Women in the Westlock area are being encouraged to take in a one-day symposium in early April to gather information and learn more about service providers in the community.
The “Your Choice Counts” symposium, organized by the Aspen Primary Care Network and Westlock’s Hope Resource Centre, will feature a broad range of service providers and information on topics ranging from financial health to personal wellbeing.
“What we want to create in this community is an opportunity where women can have almost like an information trade fair,” said Hope Resource Centre executive director Sylvia Yoder. “That’s kind of the summary of it.”
She said although the centre’s mandate focuses on family violence prevention, the symposium will extend well beyond that scope of information and will feature service providers presenting on a wide variety of topics.
“The emphasis is not violence and abuse,” she said. “The emphasis is providing health-related and employment-related information to all women in all walks of life.”
While information on who does what within the community is already available, Yoder said she hopes people will be more willing to come get the information in a less formal environment where nobody’s being identified as a client in need.
“The term client will not be there. It’s going to be each one of us are the same, are equal, and might need to get some information about something,” she said. “The thing we want to do is provide dignity, equality and respect to these women as they access whatever information is applicable to their specific need.”
Service providers in the community are also encouraged to take part — both to get a better idea of what’s out there and to meet the people providing those services face-to-face.
This is the first time an event like this will be hosted in Westlock, and Yoder said it’s already been well received. Depending on how things go it may become more regular, she said.
“It’s an experimental thing, but it’s something that if it flies, we would love to be able to do this on an annual basis,” she said.
While there is no monetary registration fee, participants will be encouraged to make a donation to the food bank as a way of giving something back — an act that in itself can be empowering. That said, people who have nothing to give won’t be turned away.
“If you don’t have any food in the house, then just come and be nice to somebody.”
For anyone interested in taking part, the registration deadline is March 31. The event goes April 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Pembina Room at the Westlock Inn. For more info contact Yoder at 780-349-6111.
