Rise Up! Feminist Digital Archive
The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto published Women Spirit as its newsletter from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The newsletter contained poetry, short stories, artwork, and articles that reflected the role of Native Women in “its vital necessity to the continued survival of Native families and children.”
Women Spirit is the newsletter of the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto.
The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) began when a dedicated group of Aboriginal women recognized the need for a gathering place in Toronto where Aboriginal women could share resources, support one another, and practice their traditional ways. In 1985, this vision resulted in the downtown basement office that affectionately became known as “The Pit.”
Today, the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto provides a safe and welcoming environment for all Aboriginal women and their children in the Greater Toronto Area. Our programs fall into six broad categories: Housing, Families, Advocacy, Employment, Education, and Youth. We also host a variety of Cultural Activities for our clients and the general public, including the annual Minaake Awards, Sisters in Spirit Vigil, and Winter Solstice.
The NWRCT is a registered charity funded by government programs as well as public and private donations.
We honour the vision of our founders as we support urban Aboriginal women and children from all walks of life. We build self-sufficiency and develop collective capacity to make positive change. We provide individual support, group programming, and cultural initiatives.
In all that we do, we are guided by the Seven Sacred teachings: Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth. We bring these teachings, our traditions, and our cultures into our programming, events, and ways of being.
We welcome all self-identifying Aboriginal women (cisgender, transgender, and two-spirited people) and their children.
Sarah Midanik
