Who We Are
The Centre is a drop-in community space that centers and is led by Black and Indigenous Women, Trans and 2 Spirit people. We aim to cultivate community healing and communal accountability that operates from a foundation of Transformative Justice, Reclamation and Reparations, and Decolonization. We are grounded in embodied knowledge; that people are the experts of their own lived experiences. The Centre is committed to fostering an anti-oppressive, safer, environment for people disadvantaged by gender-based inequality, to gather and access food security, alternative media, peer support, and educational and cultural programming that upholds these values.
Our Mission
The Centre is committed to cultivating a space that nurtures healing and liberation, led by Black and Indigenous Women, Trans and Two-Spirit people. We offer material support, ongoing learning and training, and community programs, as well as a physical space for our community to rest, heal, eat, learn and gather together.
About Us
Welcome to The Centre, an intervening organization offering support and solidarity since 1974. Founded with a profound commitment to advancing the rights and well-being of Women and Trans people, we have been a cornerstone in the fight for equity and empowerment at the University of Toronto St. George Campus and larger community for decades.
Our mission is simple yet powerful: to ensure that every person disadvantaged by gender-inequity has access to the resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive. From advocacy and education to direct services and community-building, we are dedicated to creating an environment where targeted groups can be free from discrimination, rest, heal, and exist comfortably.
The Centre is a drop-in community space that centres and is led by Black and Indigenous Women, Trans and Two-Spirit people. We aim to cultivate community healing and communal accountability that operates from a foundation of Transformative Justice, Reclamation and Reparations, and Decolonization. We stand in support and collaboration with embodied knowledge- that people are the experts of their own lived experiences. The Centre is committed to fostering an anti-oppressive, safer, communal environment for Women, Trans, and 2-Spirit people, to gather and access food security, alternative media, peer support, and educational and cultural programming that upholds these values.
The Centre seeks to empower its participants in their own creative self-determination and expression, promoting care and interdependence. Troubling issues of inaccess, we carve pathways for education. We focus on collaborating with other social justice organizations to mobilize in acts of liberation, facilitating communal accountability and dismantling privilege, through supporting marginalized voices.
“The Centre is committed to cultivating a space that nurtures healing and liberation, led by Black and Indigenous Women, Trans and Two-Spirit people. We offer material support, ongoing learning and training, and community programs, as well as a physical space for our community to rest, heal, eat, learn and gather together.”
Our Values
Transformative Justice
Decolonization
Community Healing
Communal Accountability
Education
Our Culture
Anti-Oppressive
Black and Indigenous Trans and Two-Spirit centred Organization
People are the experts of their own lived experience. We stand in support and collaboration with embodied knowledge
The Centre operates from a focal point of Transformative Justice, Reclamation and Reparations structure
The Centre’s Goals
Goal #1
Located on the University of Toronto St. George Campus, Tkaronto of Turtle Island.
Goal #2
Addressing the systemic disadvantagement of Womxn and Trans people within the University of Toronto and surrounding community with tangible supports, governed by communal needs
Goal #3
The Centre will actively prioritize and centre the needs of our established demographic; Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, LGBTQQIP2A+, Survivors (especially Trans*) Single Parent homes, Poor, Sex-worker, Incarcerated, Muslim, Disabled, Crip, Mad and Othered bodies experiencing disproportionate persecution and oppression in this White Supremacist, Capitalist, Ableist, Heteronormative, Imperial, Patriarchal and violent state.
Goal #4
The Centre will remain an autonomous organization by consensus which is governed by our peer reviewed application and board approved processes.
Goal #5
The Centre is committed to working collaboratively with other organizations on and off campus whose politics are aligned with our values and mission.
Goal #6
The Centre is committed to continual learning, adaptation, accountability and practices non-resistance to feedback and development.
* The Centre’s Mission will adapt and change based on the demographic and needs of the community we serve.