Wise woman honoured
Lydia Bardak joins ranks of territory's most celebrated females
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
When Lydia Bardak got the call from the Status of Women Council of the NWT, she thought one of the two people she'd nominated for the Wise Women awards had won. Instead, she had.
Lydia Bardak is one of six women who won this year's Wise Women award from the Status of Women Council of the NWT. - Jessica Davey-Quantick/NNSL photo |
"I couldn't process it for a minute," said Bardak.
She's one of six women to be honoured tonight at the annual Bread and Roses event marking International Women's Day. The awards are given to women who "demonstrate wisdom, perseverance and dedication while standing up for women, children and families in our communities," states the council in a news release.
Or in Bardak's case, a refusal to go quietly.
She has served as executive director and community justice co-ordinator with the John Howard Society for 12 years when she was fired suddenly in November, but that hasn't stopped her work in the community.
"I'm still doing a lot of the things that I was doing," she said.
As one of the original members of the committee that developed A New Day, a program that offers counselling to men convicted of family violence, she's still involved there. She also attends meetings of the Coalition Against Family Violence, refers people to anti-poverty program Housing First, and hosts a twice monthly men's group at North Slave Correctional Centre.
But perhaps most noticeably, she's still in court.
"I'm still attending court to support individuals and rounding them up if they fail to show up, because it's a waste of everybody's time to have somebody end up charged with and arrested for failure to appear," said Bardak.
"There's so many gaps, particularly in the justice system."
She says she's not going anywhere, calling the work she does her "home," which is good news to the people she works with.
"From the streets I had an outpouring of emotion," she said.
"And for some individuals that turned into some real anger at me, because they felt abandoned. 'You're leaving us.' And it's like, I'm not going anywhere."
Lorraine Phaneuf, executive director for the Status of Women Council of the NWT, says the awards are meant to highlight the work women do within their communities, much of it outside the spotlight. She listed examples such as fundraising, taking care of community and being a good role model.
"You know, oftentimes at the council we're working with hard issues, we're talking about cuts, we're talking about family violence and homelessness," she said.
"It's the one day of the year that is very celebratory, and I have to say, for the board and staff, it is by far our favourite event of the year."
Bardak has spent 35 years working in the disabilities field, but started her career as a certified orientation and mobility instructor.
"I teach blind people how to use a white cane and find their way around," she said.
She's still working to make things visible.
"Downtown there's lots of complaints about the loud, rude, crude, drunk, obnoxious behaviours but I'm standing there looking at that going, 'But can't you see the glaring disability? How can you miss the disability we're dealing with here?'" she said.
"And if we took care of the disability, if we took care of the trauma, if we took care of the basic needs, I suspect the drinking might take care of itself."
The Wise Women Awards will be presented during the Bread and Roses Event at the Explorer Hotel tonight at 6 p.m.
