We are proud to share that earlier this month, our Executive Director Belma Podrug travelled to Ottawa to meet with Canadian leaders past, present, and future. What a way to celebrate International Women’s Day! Twenty five years ago, when Belma came together with other forward-thinking women to found Global Gathering Place, they could have never imagined where we would be today. At the same time, the reality is that our most vulnerable clients are still overwhelmingly women and girls. In addition to a celebration of how far we have come, International Women’s Day continues to be a necessary call for justice and equality for all those who face oppression based on their gender identity — including trans women and the Two Spirit and non-binary communities. Our work is not done but the future is bright. Belma is happy to report that the leaders and inspiring young people she met with this week expressed their commitment to gender diversity and the empowerment of minority voices.
“Volunteers at GGP Made My Experience Unforgettable”: Giving Back Following Experience at GGP
For Ario Safaeian, volunteering with Global Gathering Place wasn’t a coincidence: “It was a callback from all the experiences I had as a newcomer in Canada,” he says. Ario and his family moved to Canada in 2019 and have called it home ever since. During that first summer in Saskatoon, he spent most of his time in GGP programs, like Computer Class, Coffee and Conversation, and Breaking Ground, and found his very first friends in Canada. “The volunteers at GGP made my experience unforgettable. Once I finished the program, I realized now it is my turn to give back.”
