International Women’s Day will be marked in a special way this year by the team at Envision Counselling and Support Centre Inc.
Envision has partnered with two local agencies to host an art opening at the St. Joseph’s Hospital Clinic on March 8. This will be a celebration of artists with diverse abilities.
Estevan’s Family and Friends along with the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) have been working with local artists to prepare for the opening promoting the 2016 theme, Resilience: the Strength of Women Living with Disability.
“This is the first time Envision has joined forces with community organizations for International Women’s Day and the response has been terrific,” said Christa Daku, Envision’s executive director. “This year we’re shining a light on women who don’t get a lot of recognition in the community, and they are going to be the stars of the show.”
Estevan’s Family and Friends works with women living with diverse abilities and has helped transport interested artists to sessions at the EAGM this month. The culmination of these session will be the art opening and unveiling of the work on March 8 with the artwork being placed on display in the foyer of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Clinic.
For women living with disabilities, the statistics are not kind, as domestic or sexual violence occurs at a higher rate to those with disabilities than without. Women living with a disability are significantly more likely than women without a disability, to experience domestic violence in their lifetime, 37.7 per cent compared with 20.6 per cent; they are also more likely to have a history of unwanted sex with an intimate partner, 19.7 per cent compared with 8.2 per cent ( statistics gathered by Dr. Armour of the Centers for Disease Control, 2008).
Envision Counselling and Support Centre provides innovative programming and diverse counselling and support services to individuals, couples and families. These services are available free of charge for those experiencing partner abuse, stalking and harassment, dating violence, elder abuse, couples or marital breakdowns or various other family challenges. Individuals seeking more information are invited to visit their website: www.envisioncounsellingcentre.com.
