About the meeting
YWCA Canada’s 132nd Annual Members Meeting 2024
Nurturing Community. Envisioning Our Future
Hosted by YWCA Muskoka, this three-day event is a forum for YWCA leaders to make critical decisions. It includes a full program of incredible speakers, workshops, panels and activities that will build capacity to strengthen the YWCA. We will honour the accomplishments and contributions of volunteers and staff who have worked toward the advancement of the YWCA movement and the betterment of women’s lives.
This meeting offers YWCA volunteers and staff from across the country the opportunity to share knowledge, best practices, discuss emerging trends and issues, strategize on collective actions and network with one another.
Board Chairs/Presidents, Executive Directors/CEOs of YWCA Canada’s Member Associations, as well as Board volunteers, staff, and special guests typically attend the meeting. The Young Women’s Leadership and Engagement Committee encourages Member Associations to include at least one young woman in their delegation.
This page is frequently updated. Check back often to make sure you have the information you need in preparation for the meeting, such as:
- Registration Information
- Accommodation and Meeting Venue
- Program
- Young Women’s Leadership Miles
- Proxy Voting Forms
- Recognition Awards
- Committee Reports
- Workshops and Training Programs
- Mutual Respect Protocol
Registration
Fees & Important Information
- Registration fee: $750
- Late registration fee (after May 5 to May 19): $1000
Accommodation
This year YWCA Muskoka’s staff will be supporting meeting registration and accommodation booking. Delegates will need to provide information for both the registration and accommodation link.
On the accommodation reservation form, attendees can indicate their first, second and third choices for cottages, or first and second choices for rooms. Rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you have any questions about registration, please contact the YWCA Muskoka organizing committee at: office@ywcamuskoka.com
Password: YWCA24
Childcare
Childcare during meetings will be provided upon request. Please indicate this need on your registration form. If you have questions about childcare, please contact office@ywcamuskoka.com
Allergies & dietary restrictions
YWCA Muskoka will work with caterers to accommodate delegates with food allergies and dietary restrictions. It is most helpful if we have this information as far in advance as possible.
Cancellation
Cancellation prior to event will be subject to a $50 administration fee. Cancellations prior to May 16 will be given a full refund, less the administration fee. Cancellations after May 16 will not be refundable.
Contact information
For questions about registration, please contact YWCA Muskoka at office@ywcamuskoka.com
For more information or questions about AMM, please contact the Member Services Team at mst@ywcacanada.ca
Travel Costs
YWCA Canada pays the travel costs for the President/Chair and the Executive Director/CEO of Member Associations to attend the AMM. If you are driving, YWCA Canada will reimburse you at a rate of $0.70 per kilometre. If you are flying, YWCA Canada will reimburse you for the lowest regular fare (three-week advance economy booking rate) for the Chair/President and the ED/CEO.
YWCA Canada will cover ground transportation to/from your home to the airport and to/from the airport to the resort.
Ride-Share Opportunities
We have created a document to coordinate ridesharing to and from the airport. If you have extra space in your vehicle or are looking for alternative ride options, you can check here.
Shuttle from Airport
There is a shuttle that runs to Muskoka: Muskoka Airporter. If you wish, you can book this directly based on your arrival in Toronto. Click here to view the shuttle schedule and book your spot.
The nearest drop-off point to Bayview Wildwood is Gravenhurst. If you need a ride from Gravenhurst to the venue, please reach out to YWCA Muskoka at office@ywcamuskoka.com by May 19.
Program & Theme
Keynote Speaker
Susan Aglukark, O.C., LL.B
Award-Winning Inuk Singer-Songwriter
Award-winning Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark is one of Canada’s most unique artists, who blends the Inuktitut and English languages with contemporary pop music arrangements to tell the stories of her people, the Inuit of Arctic Canada. Aglukark’s talks emphasize the same themes that her music does — those of hope, spirit, and encouragement that have captivated and inspired listeners around the world.
Aglukark is Canada’s first Inuk artist to win a Juno Award (her work has earned her three), a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, and to be named an Officer of the Order of Canada. She also holds several Honourary Doctorate degrees and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Featured in Chatelaine, Flare, Saturday Night, Modern Woman, Billboard, and The New York Times, Alglukark has also been named one of Maclean’s magazine’s “100 Canadians to Watch”. She has performed for Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, Canadian Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Brian Mulroney, French President Jacques Chirac, as well as several other dignitaries. Equally important to her are the people she has performed for and spoken to on reserves, in small towns, and in villages across Canada and the Arctic.
During her 25-year journey as a singer-songwriter, Aglukark was able to reflect on who she is, where she comes from, and the importance of discovery — discovery of history, culture, and self. This time has provided Aglukark with the profound knowledge that the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their Ancestors. Their journey is what shaped them.
More about Susan: https://susanaglukark.com/
Program & Theme
Theme: Nurturing Community, Envisioning Our Future
Workshops
Click here to learn more about the workshops offered at AMM 2024.
Young Women
Young Women’s Leadership & Engagement
Young Women Leadership Miles applications for AMM 2024 were open early 2024. Young women and gender diverse youth in the YWCA movement, staff or volunteers, 30 years of age or under were invited to apply for bursaries to attend the meeting.
We are pleased to announce the following recipients of Leadership Miles funds for AMM 2024:
Lannah Guyon, YWCA Banff
Meadow Wells-Goudie, YWCA Regina
Meaghan Brackenbury, YWCA NWT
Yomade Olagunju , YWCA Niagara
Support the Young Women’s Leadership Miles by donating to the Fund here.
“Thank you so much for providing me and so many other young women from the YWCA movement in Canada with the opportunity to attend the YWCA conference. This investment in young women demonstrates your commitment to and value of the empowerment of young women as informed, effective, connected leaders. A million times, thank you!” – YWLM Fund sponsorship recipient.