The press conference during the Grand Opening Week for the Canadian Centre for Men and Families on November 20, 2014

Short presentations by:
Justin Trottier
James Brown
Eleanor Levine
Denise Fong
Malcolm Johnston
Veronica Kay
Serge Mwimba (en francais)

The press conference and opening was covered by many major national news outlets: CBC, CTV, Globe and Mail, National Post, Global TV, Sun News, Toronto Star, Metro News and others.

Visit www.menandfamilies.org

Happy New Year from the Canadian Association for Equality and the Canadian Centre for Men and Families.

As you know, our goal was to raise $25,000 during our 2014 year end campaign, while matching a $10,000 donor doubling challenge.

As the milestone-setting year came to a close, thanks to your support both expectations were exceeded. We raised just over $30,500!

You responded to the crises facing boys and men with hope and by committing your support, so that we could channel frustration with the status quo into a positive force for change.

The many visitors to the Canadian Centre for Men and Families can now be assured services will be available to them. And we can now get to work to launch 3 new priority programs for 2015:  a legal resource centre for men, a peer support group for fathers and a new mentorship program for at-risk boys.

Our recent fundraising campaign has also opened doors to new sources of financial support: government grants, philanthropic foundations, unions and corporate sponsorship. We will aggressively pursue a mix of revenue streams to sustain our operations in 2015 and beyond.

But make no mistake. Your continued individual support has always been and will continue to be the cornerstone of our success. 

Going forward please consider setting up a small monthly contribution. Monthly donations are a great way to spread out a larger contribution and help our efforts to plan for the future. We can now process funds by direct deposit, credit card or paypal.

If you’d like more information please contact info@equalitycanada.comor call 647-479-9611.

Warmest regards,

Justin Trottier

Director, Canadian Centre for Men and Families

Canadian Centre for Men and Families Opens Its Doors

Although our official launch event is still several weeks away, the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, Toronto’s first “Men’s Centre,” is now open for business.

You are welcome to visit us during the hours of 1-5PM Monday through Saturday, plus evenings by appointment. We are located at 152 Carlton Street, Unit 201, in downtown Toronto.

The space has been beautifully furnished, equipped and decorated thanks to all of your wonderful contributions.

Justin, Eric and Allen at a volunteer’s meeting

Our call out for volunteers has resulted in regular daily staffing. That means we can begin to respond to clients and make significant progress on a variety of other important efforts ranging from authoring press releases to organizing our high profile campus events.

And we’ve had a busy week so far. Our Outreach Director Denise forged new connections with Movember, St. Michael’s Hospital and Rainbow Health. New volunteer Walid joined our male suicide research group. Eric, a social worker, planned an employment-based community service he intends to host starting October. Allen took charge of the Centre’s new social media accounts. Chandler worked on plans to launch a men’s health discussion group for the Ryerson community. And Eleanor helped to craft policies to manage and operate the Centre.

In our first day we received a number of congratulations, welcome messages and offers for partnership. One in particular stands out. A woman called to get our help recruiting more men to her Toronto Trauma Survivor Support Group, wanting to make sure both men and women receive the help they need.

The Centre is already starting to make a difference.

We are now on the look out for volunteers interested in running a variety of programs at the CCMF, particularly discussion-oriented groups, book clubs and film screening series. If you’re interested please get in touch with us.

Thank you everyone for your support and commitment.

The Canadian Association for Equality

The Canadian Association for Equality has succeeded in its Campaign to Establish the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, Toronto’s first “Men’s Centre.”

The Centre will be open to the public as of Tuesday, September 2, 2014. We are planning a kick off celebration and open house with details to be announced.

The mission of the Canadian Centre for Men and Families #CanadianCMF is to establish a space in Toronto that will provide research, outreach and public education dedicated to men’s issues, and to operate a social service agency focused on workshops, support groups and counselling for boys, men, fathers and their families. We aim to create a better future for our sons and daughters through mutual understanding and compassion.

Read the Canadian Centre for Men and Families Action Plan

Follow our progress and read the Canadian Centre for Men and Families Status Updates

Support the Canadian Centre for Men and Families.
Please contact info@equalitycanada.com to help out with:

#1. Take a Shift at the Canadian Centre for Men and Families

The Canadian Centre for Men and Families has been built over the last few weeks by an amazing team of volunteers. We couldn’t have done it without all of you. As we prepare to open our doors in September, we are putting together a schedule with regular weekly volunteer shifts. In order to more effectively serve our community we need your help. Please be a part of something truly unique. Let us know if you are available for a regular shift at the Centre. Ideally this would mean a 4 hour/week commitment, but anything of a minimum 2 hours every other week would be helpful, provided you can commit to at least a 3 month period.

#2. Contributions

Amazingly we have built the Centre entirely with your donation of furniture, equipment, supplies and artwork. While we are almost done we do have a few final items that would be of tremendous use to our operations. Please let us know if you can donate these items or make a financial contribution to defray their cost:
Little Fridge: $150
Drill Set: $75
Plants: $50
Chairs (foldable): $20/chair up to 30 chairs
Men’s issues books: any amount
Kettle: $30
Lamp: $40
Magnetic dry erase whiteboard: $95
Wall hanging Calendar: $65
Long foldable tables for meetings: $75 each X 2 tables

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SUPPORT OUR ON-GOING OPERATIONS

Support the campaign today. Make a donation or join our organization

Donations

Please support our efforts to bring awareness to critical – but neglected – causes and issues! If you are donating to a particular fund (eg. Campus Outreach Campaign Fund) please email us to let us know where to direct your support)

There are additional options for making donations or joining. Please click here

Join our Founders Club: Spearheaded by an anonymous supporter who has donated $5,000, the Founder’s Club has been created to provide a special program of recognition, access, and engagement for nine additional supporters who each contribute a matching donation of $5,000.

Help us get the word out: Tweet about the Campaign using #CanadianCMF then follow us on twitter and like CAFE on facebook

Campaign Poster and The Disposable Man PSA Video in support of the Campaign:

OLDER UPDATES:

BREAKING: Indiegogo campaign launched in support of the Canadian Centre for Men and Families. Visit the Indiegogo Page

Media Advisory: Canadian “Men’s Centre” Soon a Reality as Fundraising Nears Goal

Click here for the Matching Campaign media advisory

Read the Toronto Star article:Controversial Mens Rights Group Fundraising for a Centre for Men and Families

Read the Media Advisory: Campaign to Establish Toronto’s First “Men’s Centre” Receives Leading Donation: Canadian Association for Equality Announces “Founder’s Club” for $5,000 Level Donors

Find out more about the Campaign at the following links:

Support

Campaign Launch Media Advisory

Public Launch Event with Lionel Tiger

Endorsements

Press

Full project brief

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CAMPAIGN LAUNCH EVENT FEATURING PROFESSOR LIONEL TIGER

On June 12, prominent Anthropologist Lionel Tiger joined the Canadian Association for Equality leadership to launch the Campaign to Establish the Canadian Centre for Men and Families at Screen Lounge in Toronto. Watch the video here.

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ENDORSEMENTS

Dr. Lionel Tiger, author and anthropologist, Rutgers University

Dr. Warren Farrell, best-selling author and Pioneer in the men’s issues movement

Dr. Miles Groth, Editor of New Male Studies, Wagner College Psych Prof, and co-editor of Engaging College Males

Barbara Kay, National Post Columnist

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CAMPAIGN PRESS

Metro News

The Toronto Star – Controversial Men’s Rights Group Fundraising for a Centre for Men and Families

The Good Men Project – Introducing Canada’s New Centre for Men and Families

Radio Canada – La condition masculine

CBC Ontario Today – How has dad’s role changed?

Sun TV Menzoid Mornings – The diminished role of the male

National Post – Leading expert on ‘maleness’ comes to Toronto to support ‘men’s centre’

Ontario AM980 The Pulse AUDIO: Dr. Lionel Tiger on “maleness” and the decline of masculinity

Metro – Are women ‘studying for two?’

The Campaign to Establish the Canadian Centre for Men and Families has also been featured on the Ric Peterson Show (CJAD800), the Charles Adler Show on Sun TV, the John Oakley Show on AM640, Square Off on CHCH News, the Live Drive with John Tory on Newstalk 1010, and other outlets.

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THE CANADIAN CENTRE FOR MEN AND FAMILIES: PROJECT BRIEF

The Canadian Association for Equality has created a proposal describing the importance and urgency of this project. Please read below or Download the PDF version.

Mission

The mission of the Canadian Centre for Men and Families is to establish a space in Toronto that will provide services, research, outreach and public education on all aspects of issues related to boys, fathers, men and families through a network of community groups across the country dedicated to creating a better future for our sons and daughters through mutual understanding and compassion.

Scope

CCMF will build on and work in collaboration with existing groups dedicated to boys’ and men’s issues by providing a venue where organizations that share the overall mandate of the CCMF, including receptive and supportive women’s groups, may establish themselves and work together.

Governance

The Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE) will lead the Management Committee of the CCMF. The Management Committee will also be constituted of Advisors from related organizations.
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Goals

The CCMF will distinguish itself in three critical ways:

* The CCMF will be dedicated to boys’ and men’s issues on their own terms and not approached through a particular ideological lens.

* The CCMF will focus on the breadth of boys’ and men’s issues, including:

• The “Boys’ Crisis” (education, bullying, suicide) – Creating a new sense of purpose for our sons
• Workplace Issues (e.g. workplace safety)
• Educational and other resources to improve the mental and physical health of boys and men
• Family Law and Fathers Issues
• Empowering boys and men with communication skills rather than violence
• Crime and Punishment/Legal Issues
• Media, Social and Cultural Misandry
• Academic Misandry (e.g. in Gender Studies and Culture Studies programs)

* The CCMF will work on these issues in depth by engaging in a wide variety of actions and activities all with a Canadian outlook and focus, including:

• Large public educational events and conferences
• Evidence-based research, policy writing, and engagement with the press
• Multimedia, such as blogs, social media, and the broadcast of podcasts and videos
• Social service provision
• campus outreach to a growing network of university student groups
• lending library
• political action: meetings with politicians, protests, rallies

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Target Fundraising Goal: $50,000 – $75,000

This range provides some options for financing the initial 2 years of this project:

Lower estimate (~$50,000):
– Office Option: 600 square feet on a major Toronto thoroughfare: $1000/month
– Part-time Executive Director: $1000/month

Higher estimate (~$75,000):
– Store-Front Option with more visibility and floor space: $1500/month
– Part-time Executive Director: $1000/month
– Additional operational, administrative and professional expenses: $500/month

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In Memory of Earl Silverman

Earl Silverman, a man with passion who had felt the personal trauma of partner abuse from his ex wife, hung himself on April 26, 2013 in the garage of his recently sold home. Earl had dedicated his life to raising awareness of male victims of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). For 20 years Earl was a persistent force in lobbying governments at all levels to obtain funding for male victims of IPV. The Canadian Centre for Men and Families is driven by the goal of growing an institution that will give perpetual meaning to Earl’s life-long efforts.

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Expertise

CAFE has established a track record in successfully raising awareness and generating meaningful dialogue as well as fostering better awareness and understanding of boys’/men’s issues with intense media coverage and high attendance at the following diverse events in the last 15 months:

Dr. Katherine Young and Dr. Paul Nathanson
From Misogyny & Misandry to Intersexual Dialogue
Topic: Cultural and legal issues surrounding dender

Dr. Warren Farrell
Boys to Men: Transforming the Boys Crisis into our Sons’ Opportunities
Topic: Boys issues

Lionel Tiger
The Decline of Males
Topic: Cultural and anthropological issues related to gender

Barbara Kay
From Women’s Rights to Feminist Wrongs: Contempt for Men in Contemporary Societ
Topic: Fathers’ issues and family courts

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Sample of CAFE Media Coverage

City TV  http://tinyurl.com/d6o7cuj
Huffington Post http://tinyurl.com/cq6ls6c
MacLeans http://tinyurl.com/obxq24t
CHCH TV http://tinyurl.com/o2dvsp5
Sun TV http://tinyurl.com/lcskbw4

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Planning committee
Iain Dwyer
Egi Troka
Malcolm Johnston
Adam McPhee
Ryan Browne
Hilary Leehane
Andy Williams

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Contact:
info@equalitycanada.com
416-479-0718