On Saturday 27 September 2014, The 519 hosted ‘A Day to Aspire, Conspire and Inspire‘ – a day-long celebration of our communities including a free BBQ, community fair, performances, children’s programming and a film screening. The Centre also held its Annual General Meeting of members that day at which new Board members were elected, the Annual Report and Financial Statements were presented.
The following remarks were delivered by The 519′s Executive Director as part of the meeting’s agenda:
Executive Director’s Remarks: Maura Lawless
(Check against delivery)
The theme for this year’s Annual General Report is ‘A Space For Change’. The report attempts to capture, in just a few pages, the amazing work that happens in this space and throughout our city – thanks to the staff, volunteers, donors and partners of The 519.
In many ways, ‘A space for change’ is a perfect theme for our organization at this time. The 519’s name and our identity is so tied up in this physical space, in this building, but our work and our impact touches so many communities, organizations and people, many of whom may never actually visit 519 Church Street. That’s why this is such a great theme – the idea of space and space for change can mean many different things to each of us. Today I’m going to touch on just three.
For me, a space for change can mean being a physical space where change happens.
In the last year, community groups and organizations made over 8000 room bookings to come together to meet, create, plan, advocate, dance, support, and organize. For many of the people who come to The 519, our community-led programs are the face of The Centre and their first point of contact with our organization and the community. This year we launched a Community-led Group Review as a way of better understanding who is using our space and how we can learn from the amazing work that community members are doing here at The Centre every day.
Our settlement department has supported thousands of LGBTQ-identified newcomers and refugees from over 170 countries around the world. Every week, hundreds of refugees gather in this space to find community, support and to build relationships that help them to settle in new communities across Toronto. Their stories of courage and resilience that we hear every day continue to inspire us and push us to work harder for global human rights for queer and trans people everywhere.
And of course this was also the year that we announced our intention to develop the first ever LGBTQ inclusive sport and recreation centre that will offer an even more expansive ‘space for change’. Too many members of our communities still experience barriers to physical activity, impacting their life-long health and wellness. We recognize the transformational power that community sport and recreation can achieve when we are come together in inclusive spaces that make us stronger and healthier. The sport and recreation centre will offer an inclusive space for children, youth, adults and older adults alike to learn, play, grow and get active together and at the same time exemplify inclusive space.
The expanded space will also create new opportunities for more programs and community leadership. Even with a 45% expansion of community space in 2010, The 519 space remains filled to capacity most evenings and weekends. This new centre will help us continue the tradition of offering accessible and inclusive spaces for our communities to gather, and create positive change together.
However space for change doesn’t end with physical space. A space for change also means capitalizing on spaces in the public and political discourse where we can also make change happen. In these spaces we extend our reach and increase our impact on a broad, systemic level.
In April 2014 the Ontario Human Rights Commission released a new policy aimed at addressing the issue of discrimination on the basis of gender identity. We know that Trans individuals are among the most disadvantaged groups in society and routinely experience discrimination, prejudice, harassment and violence. Trans people also face an unacceptable rate of unemployment and discrimination in the workplace. As the Human Rights Commission created space for this important public discussion about trans rights in Ontario. The 519 Education and Training Department, including our Trans Access team, have been busy delivering Trans Inclusion workshops to workplaces all over the city including a major effort to address homophobia and transphobia in the hospitality industry in the lead up to World Pride
The 519 has also continued to push for a systemic response to the issue of LGBTQ homelessness – particularly youth homelessness in our city. We played a pivotal role in ensuring that the City of Toronto’s street needs assessment included a question about sexual orientation and gender identity, a question which, for the first time, provided unambiguous evidence of a reality we know all too well – that LGBTQ people, and in particular our youth, are over-represented in the homeless population. We continue to work at a policy level with the city and our community partners to ensure improved access to shelter and housing for our community – and for the first time this year we will have a Housing Support Worker on-staff dedicated to supporting people experiencing homeless access housing.
In February, the Sochi Winter Olympics put LGBTQ rights in sport front-and-centre, underscoring the discrimination, harassment and barriers queer people still encounter at home and around the world. As trustee of PrideHouseTO, The 519 is honoured to be in a position to advance the conversation around human rights in sport, recreation and physical activity.
Along with its partners, The 519 is providing leadership to ensure that the Pan/ParaPan Am Games are the most LGBTQ-inclusive multi-sport games in history and beyond 2015, The 519 has already committed, as part of the development of the sport and recreation centre, to work with partners and other levels of government to establish the world’s first policy institute focusing on LGBTQ inclusion in physical and recreational activity. With a focus on improving the health and wellbeing outcomes for LGBTQ people, the institute will create space for great thinkers, activists, athletes, and coaches from around the world to come together, to share ideas, and create a positive force for change.
And finally, the theme of ‘a space for change’, for me, also means recognizing that there is always room to improve, and to do better.
This year we initiated an extensive evaluation of our programs and services in an effort to better understand community need and to ensure that we are able to respond and better meet them. We have already implemented a number of program changes in our Meal Trans program as a consequence of the Trans Program review and anticipate there will be more positive changes to come.
Last year we also reviewed our Bashing Line – an important part of our Anti-Violence Initiative and are looking ahead to better understand how we can more adequately address the all too familiar experience of violence faced by our community.
We are also looking at ways we can improve the direct services we offer and draw on the expertise of the many volunteers who provide support through both formal and informal counseling and peer support programs – including exploring the issue of trauma and asking questions about how we need to think differently and more expansively about our work – so we are able to effective support our communities into the future.
We welcome the opportunity to engage with the community about the work we are doing – sometimes the questions are hard and sometimes we don’t always have the right answer. But we are always open to listening, to learning, and to changing, and growing as a centre. That is what it means to be part of a community and that’s what it takes to achieve positive community change.
It is an incredible honour, for myself and our entire team at The 519, to work at an organization that is constantly changing, constantly growing and constantly creating space for change – an organization that makes the world a better place for all.
Whether we’re building physical space where change happens, creating spaces in the public discourse to lead change, or creating space to grow and do better, this is an organization that has never accepted the status quo. And that`s what makes The 519 so successful as a community organization, as a charity and as an agency of City of Toronto – we are able to adapt and create a space for change, as our communities and our communities’ needs change.
On behalf of our entire staff team, thank you to everyone who makes this reality possible – without our partners, volunteers, donors, funders and staff this would just be a building, but together, we’re turning these walls into spaces where change happens.
Thank you to everyone for another great year.
