GUELPH – Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis (WIC) is gearing up to host its 34th annual Take Back the Night event, to help raise awareness about and to challenge sexual and gender-based violence.
Take Back the Night is an opportunity to hear from survivors, activists and allies on how we can all be part of community-led solutions to enhance the safety of our region, offer support for survivors, and collectively work towards ending gender-based violence, organizers say.
And in an effort to expand outreach and be more inclusive of Wellington County, organizers have added a Take Back the Trails component this year.
Because the event will be virtual, “we were missing the march component to the event,” said WIC public educator Jensen Williams in an interview. “With the trails, there’s the opportunity to have the walk in solidarity.
“At the root of Take Back the Night is the fact that people don’t feel safe at night. Having the event on the trails in Wellington Country draws attention to this. It’s really about community safety.”
The virtual event is slated for Sept. 16 at 6:30pm and can be watched on Facebook Live. But from Sept. 7 to 17, WIC invites participants to walk a nearby trail on their own time.
Organizers have partnered with local municipalities and are installing interactive signage on some trails with information on how to end violence, crisis line phone numbers, and information about the event. There will be QR codes on the signs to link to this information as well.
A woman was sexually assaulted on the Elora-Cataract Trail in Fergus in April of 2020. That section of the trail is one that will have signage, Williams said.
Others include:
- Guelph – James St. Trail (near Marianne’s Park);
- Centre Wellington – Elora Cataract Trailway (entrance near Gartshore St. in Fergus) and Bissell Park (Elora);
- Mapleton – Drayton Walking Trail and Wallace Cummings Park (Alma);
- Minto – Lion’s Heritage Park (Palmerston) and Tannery Park (Harriston); and
- North Wellington – Murphy Park (Mount Forest) and Arthur Community Park Trail.
Take Back the Trail recognizes that many women and gender-diverse individuals don’t feel safe walking alone and provides an opportunity for community members to learn more about and have conversations about the local and global realities of gender-based violence.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many survivors have faced increased isolation and a lack of opportunities to connect with supportive individuals and services. It is our hope through our Take Back the Night event and the Take Back the Trail campaign we can show that while we may be apart, we are certainly not alone,” Williams added.
For more information about the virtual event, visit the event page here: https://fb.me/e/3CqwdAwSH.
