Mission

The St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre is a feminist organization that since 1972 is continually working to achieve equality and justice through political activism, community collaboration and the creation of a safe and inclusive space for all women and non-binary people in the St. John’s area.

Guiding Principles

The work of the St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre is guided by our beliefs and commitment to:

1. Feminism – We are committed to providing accessible services to all women and non-binary people irrespective of race, ancestry, age, sexual orientation and inclusive of those who are Indigenous, two-spirit, people of colour, trans, sex workers, and living with disabilities.
2. Community – We are committed to community building and community collaboration. We hold ourselves accountable to the broad community and to those who we serve.
3. Harm Reduction – Our work is focused on keeping women and non-binary people safe, minimizing risk and working alongside them in achieving their identified goals.
4. Trauma Informed Holistic Support and Programs – We strive to provide services that are welcoming, respectful, compassionate, supportive and appropriate to the needs of women and non-binary people affected by trauma.
5. Knowledge and Understanding – We are invested in building and applying our best knowledge in the service of positive change. We consider the people we serve to be the experts on their own lives and we seek understanding.
6. Nonpartisan – We are not influenced by or affiliated with a specific political party.

The St. John’s Status of Women Council/Women’s Centre carries out its mission through the following activities:

1. The creation of a healthy work environment for staff, volunteers, students and board members;
2. The provision of public education and awareness on the status of women in the St. John’s area through political activism, written reports, the media and public events;
3. The creation and maintenance of safe and supportive housing for women and non-binary people;
4. The provision of responsive individual system navigation, support and group programming for women and non-binary people;
5. The operation of a sex worker advocacy program;
6. The mentoring of community agencies sharing a common vision regarding such things as governance, structure, writing support letters, event planning, and shared fund raising and proposal writing activities.

If you’re interested in our work over the past year, please access our AGM Report here:

SJSOWC 2020 – 2021 AGM Report

Please find a copy of our by-laws, to be voted upon at this year’s AGM Here (both a final and version with changes marked):

SJSOWC Bylaws (final copy)

2020 Proposed Bylaw Changes (with track changes)