2 • Spring 2015
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uM AnG pA aZ IcNkE Editor-In-Chief: Ines Rios Managing Editor: Michelle Both
Why talk about family violence? I T ’ S E V E R Y B O DY ’ S I S S U E By Ines Rios “Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” – Jane Howard We all need relationships to thrive, whether our families are biological or chosen, or we have friends as close as family. But most of all, we need these relationships to be healthy. This is precisely what the Neighbours, Friends and Families (NFF) Immigrant and Refugee Communities Campaign believes. This issue of Unpack has been produced in partnership with the Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre, with funding from NFF and the Ontario Women’s Directorate, in order to address family violence and engage community members in expanding the understanding of healthy family relationships in our community. In this issue, you will read stories of those working to create healthy family relationships, community resources on violence and abuse, and the specific challenges newcomers face to keep their families intact. You will also read about the important work Community Action Leaders in Hamilton are doing to raise awareness about family violence in their communities. Be sure to check out the amazing article on fatherhood, and how tenderness does not rob men of their manhood; it will add much joy and spark! We hope these stories will both inform and inspire you, as we work together for a community free of violence.
Ines Rios is the Executive Director at the Immigrant Women’s Centre, and a healthy food connoisseur.
Design & Layout: Michelle Both Guest Editorial Board: Yashoda Valliere, Alison MacKenzie, and Floydeen Charles-Fridal Copy Editor: Cassandra Roach Website: UnpackMag.ca Email: UnpackMag@IWCHamilton.ca Twitter: @UnpackMag IWCHamilton.ca 8 Main St E, Suite 101 Hamilton, ON L8N 1E8 905-529-5209 x257
This issue was made in partnership with: