The West Kootenay Women’s Association (WKWA) was incorporated in 1974 and operates the oldest rural Womens Centre in Canada, the Nelson & District Women’s Centre (NDWC).
The NDWC facilitates a variety of diverse programming including the Drop-in Resource and referral Program, Queer Drop-in Program, Practicum Counselling Program, Rooted in Community Volunteer Program, Youth Empowerment Series, My Grandmothers Kitchen and Community Garden Program (Food security and Equity Project), BC Farmers Market Coupon Program and more! WKWA has been a leader in the community, coordinating celebrations, rallies, protests, fundraisers and advocacy events, including Women’s Day, Take Back the Night, and the December 6th vigil.
When the WKWA opened the NDWC our objectives were:
- Women’s empowerment toward the creation of a world free of oppression;
- Creating healthy community through providing support and resources for women and advancing gender equality (affirming the unique experience of women/girls in our society); and
- Maintaining drop-in hours and a place where women can organize around their needs, plus access to a feminist library.
Today our values have expanded to include supporting all marginalized genders including gender diverse individuals. We are working hard to support our transgender, non-binary, two-spirit, gender-fluid, and gender queer community members who access our programming.
Many significant, inspirational projects have run through the West Kootenay Women’s Association since it was incorporated in 1974. Countless women and gender diverse folks have contributed with their hearts and souls to keep the doors of the Women’s Centre open and ensure the programming continues to be relevant.
The first signers of the West Kootenay Women’s Association Constitution in August of 1974 were:
- Irene Mock
- Diane Luthmers (currently Dianne Luchtan)
- Diane Adams
- Lorna Dalton Morey
- Vita Storey (currently Vita Luthmers)
More detailed information about the early history of the Centre can be found at www.kootenayfeminism.com. Some of the highlights include:
A Timeline of events at WKWA:
- 1972 Vita Luthmers (Storey), one of the inspirational founders of the Nelson Women’s Centre, travels to Vancouver and returns with $7,600 in federal funds from the Secretary of State. Thus began the Nelson Women’s Centre, opening its doors on Baker Street to become the first women’s centre outside of the Lower Mainland in the province. At this point the main focus is on health and reproductive issues, educational and employment needs of women in the West Kootenays.
- The Nelson Women’s Centre Newsletter became the voice of the Kootenay Women’s Council, a coalition of women’s groups of the Kootenays. Eventually the newsletter received the name Images. It became a ‘Kootenay women’s newspaper’. Distributed from coast to coast, ‘lesbians and straight’ women worked together on Images throughout its publications for 19 years. Today, past Images issues can be found in the Nelson Museum archives and at the NDWC.
- 1973 (January) The Nelson Women’s Centre officially opens its doors, upstairs in the Peterson Building, 490 Ward Street.
- 1974 The first of 25+ annual women’s festivals is held. The festivals served as fundraisers for the Women’s Centre and/or Images newspaper. Nelson became known throughout Canada for its ‘famous smallest women’s festival.’ Festivals included consciousness raising, music and art making, political workshops and just plain fun.
- 1977 The Women’s Centre becomes the main project of the newly formed non-profit society, ‘West Kootenay Women’s Association’ (WKWA).
- 1978 The Women’s Centre moves to the Old Jam Factory.
- 1980s Many actions and rallies are held in Nelson regarding pornography, abortion rights, sexual abuse and harassment.
- 1990 The Women’s Centre loses its government funding along with many other women’s centres in Canada. Creative, alternative ways for raising funds to keep the doors open are being found and are constantly revised.
- 1994 -1995 After many years of moving, the Women’s Centre finds a permanent home at 420 Mill Street. The Centre opens after six months of renovations carried out by a crew of skilled women. The Women’s Centre was later dedicated as the Jean Mackenzie House.
- Throughout the 80s, 90s and early 2000s countless support groups for survivors of violence were run through the Centre, supporting the ongoing work to tackle issues of violence against women in the community.
- ‘Rooted in Community’, a Volunteer Training Program is offered through the Centre. Skills are built in peer counselling and in connecting women to community service providers.
- 2007 A variety of textile and fiber art projects inspire women at the Centre. The Cross Cultural Threads project teaches women how to sew, knit, crochet, weave, embroider, reviving traditional practices.
- 2009 The website www.kootenayfeminism.com is created with support of WKWA and respected founding member of the organization, Dr. Marcia Braundy, to digitalize the herstory of our bioregion. Her commitment to feminism and the mission and work of the West Kootenay Women’s Association (WKWA) has resulted in the permanent recording of many significant events and documents from the Women’s Centre’s inception.
- 2011 Gender Action Project (GAP) theatre starts, providing space and engage with ‘gender dynamics of today’ in a creative way for youths.
- 2014 The kitchen is renovated to create opportunities for women to initiate direct action around their own food security through workshops and community meals at the Centre. For many years the Centre has been offering free (donated) food for women and their families in need.
- 2016 The Trans Resource and Community Engagement Space (TRACES) was initiated through a process of consultations with members of the trans and gender diverse communities of the region. TRACES drop-in saw an expansion of drop-in services, including food security support, peer counseling, textile skill share, bathtub, free store and community building space for connection.
- 2022 The membership voted to adopt an inclusive constitution. We are proud to offer our services to women, gender diverse individuals, and their children.
- 2023 First annual RIFT: Renewing Intersectional Feminism Together fundraiser.
- 2023 We launched the Queer Drop-in Program (open to 2SLGBTQIA+ and allies).
- 2023 The Youth Empowerment Series was created to be inclusive of gender diverse youth.
- 2024 A Strategic Plan was created through the Columbia Basin Trust Advisor program to help guide the organization and achieve our goals!
“Thank you Women’s Centre! Our community is a better place because of your presence and continued support on so many levels. Not only for women, but for our families as well.”