National Association of Friendship Centres

Published purpose

This 30-month project will support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19, through systemic change. National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) will achieve this by designing and implementing policies and practices to increase women’s labour market participation and opportunities. NAFC will address discriminatory legislation, policies, and/or practices that prevent women and/or girls from fully participating in the social, political and economic spheres, while designing and implementing policies and practices to increase women’s leadership in democratic, civic, public or private sectors and research into barriers facing urban Indigenous women and LGBTQ2IA+. At the end of the project, the organization will have contributed to addressing systemic barriers by advancing inclusive policies and practices, increasing networks and collaboration to accelerate systemic change and addressing persistent harmful gender norms and attitudes to support women’s equality. The National Association of Friendship Centres (NAFC) will help advance women’s recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19 through systemic change. Specifically, the project will address systemic barriers within policies and practices, authority, voices and decision-making, and gender norms and attitudes that have prevented women and girls from fully participating in the social, political, and economic spheres. This will be achieved by amplifying the voices of urban Indigenous women in existing legislation and policy using research, policy development, and advocacy work. Also, systemic racism will be addressed through the participation of current FCM leaders to incorporate an Indigenous GBA+ lens to policymaking on a federal level. Local Friendship Centres and the overall Friendship Centre Movement will be a vessel to amplify the voices of urban Indigenous women and seen as an access point to urban Indigenous women, regardless of membership. The NAFC intends to produce a list of policy recommendations and an action plan for national-level implementation. The final report will be used to guide future relationship-building between government and FCM leaders, while further amplifying the goals and values outlined in the NAFC’s 2020-2030 Strategic Plan.