THERE’S NOTHING MORE THAT WE LOVE THAN WORKING WITH A HARDWORKING, DEDICATED, AND INCREDIBLE GROUP OF WOMEN
And that’s what we get every time we’re with the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto! The NWRCT provides a safe and welcoming environment for all Aboriginal women and their children in the GTA and they support them through housing, family, advocacy, employment, education, and youth programs. Ultimately they build self-sufficiency and develop a collective capacity to make positive change though individual support, group programming, and cultural initiatives.
For this years annual report we shot a portrait session with success story, Natasha (shown here first), the NWRCT’s new executive director, Pamela Hart, and all of the wonderful teams who make things possible. In an environment where there’s always something happening it isn’t always easy to ask people to stop what their doing and come outside to shoot, but everyone was so accommodating and for that we’re very grateful!
When it’s warm out we always like to try and spend as much time as possible shooting outside, especially since our winters are so long and drab- we try and get in as much greenery and sunlight while we can!
Ok so back to this years success story, Natasha… she’s originally from Alberta but came to Toronto in 1992 after running away from a difficult childhood. In 2014 she reached out to the NWRCT to ask for help dealing with her anger and other traumas, she says, “I decided to come to Native Women’s and that is the best thing I could do because I have learned about creating healthy boundaries, about my self-worth and that I am capable of doing other things that made me grow.” Today Natasha is a volunteer at the centre, leading different programs, and through this she has gained the work experience to become an entrepreneur, running her own moving company. She is also a proud mom of 2, who continues to grow in her own culture and traditions.
You can see the 2017-2018 NWRCT Annual Report here, and more photos + outtakes from our shoot down below
