At six years old, it has already started.
“Daddy’s stronger than mommy.”
“Girls like that, boys don’t.”
As a mother of a young child, Megan Reynolds witnesses how consumerism and gender bias can affect the way children see themselves in the world. She doesn’t want her son’s opportunities to be limited by what he thinks boys do, nor does she want her son believing girls fall into a different category.
“It’s tough,” Reynolds says.
As the new executive director of the Howe Sound Women’s Centre, Reynolds sees the big picture when it comes to equality. The centre deals with everything from building teenagers’ self-esteem through its Girl Power group to helping women get back on their feet after leaving abusive relationships.
“Our greatest challenge is ending violence against women and girls. I can’t do that alone.”
For 33 years, the centre has striven to reach this goal throughout the Sea to Sky Corridor. The recipe to its success sits in every asset of the community, from accessible transportation to mental health and affordable housing. Reynolds recognizes the enormity of the task. She’s determined to tackle violence’s roots and put an end the cycle.
“Our focus is on prevention and crisis response,” she says.
The Sea to Sky Corridor has a sometimes hidden, violent side beyond its healthy, outdoor image. Last year, 54 women and 20 children sought safety from abuse in Pearl’s Place Transition House. The full-service house in Squamish provides 24 hour emergency access. The house’s clients averaged 13 days under its roof, however, women are able to seek refuge there for up to 30 days.
Pearl’s Safe Home, in Pemberton, saw 13 women and seven children come through its doors. Women can stay at the two-bedroom unit for up to 10 days. Beyond the shelters and drop-in centres, the women’s centre also fielded 253 support calls.
“We need the community to understand (violence against women) is a prevalent issue,” Reynolds says.
RCMP throughout the corridor have noted a significant increase in domestic violence calls, she adds. Between 2012 and 2013, reports throughout the corridor were up 46 per cent, and Squamish RCMP saw an 87 per cent leap in the number of reports of domestic violence. In 2014, the number of cases in Whistler jumped from 40 to 49 – up 20 per cent. That’s on top of an increase in 2013, Reynolds notes. “We are looking at expanding our transition house services in the north,” Reynolds says, noting three years ago, the organization was able to open a Whistler Women’s Drop-In Centre.
With partnerships with B.C. Housing, Howe Sound Women’s Centre staff hope to tackle issues around affordable housing. A 2014 report by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation stated Squamish is one of only six areas in B.C. to see the number of apartments available for rent decrease more than three per cent since the previous year. The centre is working with the District of Squamish’s housing task force to address the topic, Reynolds says.
“It’s definitely a barrier that women face when they are fleeing violence.”
Reynolds is stepping into the centre’s executive director position following the departure of Sheila Allen. Reynolds worked as the centre’s resource development manager from May 2013 until last January, when she took a hiatus to do consulting for non-profits throughout the corridor.
“This opportunity at Howe Sound Women’s Centre presented itself, and I jumped at it,” she says. “I am definitely passionate about women’s roles in society and working toward equality for women.”
The Calgary native has a long history of volunteerism, starting as a teenager as a candy striper at Peter Lougheed Hospital. After following the snow and ski slopes to Whistler, Reynolds volunteered for the community’s victim services agency.
Volunteering is very fulfilling, Reynolds says. And professionally, she’s always also sought work in sectors she hopes will aid in bettering peoples’ lives. She dreams of a day when the women’s centre services are no longer needed and a time when her son feels free to act like a child, not just a boy.
“We all deserve love, kindness and respect.”
