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Interim Editor-in-Chief Adelaide Strickland sits down with Heather Blackburn to talk about her new role on campus, and the launch of the new StFX Sexual Violence Policy.
Read MoreWolfe, a fourth year Honours student and president of X-Pride, wanted to understand the growing consumption of porn by youth, and how, like many other types of media, it blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
Read MoreOnce again this year, events are being planned to mark International Women’s Week in the Antigonish area.
This year’s theme is Standing Together: Women Organizing for Justice. Events will highlight examples of collaboration and solidarity that have advanced justice and equality. There will be educational events to promote understanding of Indigenous peoples’ relationship with Canada and Canadians; a public presentation and discussion about women’s activism; and a film about the first female farm workers union organizer in the United States. Celebratory events include the annual Feminist Cabaret; Women’s Breakfast and Silent Auction; and an International Fashion Show. Participating restaurants will serve free coffee to women on International Women’s Day (March 8). Youth-focused events include an IWW-themed Family Singalong, and activist girls and young women gathering to tackle “period stigma.”
The week will begin with a KAIROS Blanket Exercise on Monday, March 4 at 6:30 pm in the St. James United Church Hall. Deb Eisan and Denise John of the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre will guide participants through a unique and powerful learning experience that will deepen their understanding of the experiences of Indigenous peoples within the colonial context, and their present-day relationship with non-Indigenous people and the Government of Canada.
An evening of information sharing for local women is also planned for Monday, March 4 at 6:30 pm at the Canso Library Resource Centre. Representatives from community organizations will talk about the services available to women of all ages as they navigate life transitions and address problems.
On Tuesday, March 5 at 7:00 pm, a film will be shown about the life and achievements of Dolores Huerta, a Central American union organizer. Her struggle to form the first farm workers union in the United States became a struggle for gender equality within that same union.
On Wednesday, March 6 at 6:30 pm in Immaculata Hall, the StFX Anthropology Department will host Learning Lodge: Honouring Indigenous Women. A panel will speak about traditions of honouring women, and about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Also on Wednesday, March 6, girls, young women, and allies are invited to participate in Girls Taking Action to End Period Stigma at the People’s Place Library. This fun and interactive workshop to take action in debunking myths and stigma around menstruation will start at 6:30 pm and will be hosted by Faye Fraser and her team of Girls Take Action members.
Joy Worth Fighting For, a public presentation by Karen B.K. Chan followed by discussion is planned for Thursday, March 7, at 7:00 pm at the Coady Institute’s Dennis Hall. Karen B.K. Chan, an award-winning sex and emotional literacy educator, will speak about making women’s struggle for gender equality joyful. Chan quotes Emma Goldman, an anarchist political writer and activist (1869-1940): “A revolution without dancing is not a revolution worth having.” Chan asks, “As we fight the good fight, what kind of time, energy, and value to we give to joy, love, pleasure, play, and rest? How might they be part of the revolution, and not just the reward?” Chan uses humour, kindness, and art to teach new approaches to emotional health and inclusive human relationships.
Friday, March 8 is International Women’s Day. The Women’s Breakfast and Silent Auction is planned for 7:30-9:00 am at the Maritime Inn. For tickets, contact the Women’s Centre at 902-863-6221.
Also on Friday, participating restaurants and coffee shops will be offering a free cup of coffee to women.
A major highlight of International Women’s Day is the annual IWD March, which will begin with a rally in front of the Coady Institute at noon and move through town. Following the march, Mayra Jimenez will speak at the People’s Place Library about the collective, 8 Tijax. Mayra is raising awareness about the quest for justice and reform following a preventable tragedy that killed 41 girls in a dormitory in Guatemala.
At 7:00 pm on Friday, an International Fashion Show will be held in the MacKay Room. A dazzling variety of fashions will be showcased from different cultures and perspectives.
No International Women’s Week would be complete without the annual Feminist Cabaret. Once again, Piper’s Pub will be the venue for this uproariously entertaining and celebratory variety show on Saturday, March 9 from 8:00 to 11 pm. Doors open at 7:00 pm. The show will be hosted by Jenn Priddle and CJ MacIntyre. There will be a 50-50 draw, door prizes, and a special drink, Feminist Fatale that has been designed for the occasion.
For more details, find us on Facebook @internationalwomensweekantigonish or contact the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association.
The idea of IWD originated in working class women’s struggles for good jobs, a living wage, and political rights. The tradition of celebrating IWD in Nova Scotia goes back to the pre-WWII years when women in Cape Breton and other parts of the province organized events.
Each year on March 8 since the 1980s, Antigonish area women have marked the successes and goals of local and international women’s movements. In 2013, what had been a one-day affair on March 8 grew into a week of women organizing, learning, honouring, and celebrating.
March 9, 2021, Queer students entering Bloomfield Centre were met with a common but unexpected sight. Canadian Blood Services (CBS), who due to the Health Canada restrictions on donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) enforce what many describe as a discriminatory ban on blood donations from Queer men, had set up a donation clinic in the MacKay room.
There is a long-standing tradition to profess your new year’s resolutions on the first day of every year.
Usually, these resolutions are pretty simple – go on a diet; exercise more; focus more on school. It makes sense that new year’s resolutions are a thing...after all, a new year means a new start, and people always get inspired to put the past behind them or better themselves in some way once January kicks in.
But do these resolutions mean anything?
Based on personal experience and the experience of those around me, new year’s resolutions typically don’t last very long.
Once you get back into the swing of things and life starts getting in the way, it’s likely that you will forget all about that one resolution you made to fix your sleep schedule (and we all know how well that resolution was going to go). All of that energy is put into, at most, a couple of weeks of genuine intention to change for the better. While having a new year’s resolution and good intentions might be fine, it feels a little futile.
New year’s resolutions make us feel good for a short period, and they are always about ourselves. Little things we need to fix in our life that we could fix any time of the year!
With a day as important as new year’s, shouldn’t the opportunity be used for something bigger than that? Or should we get rid of new year’s resolutions altogether and instead try to make a more conscious effort to help our communities year-round?
January can be a boring month. For us Canadians, the weather can be frigid, and nobody feels like doing anything. Pretty bad combination for trying to make a resolution happen.
Perhaps we can use that extra time January seems to bring us to look into charities, volunteer projects and opportunities that benefit our community.
For example, there are opportunities for volunteer student mentorship for those of us who are soon to become StFX Alumni. Within the Antigonish town, there are volunteer positions at valuable places such as the Women’s Resource Centre.
New year’s could be more than just a one-week stint at the gym. January can be the month that reminds you that you have an entire year ahead of you to make some time to give back.
Recently, a friend of mine decided to embark on an AIDS LifeCycle ride. This means that he will be riding his bicycle 900km for seven days to raise money to fight HIV/AIDS.
It is an amazing cause, and so my new year’s resolution actually is a reminder – a reminder to donate as much as a broke university student can to a friend who is fundraising for something really important.
This is another change that we could make to the way we approach new years to come. We do not have to do charity or volunteer work all alone! Ask around to people you know if they already have plans to volunteer this year. Try and help as much as you can with fundraising or even just getting the word out there.
If you do not think you can contribute to a community project, then don’t force it. We all have our own lives and things we have the head space to achieve every year.
Yet, just making the effort to simply find out if you know people who can contribute is just as commendable! Instead of new year’s resolutions, let’s start a new trend of new year’s reminders.
Remind yourself in January to do something that will not only make you feel better but might also help people around you. Whether it be community volunteer work or helping a friend in their charitable project, get involved.
March 9, 2021, Queer students entering Bloomfield Centre were met with a common but unexpected sight. Canadian Blood Services (CBS), who due to the Health Canada restrictions on donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) enforce what many describe as a discriminatory ban on blood donations from Queer men, had set up a donation clinic in the MacKay room.
For such a small town, Antigonish is jammed packed with some awesome amenities. From waffle grilled cheeses and the farmer’s market and the Christmas parade, there is never a shortage of places to go in the Nish. And let’s not forget that we’re only a quick drive to the ocean! As far as a university town goes, Antigonish may be small, but she is mighty when it comes to everything the town has to offer.
One of the lesser known amenities of Antigonish is the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre. This organization is designed to specifically cater the needs of any and all women in the Antigonish community, including StFX students. Not only do they offer crisis support, advocacy, and counselling, but the often initiate and stand up for local issues affecting women. The goal of the AWRC is to promote self-awareness, independence, and individual decision making for women in the community.
Photo: Yanik Gallie
The Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre offers support for women in a variety of ways. The AWRC runs programs throughout the year that vary from weekly craft circles to emotional eating and anxiety seminars. There is also one on one support in the form of counselling available through the AWRC with highly trained professionals. Specifically, there are counsellors for issues such as: sexual assault, domestic violence, childhood trauma, anxiety, depression, poverty, stress management, and addictions. There is also assistance in finding employment, academic upgrading and training, as well as parenting courses. The Centre can also provide women in difficult situations with advocates to help them navigate the legal, medical or other confusing fields following trauma.
A large part of what the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre does is provide sexual assault resources for survivors. The AWRC offers three forms of sexual assault services in addition to counselling. The first is the Antigonish Sexual Assault Response Team, which works to help survivors who choose to press charges proceed through the criminal justice system. ASART works in partnership with the Antigonish Crown Attorney’s Office, Nova Scotia Department of Justice Provincial Victim Services Program, RCMP – Antigonish Detachment, St. Francis Xavier University Health and Counseling Centre, and St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Emergency Department by outlining each specific member’s role to ensure that the utmost care is given to the survivor. AWRC also offers a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner who is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to conduct a forensic examination of a victim of sexual assault. Finally, there are also support groups for adult survivors of sexual trauma that come in two phases: those just beginning the healing process and those further along in their recovery.
The Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre is located at 219 Main Street, and is open between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. The first AWRC event this school year is the Take Back the Night March, a walk through Antigonish in protest of sexualized violence and advocating for safer streets. The walk begins at 7 pm outside of the Angus L. MacDonald Library, on Thursday, September 27th, 2018.
March 9, 2021, Queer students entering Bloomfield Centre were met with a common but unexpected sight. Canadian Blood Services (CBS), who due to the Health Canada restrictions on donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) enforce what many describe as a discriminatory ban on blood donations from Queer men, had set up a donation clinic in the MacKay room.
The Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre has a busy week of events and activities lined up to recognize and celebrate women’s voices and contributions.
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