GVAT February Newsletter: Foundations of Community Organizing Training, Seeking Individuals to Serve on the GVAT Board, Indigenous Relationships Learning Circle Update & More

Table of Contents

1. Foundations of Community Organizing Training
2. Seeking Individuals to serve on the GVAT Board of Directors
3. Indigenous Relationships Learning Circle Update
4. Climate ART Updates

5. Letter to the Editor
6. Seniors for Climate Recap

7. Special Climate Justice Meeting with David Barrow
8. Fundraising Update
9. Fundamentals of Anti-Oppression
10. Important Dates

Join GVAT for our Foundations of Community Organizing. You will learn essential leadership skills that will help you to navigate the divisive, polarizing times that we are in. Developed over decades with participation from organizers all over the world, the Foundations of Community Organizing training is a proven way of empowering leaders and communities to make positive change.

Registration is free for members of our member organizations, and by donation for community members.

You can register at gvat.ca/events.

Indigenous Relationships Learning Circle Update

GVAT is a member of Victoria Urban Reconciliation Dialogue (VURD).  After something of a hiatus, VURD  met again at the end of January.  The 'lull' was due to Victoria Native Friendship Centre educator Tanya Clarmont and team's involvement in developing CAL (Community Action and Learning),  which now incorporates the CLP (Community Learning Program) and the IHS (Indigenous Health Safety) classes, aimed specifically at health care workers.

It was exciting to learn that so much has been happening and that there is real potential going forward, to bring about positive change in our region.

The attendees were given copies of the Executive Summary of the 2024 Gathering of BC Urban Indigenous Coalitions - a very powerful document, which in many respects makes evident the potential for GVAT's engagement.

Climate ART Updates

Climate Win

After years of monitoring and support each step of the way by Greater Victoria Acting Together and various food and agriculture organizations, the Capital Regional District (CRD) has passed a bylaw to launch a new service–the Regional Foodlands Access Service.  The goal is to increase food security, starting by leasing publicly owned land to farmers in need of affordable farm land.  The first site will be a portion of Bear Hill Regional Park which is zoned for agriculture and has never been in use for public recreation.

Wheelchairs and Mobility Scooters in Bike and Roll Routes

Climate Justice Team co-lead, Eric Doherty, has been on sabbatical in Europe since September, researching European transportation initiatives while there.  His advocacy for wheelchairs and mobility scooters in bike and roll routes continues.  Check out his article in Canada’s National Observer which gives GVAT nation-wide coverage and tells what is happening on this topic in various European countries.

(Photo by Eric Doherty)

Letter to the Editor

The proposed highway expansion through Goldstream Park goes against many issues near and dear to GVAT —reconciliation, Indigenous food security, forest protection, prioritization of bus service over cars, reduction of GHG emissions and climate stability.  Members of GVAT’s Climate Justice Team and Indigenous Relationships Learning Circle have participated in the Tuesday morning protests and GVAT member organization, Unitarian Universalist Community of Victoria (formerly First Unitarian Church) has been particularly involved.  Scroll down to the 4th letter on the linked page to find "Forget construction, just reduce speed limits" (4th letter down on the page) by GVAT member, Jane Welton.

(David Barrow)

Fundraising Update

GVAT wraps its matching donor campaign!

With the support of a generous donor who agreed to match your contributions, we kicked off our first serious fundraising effort in several years in November. This year, CRA extended its 2024 tax year donation deadline, allowing GVAT to continue our fundraising efforts into the first couple of months of the new year. We had about 40 donors step up and contribute to the campaign, and together with the funds from our matching donor we have raised a total of over $35,000!

Thank you so much to all of the donors who made a commitment to GVAT. Your support for our work is very important and much appreciated.
It’s never too late to DONATE – please consider making a regular monthly donation so that our incoming funds become more predictable.

  Fundamentals of Anti-Oppression

GVAT hosted its first ever equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) workshop in February.  Bakau Consulting’s Fundamentals of Anti-Oppression training was well-received.  Bakau defines anti-oppression as “a lens and practice of noticing, naming, and mediating oppression, looking towards a future of justice and equality for all.”  Bakau introduced us to the work of Kimberlé Crenshaw who coined the term “intersectionality”, “a concept that describes how our identities (eg. black and female) and experiences of oppression can overlap or “intersect”.” 

We learned about microaggressions–”subtle, insidious aggressions”, intentional or not, that “dismiss, isolate, belittle, and other individuals, particularly on the basis of marginalized identities” and about the Social Model of Disability which states “that disability is not caused by an individual’s impairment but by the barriers created by society.”  We were inspired to practise anti-oppression as “a responsible and ethical use of privilege and power” and given ideas for how to do so.  GVAT will continue on its EDI journey and work to apply these helpful learnings.  Thank you, Bakau Consulting.