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Happy Valentines Day!
Each February, many Canadians celebrate Valentine's Day, a day that is dedicated to love and relationships.
This month, we are taking a look beyond the chocolate and flowers of Valentine's Day, at what makes a healthy relationship and finding long-term solutions for the hidden epidemic of teen dating violence.
But what would Valentine's Day be without showing your love to someone who inspires you? In partnership with Chatelaine, we are inviting you to honour a Women Who Moves You by making a donation in her name to help a woman in Canada move out of poverty and into a better life. Happy Valentine's Day  Beverley Wybrow CEO and President |
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The hidden epidemic of teen dating violence
With 1 in 3 teens experiencing dating violence and 66 per cent of all female victims of sexual assault under the age of twenty-four - and 11 percent under the age of eleven - dating violence is a frightening reality for Canadian teens from coast to coast to coast.
When you combine that with peer pressure and a violent popular culture, it's easy to see how young men and women can start to believe that jealousy, and possessive or controlling behaviour are signs of passion, not abuse.
For 15 years, we have been investing in teen healthy relationship programs; the last five of which have been multi-year investments. These grants focus on school-based healthy relationship programs and were developed as a key strategy to prevent violence against women and girls. In these programs, teens learn the warning signs of abuse, which behaviours help to create a healthy relationship, ways to show mutual respect, and tips for making safe dating choices. Skills are taught through a combination of classroom work, discussion, role play and arts projects. The work is often led by trained co-facilitators, an adult and a youth, so that participants feel like they are learning from peers.
Read more about what the Canadian Women's Foundation is doing to end teen dating violence. |
 | | Jocelyn |
Jocelyn had something words cannot describe.
She was a force of light; she made things happen all around her. Jocelyn inspired people and she related to them as individuals, entirely without prejudice.
On any given day, Jocelyn could be found laughing and giving to the people around her. Her gentle spirit and breath-taking beauty were a rare combination, one that made her unforgettable. Her intuitive understanding of people allowed her to touch a wide range of personalities and to always have kind words, or share side-splitting laughs or honest tears with each individual.
Then, tragedy struck.
Jocelyn was attacked by her boyfriend of less than a year and left to die while he fled the scene, crashing his car into a wall and taking his own life.
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Chatelaine's Women Who Move You  | | Anne Murray |
The woman who has been most inspirational in my life is my mother, Marion Murray. She raised six children and was a wonderful mother and role model. She was strong, kind, generous, gracious and oozed class. She treated everyone the same. Perhaps the one quality about her that impressed me the most was her ability to make people feel at ease and special. She was special. This Valentine's Day, instead of buying flowers and candy, join Anne Murray, Stephen Lewis, Arlene Dickinson and Chatelaine by honouring a woman who has moved you - it could be your mother, your sister, your best friend or your neighboor. You make a donation in the name of a Women Who Moves You and send an e-card letting her know how much she means to you. Your donation will help the Canadian Women's Foundation invest in life-changing programs that will help women in Canada move out of poverty.  | | Stephen Lewis |
Where else would I possibly turn? Michele Landsberg's a feminist, a socialist, a brilliant writer, a treasured mom, a loving partner and amid the joyful fray of grandchildren has just published a history of Canadian feminism titled 'Writing the Revolution'. Wow. |
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On April 14, become part of a movement across Canada to end violence against women. In Vancouver, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax, join us for the second annual Empower Hour, a one-hour pledge based fitness event, in support of Shelter from the Storm.
By challenging yourself you are helping women and their children to overcome the greatest challenge of their lives.
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