Hi there,

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, a day to lift up and celebrate the achievements of women around the world and continue calls for equality. Each year, I take a look at the incredible team I get to work with and am excited about the fact that I work for a news outlet owned and run by women.

According to last year’s Canadian Association of Journalists diversity survey, “Men currently make up more than half of top leadership roles in newsrooms, with women

making up less than half and non-binary journalists making up less than one per cent. The same conclusion was found for supervisor-level roles.”

I firmly believe that including more diversity in newsrooms at all levels helps to create media that is more inclusive and representative of the communities we serve. I’m so glad I get to work with an organization that continuously strives to be better when it comes to diversity in our workplace, the stories we tell and the people we include in our stories.

In today’s newsletter, you’ll see some recent work from Discourse Community Publishing outlets highlighting women and issues relevant to women. Check out the stories below!

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Hilary supports The Discourse because we deliver “Continually excellent, nuanced coverage of important local issues, within a systemic context.”

Thank you so much, Hilary! And thanks to all the supporters who help keep us going. It means so much to us.

If you value independent, community-led local journalism, consider supporting The Discourse today.

Honouring women.

Local poet pens love letter to women for International Women’s Day

Every year since 2019, Cowichan Valley International Women’s Day has celebrated local women poets and spoken word artists. This year, they commissioned a poem from Nanaimo-based poet, Aimee Chalifoux. She says her poem, The Young Woman’s Guide To Liberation, channels the voices of ancestors and shares her hopes for the future. Read about the poem, as well as Chalifoux’s experiences and process in this Q&A.

Indigenous women speak out about housing challenges

The Discourse Nanaimo’s Julie Chadwick has been working on a series in collaboration with the Women’s Poverty Response Circle and Mid-Island Métis Nation. Through knowledge sharing, research and community connection, women in the circle raise awareness about issues related to poverty with an aim to empower people experiencing it. Read the story.

The long road home for newcomers to Nanaimo

This piece also came from the collaboration with the Poverty Response Circle and Mid-Island Métis Nation, highlighting the stories of three women newcomers to Nanaimo. In this story, Julie Chadwick reports on the struggles and support they found while making Canada their home. Read it here.

Abortion care is reproductive care. So why is it hard to access in the Interior?

The Wren recently published a deep dive into abortion care access in the Interior. The piece digs into who is left behind when it comes to abortion care and what can be done about it. Read the story here. A guide for accessing abortion care was also published alongside the story.

Thanks to the Washington Post, I found my ancestor’s remains at the Smithsonian

In this moving, powerful piece, IndigiNews publisher Eden Fineday writes about how she found out her relative was at the Smithsonian — and her responsibility to visit and give thanks. Read it here.

Reporter’s Notebook: The Cowichan women’s shelter that a community built

The Discourse Cowichan’s David Minkow has been following the journey to find a new home for the women’s shelter for the past few years. Early this year, he shared a story about this journey as the Cedar Branches Women’s Shelter moved into its permanent location. Read his reflections here.

Period poverty has wide impacts in Cowichan, research says

The Cowichan Women’s Health Collective spent six months learning from community members about period poverty, and shared personal stories and photos in an exhibit at the Cowichan Valley Arts Council studio gallery. The Discourse reported on what they learned, as well as what’s being done to support people experiencing period poverty. Read the story.

PSST! Discourse Community Publishing is hiring.

Are you or do you know a journalist that would be interested in working with the Discourse Community Publishing (DCP) team, while embracing the mountain lifestyle? DCP is seeking a qualified candidate to fill a full-time, permanent community journalist position based in Sun Peaks, B.C., the traditional territory of the Secwepemc Peoples, at Sun Peaks Independent News. The community journalist role focuses on producing quality local journalism for the community through a monthly print publication, as well as through our weekly e-newsletter and council highlights newsletter. Find more details about the job and apply here — and be sure to share the posting with anyone you think might be interested!