When Discrimination is About More Than Gender: The Village Bloggurls Tackle Race and Gender-Based Violence
The Village Bloggurls program is a weekly girls' leadership, media [...]
Village Bloggurls: The Male Gaze and the Media
The Village Bloggurls program is a weekly girls' leadership, media literacy and production program in Lotherton Village and Westminster- Branson. The core program provides girls in two communities with creative opportunities to address issues including systemic violence, representation of women in the media, and societal expectations. Activities like writing a blog, producing a zine, and social media posts provide a platform for expression, reflection, connection, and support.
The Bloggurls were recipients of the 2014 Landsberg Community Award and are current grantees of the Canadian Women’s Foundation through North York Community House – they’ve received a grant of $160,000 over 4 years (2016-2020).
The following post is from a zine the group produced called Re-Imagining: The Future. In the zine the girls tackle some tough questions, including “What does a world without street harassment look like?” and “How can we address mental health in schools?” You can read more of their work on their website.
Why Girls’ Voices Matter
Our voices matter and are important because often times our views, opinions, and ideas are brushed off or deemed insignificant just because we are girls, living in this male dominated society. Even though the laws protect women’s rights, it does not mean that people respect our rights. Girls are treated differently because of their gender and their rights are nullified just for being born a female. Even today, many girls are judged or looked down upon just because of their gender.
