both key and lesser-known works dating from 1971 to present. From macramé to needle point to airbrushed quilts, Chicago employs “technique as content” in her major projects selected for this survey exhibition including the Birth Project (1980-1985), the Holocaust Project (1993) and Resolutions: A Stitch in Time (1994 to present). This exhibition centralizes the labour-intensive nature of Chicago’s textile work as a metaphor for investing in the ideas, values, histories and provocations in her artwork.

May 17th International Day Against Homophobia

Menstruation Tabling

Our tabling event on Monday was a success! It was great to engage with the student community, and it was very interesting to see some of the students' reactions. Some students just couldn't believe that we were talking about menstruation in public. Some giggled as they took the pad/tampon packages that we were handing out, others were completely shocked and mortified. We have been talking about the stigma associated with menstruation for a long time, but it wasn't until I was confronted with these reactions that I really understood how important it was to make menstruation visible. To be frank, menstruation has been constructed as a problem that needs to be avoided at all costs. Corporations capitalize on ideologies of uncleanliness to sell a myriad of products that will help women "cope" with their "feminine troubles". And so the process of menstruation itself fades into the background. For instance the pad/tampon commercials that I've seen on tv are so ambiguous. I don't know whether they're trying to sell me a box of flowers or a box of tampons.

Although we were met with some resistance, there were many students who were very interested in what we had to offer. They were surprised to see alternative options/products, and also to find out that the products that they have been using for so many years were toxic. One individual asked, "Aren't these products FDA approved? If they weren't safe, then why would they be on the market?". The truth is that mainstream pads and tampons don't usually cause immediate harm (although some individuals may experience irration on the skin surface), but they do contain chemicals/dioxins that are carcinogenic. This means that they can cause cancer. So the question is: do you really feel safe inserting a toxic tampon into your body, or having a bleached maxipad rubbing against your skin?

We'd like to thank natracare for donating the samples of safe/chemical-free pads and tampons to us, and Divacup for donating the demo poducts. The York student community really appreciates it!

- Alice

The Bathtub Project

Event Hot Docs Film Festival

The 2009 Hotdocs film festival is featuring a number of documentaries about sex and sexuality. It runs from April 30th to May 10th. Click here for a link to the flims , to see the schedule and to purchase tickets!

- Alice

Event!

Interdisciplinarity in Feminist State Theory: A Symposium

This weekend there is a conference that looks super interesting going on at U of T!

What?
"What varied disciplinary legacies inform contemporary feminist scholarship on the state? What contributions does feminist state theory, as an interdisciplinary site, offer to more conventionally disciplined theories of state? How do feminist theorizations of security, sovereignty and welfare overlap or differ across national locations?
These questions are at the heart of this symposium organized by the Women & Gender Studies Institute." (for more information see link above)

When?
March 6th & 7th, 2009

Where?
William Doo Auditorium
New College
University of Toronto
45 Willcocks Street
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

How much?
This event is free! RSVP to ifst2009@gmail.com to take part in a complimentary buffet lunch on Friday, March 6th.

- Vivian

Event: "Gawking, Gaping, Staring: Living in Marked Bodies."

Eli Clare is in Toronto March 9th to the 15th. For those who are not familiar with the intersectional work of Eli Clare you can visit his web site at www.eliclare.com. Eli's ability to integrate theory, activism, and storytelling in his work about social justice, disability, queerness, and trans identity makes him a sought after educator, speaker and poet. If you've ever been fortunate enough to hear Eli speak or read his books I'm sure you are already picking out your outfit and telling all your friends. Eli Clare is a thoughtful, insightful, brilliant speaker who manages to address multi-layered and complex issues in an accessible, warm, thoughtful and poetic manner.

Wednesday, March 11th 7-9pm @ OISE 252 Bloor St. W (St. George & Bloor) Rm 5-280

"Gawking, Gaping, Staring: Living in Marked Bodies."
Disabled people, trans people, fat people, and people of color all know what it's like to be stared at. Through words and images, Eli explores the internal experiences of living in marked bodies and the external meanings of oppression and bodily difference.


Free, Wheelchair accessible, ASL interpreters

If you have other access needs please email femmegimp@hotmail.com or call 416-889-3037

Organizations supporting this event:
Come as you are; Connaught University of T; Ontario Institute for Studies in Education; DAMN 2025; Supporting Our Youth; Sherbourne Health Center, LGBT program; Acsexxxable; Toronto Women's Bookstore; CUPE 3903, TransFeminist Action Caucus; Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education; CUPE Ontario; York University Sexuality Studies program; MSW Program, Ryerson School of Social Work; Trans Bisexual Lesbian Gay Allies @ York & Students for Barrier free Access.

- Iris

International Women's Day Event

(Posted from the facebook event page)
The Town of Richmond Hill and Enbridge celebrate International Women's Day 2009.

Saturday, March 7, 2009 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts
10268 Yonge Street

Featuring the film 'Iron Jawed Angels', prizes, guest speakers and an opportunity to network with political leaders, community organizations and the general public.

We would like to recognize the participation of:
The Town of Richmond Hill
Enbridge
Victim Services of York Region
MADD York Region
York Region Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee
Pathways for Children, Youth and Families of York Region
Yellow Brick House
Sandgate Women's Shelter
DASA at York Central Hospital
Women's Centre of York Region
Women's Support Network
York Region Abuse Program
York Region Children's Aid Society

Celebrating and recognizing women's achievements in respect to voting and politics.

TICKETS are $13 each (which includes the processing fee) and can be purchased online at
richmondhill.ticketwindow.ca or charge by phone by calling the box office at
905-787- 8811

ALL PROCEEEDS BENEFIT:
Yellow Brick House
Sandgate Women's Shelter
Pathways for Children, Youth and Families of York Region

- Alice

EVENT: Red Tent Sisters Film Circle

Film Circle at Red Tent Sisters!

Period: The End of menstruation?
By Giovanna Chesler
Friday, February 27, 2009
8pm
(All genders welcome)
Cost: $5.00

More info here!

- Vivian

Tabling Nov.17th Volunteers needed!!!

We will be tabling at the York University Keele Campus in Vari Hall on November 17th between 10am & 2pm. The purpose is to raise awareness on alternative menstrual products (cloth reusable pads, chemical free disposable pads/tampons, menstrual cups). We may also be giving out samples of some products (provided our contact can get them to us on time). If anyone is available to help us out please email us or just show up at that date time. We need volunteers to
1) help set up/break down the table/chairs
2) hand out samples
3) hand out pamphlets

So even if it's only for 30 minutes on a break or before/after class we'd really appreciate it!!!

Anyone including non-members can volunteer, but we can only provide reference letters for those who are official WASH members (so don't forget to sign up with your full name and student number!!!)

- Alice & Vivian