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"The programs that we have are really needed for aboriginal women of NWT," said Gina Dolphus, president of the Native Women's Association, from her home in Deline.
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She said NWT aboriginal women need proper training and education to gain better employment. They also need to be made more aware of what services and resources are available to them to achieve success through their "healing journey," added Dolphus.
The active centre offers three core programs to meet their mandate.
The Aboriginal Human Resource Development Program is co-funded through Human Resource Development Canada. The program has walk-in client services for unemployed aboriginal women including wage subsidy, on-the-job trainees and an urban community employment and training project support.
To compliment the employment program, the centre also has a training centre where male and female aboriginal and non-aboriginal adults -- 17 and older -- can take adult literacy and basic education programs. Adult students can complete Grade 12 or gain entrance into a trades program.
Education aside, many women also need help overcoming situations of violence and crime, so the association houses the Yellowknife Victim Services Program.
The free program lessens the impact of a crime or tragedy by providing support, resources and assistance with judicial proceedings.
YWCA facts
YWCA behind the scenes
"We are big but hidden," said executive director Lyda Fuller when describing the YWCA of Yellowknife.
The YWCA, established in 1966, boasts 80 staff delivering 24-hour programs and services in 12 locations around the city.
Although it is big, most of the organization's work is done behind the scenes through partnerships and advocacy work.
The YWCA aims to increase the well-being and independence of people, particularly women, through several programs, services and support groups.
Women and families in crisis can depend on the YWCA for support and assistance.
It operates the 39-unit apartment complex, called Rockhill, for families who are in transition or homeless.
There is also Alison McAteer House, a 12-bed shelter for battered women and their children from around the NWT.
There is also a joint-initiative with the Yellowknife Women's Centre called the Women and Children's Healing and Recovery Program, which aims to help women heal and recover from traumatic experiences while also supporting their children.
Fuller said the YWCA spends a lot of time working on social issues.
"The challenges the YWCA faces are really the challenges of working in the North," said Fuller.
"The challenges of being forgotten by the rest of the county."
Women's centre facts
The first place to go
The Yellowknife Women's Centre for Northern Families is "where to start" when looking for support and information services, said Caroline Johnson, special contracts co-ordinator.
The centre, which is often confused with the YWCA because of shared programs, focuses on empowerment for women and families.
"The greatest thing about this centre is that we are very open. We deal with a lot of crisis intervention," said Johnson. "The biggest strength we have is you can come in any time you need us."
The non-profit organization offers a variety of educational and crisis-oriented services for women, children and men in the NWT.
"We work with families, not just women," said Johnson when explaining the addition of 'Northern Families' to the centre's name.
Their drop-in centre, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., provides information to clients who don't know where to go with their problem.
An emergency shelter provides seven temporary beds for women who have nowhere to live. The service is a necessary one with up to 30 women a night sleeping in every nook and cranny of the crowded centre, said Johnson.
The centre offers preventative care like the family support program. The program offers women the support and one-on-one care they may require to get through a difficult time.
"A lot of abuse that comes from domestic situations comes from the lack of support from society for parents," said Johnson.
Status of women facts
All about advocacy
The Status of Women Council makes sure women's voices are heard in the NWT.
The arm's length government agency is mandated by law to fulfil the Status of Women Act which aims to establish and maintain equality for women in the territory.
The council does that by helping women's groups throughout the territory, advocating for women's rights, researching women's issues for the government and educating the public about those issues.
The NWT council is one of six national advisory councils.
"We try to bring together government and people by helping people learn the system and helping the government understand the needs of the women," said executive director Barbara Saunders.
The four employees at the Yellowknife office are active members of 17 women's group committees in the territory and chair seven of those groups.
"It's their perspective. All we do is help the community empower themselves," said Saunders.
The Status of Women works closely with projects like the Women's Voices in Leadership and hosts the Wise Women Awards in honour of
International Women's Day on March 8.
Individual women who need guidance working through a governmental system like the courts can find a load of resource material and advocacy support at the Yellowknife-based council.
