A Shoulder, An Ear And A Voice

Housed in a welcoming, yet unassuming space tucked between bland optometrist and hydro offices the Fort Garry Women's Resource Centre (FGWRC) offers thousands of women and girls a place to have their voices heard and their concerns listened to.

Opened 25 years ago, the centre was created to fill a resource void felt in the Fort Garry area. It's a grassroots organization, started and nurtured by community women, explains longtime counselor Sharon Hunter. Over time, as the need grew, FGWRC programs began attracting women from all ends of the city, as well as rural areas, and was eventually moved from the heart of Fort Garry to an area near the corner of Waverley and McGillivray. What has remained constant, however, is the centre's dedication to providing counseling and other services for Winnipeg women.

We're still about meeting the needs of women, says Hunter.

Primarily counseling-focused, the centre supports a wide spectrum of women who are dealing with a variety of issues, from domestic violence to depression. Melanie Arndt, now 35, first became aware of the FGWRC while dealing with postpartum depression in 2003. They were on a list of resources that I got from my doctor and the fact that it was called a women's centre appealed to me, she explains. Even though she was from the north end of the city, and the centre was, admittedly, a hike to get to, Arndt says her experience there was invaluable. I hadn't been through any type of counseling like that before and Sharon eased me into it, says Arndt. She was able to get to the heart of things that were struggles for me; it was very helpful.

While dealing with the pain of others can be draining, Hunter says the counseling experience is also incredibly gratifying for counselors. It's amazing to connect with somebody and journey with them, she explains. It's like being the midwife they are doing the work, but we get to witness some amazing births.

This one-on-one relationship often leads to a long-term association between client and clinic. Former clients will turn up at workshops or will schedule follow-up counseling sessions, even years later. Every so often I touch base with Sharon to get a refresher, laughs Arndt.

And she has stayed involved with the centre in other ways as well. After her individual counseling was completed, Arndt decided to join a group session on grief, to help her deal with the loss of her brother. Again, it was an experience that was completely foreign to her, but one she found great solace in.

It was helpful to be in a group and realize that there are others experiencing the same range of emotions, she says. It was a very relaxed atmosphere and an intimate setting, which allowed everyone to be a part of the discussions and to pair off into small groups.

This grief group is just one of a number of special groups and one-time workshops offered regularly in the centre's bright, comfortable meeting rooms. While some, like those dealing with self-esteem and positive coping remain constant, others change from year-to-year based on feedback from clients and the community. In the past year alone, everything from personal finances to self-defense to meditation has been covered.

One of the newest and most successful groups is the Great Girlz Group, made up of young teens, ages 12 to 14, struggling with body image issues. It's a great age, says Hunter. The group gives them permission to be proud of who they are and there's a great payoff in that.

Much of what the centre does is intended to be proactive, which is especially true with the new children's counseling program that is soon being moved to an off-site location in the North End. We offer immediate support while it's happening, explains Hunter. Through music or play therapy, children aged two to 12 learn to deal with domestic violence that they have witnessed or are currently living with. We are trying to be proactive and break the cycle of violence, says Hunter.

This new service, along with the counseling and public education programs are part of the centre's mandate as outlined in its mission statement to help women engage in healthy life choices for themselves and their families.

By providing specific support to women and kids we start to build healthy families and, in turn, stronger communities, says Hunter.

Funded mainly through the government and United Way, with some special funding from the Winnipeg Foundation and other grants, the centre employs a core base of counselors, and is supported by a dedicated group of volunteers, including its board of directors.

Marcie MacDonald has sat on the FGWRC board for just over a year and also serves on its personnel committee. Despite being a new mother and having a busy career, she, like many Winnipeg women, was also looking for a rewarding volunteer experience. I was on maternity leave and I wanted to go out and interact with adults, while also using my HR skills, she explains.

After sitting in on a board meeting and being oriented around the centre, MacDonald decided to join the 12-person board in March 2007. While sitting on the board has allowed the labour relations consultant to use some of her career training and skills, other aspects have proven to be quite foreign, like the fact that the centre runs as a cooperative.

We have no executive director, explains Hunter. It makes it an empowering place to work because it gives us permission to have control over our program areas, but also have everybody involved in decision making. For staff and board alike, this system of cooperation requires a great deal of communication. It's very hands on, says MacDonald. It's been good for me to realize that there are different ways of going about things.

Aside from the day-to-day responsibilities of being on a working board, as most non-profit boards are, MacDonald says that her involvement with the FGWRC has had a much larger impact on her life. I get a sense of being a part of something bigger, something important, she explains. I remember how fortunate and lucky I am and I get to meet some incredible women it's something that I want to show to my daughter, that there's more going on outside her world.