Head of Status of Women Council
signs off after more than a decade
Lorraine Phaneuf retires, passing torch to Samantha Thomas
Kirsten Fenn
Northern News Services
Friday, June 30, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Before Lorraine Phaneuf moved to Yellowknife for a stint with the Status of Women Council of the NWT in 2006, she saw a number of social issues in the communities that she felt needed to be addressed.
Samantha Thomas is the new executive director of the Status of Women Council of the NWT. - Kirsten Fenn/NNSL photo |
"The wage gaps and the violence that I was seeing everywhere around me, it just became overwhelming," said Phaneuf, who spent time working in social programming in Whati before moving to the city. "I just really felt that there was a need for social change."
When she saw a position open up at the council, she jumped at it.
"I just thought, 'Wow, this could be an opportunity for me to really work on something that's important to me, that means a lot to me and could maybe even improve lives,'" Phaneuf said.
This week, she retired from her role as executive director after more than a decade with the organization.
She's taking with her fond memories of her time there, including of colleagues who she said became friends.
Together, they worked to bring awareness to women's issues through policy advocacy, Phaneuf said, but they also supported individuals.
"It's a place where women can go to get help, to navigate somewhat through the system as best they can," she said, explaining the council often refers women to other services that can help them.
Her fondest memories of all are of the Wise Women Awards given annually to women across the territory who have been role models in their communities.
"It's celebratory of women and it's a way for little girls and little boys to see women appreciated for the work that they do every day," said Phaneuf. "It's just such a touching event."
Now, Phaneuf is passing the torch off to Samantha Thomas, who takes on the executive director role after more than seven years of experience with the council.
Phaneuf said she plans to spend time with her family in Winnipeg and will likely continue helping others through volunteering.
As for Thomas, she hopes to continue the council's "forward thinking" she said was fostered under Phaneuf's leadership.
"If you did something wrong ... she'd always make you question your internal process so that you would learn through what you were doing instead of her outright telling you," Thomas said, adding Phaneuf was a mentor to her.
While the council has many issues to tackle, Thomas said she wants to make sure women are heard and that they know their concerns are valid.
"I want to make sure that women are safe," Thomas said. "I want to find a way to make sure that we can be treated equally, and we're respected as leaders. That when women come to the table we're seen as partners."
While Phaneuf said change sometimes happens slowly, she has seen small successes during her time with the Status of Women Council of the NWT.
Her work, her colleagues and Yellowknife are all things she said she will miss.
"Once you've seen a woman get help, and things change for her, that is a very rewarding thing," said Phaneuf.
