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YWCA Cambridge Updates
August 2026
Your bi-monthly pulse on programs, events and inspiration.
In This Issue:
💙 Greetings from Kim
🙌 Upcoming Events
🌼Shelter Updates
🎼The W: Program Highlights
🤱Child Care & Camp Updates
🤝 Community Love & Gratitude
💡Advocacy & Action
😘How You Can Help
🔑Stay Connected
Greetings {{First Name}},
As we head into a busy fall, I am grounded by the ways our community shows up for one another.
This edition highlights a whole slew of important events, including a fast-approaching event marking International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, and another not far off: Take Back The Night on September 17. After that, we’ll be talking about how urban design can better serve women and gender diverse individuals at SheTalks: Feminist Cities Edition on October 7. And of course, I hope you plan to engage with the Cambridge Elects town halls happening in every ward ahead of the 2026 municipal election.
There are lots of ways to engage in important conversations over the next couple of months. Meanwhile, incredible work continues happening across YWCA Cambridge. Perhaps most exciting is that the finishing touches are being put on our brand new child care centre, Greengate Child Care, which will provide 88 new child care spaces for Cambridge families.
There is so much more to tell you - read on to learn about what’s new at YWCA Cambridge. And, as always, I extend my gratitude to you for being engaged, for supporting our work, and for standing behind our mission to advance gender equity through programs, services and advocacy.
Sincerely,
Kim Decker,
CEO, YWCA Cambridge
Upcoming Events
August 31 - International Overdose Awareness Day
Cambridge continues to feel the weight of the toxic drug crisis. In the first half of 2026 alone, paramedics responded to 170 opioid-related calls in your city — nearly double the number from the same period last year. Yet for many in Cambridge, access to harm reduction services, treatment, and support doesn't match what's available in other parts of the region. That service gap can make this crisis feel even more isolating, pushing people into the shadows rather than connecting them to care.
International Overdose Awareness Day is our chance to change that. Hosted by Sanguen, August 31, 2026, marks the 25th year of IOAD — a quarter-century of remembering those we've lost to drug overdose and poisoning, and acknowledging the grief carried by the families, friends, and communities left behind. This year, we want Cambridge to show up. We want folks who've felt marginalized or unseen to come out and feel the support of their community, right here in Soper Park.
Shelter staff and residents visited a lavender farm this month!
Who knew that there was such a beautiful place so close by? Shelter residents and staff got the chance to stroll through paths of lavender and sunflowers, taking in the smell and sights of the farm while finding quiet moments amongst the flowers and bees.
Thank you to the wonderful staff atPurple Blossom Lavender Farm, who generously shared their time and knowledge, sharing with participants a little about the farm, the lavender, and sunflowers.
Residents and staff practised mindful self kindness through hand sewing lavender sachets, while talking about calming techniques through various senses. They explored how caring for yourself can look like small, slow acts, and learned that creating something special can remind them of their ability to care for themselves. Folks were invited to add a positive self-affirmation into their sachets to meditate on and carry with them if they chose. Pictures just can’t capture this incredible, calming scent!
The W: Program Highlights
Take Back the Night
Take Back The Night is almost here! This youth-led rally, march and market celebrates, supports and empowers survivors, while reclaiming our right to safety and speaking out against sexual and gender-based violence. See below for the run of events for this evening of community action and taking a stand.
Event Schedule 6:00 p.m. – Doors open! Explore community booths, Night Market vendors and activities 7:00 p.m. – Youth-led rally begins 7:30 p.m. – March through downtown Galt 8:00 p.m. – Final message of solidarity 9:00 p.m. – Market and community booths close
We hope to see you there to take back the night with us!
Youth Programs: Summer Camps
Four successful weeks of camp was no small feat! This year, we expanded our camps to support more youth and families with larger groups and longer days! Camps were a great way to introduce youth to our programs, connect with community resources and build new friendships! Youth enjoyed outings including Activate, Play with Clay, Little Prince Cinema, and Bowling. We made so much art together, building relationships in our own little community. A BIG thank you to all the campers who joined us over the summer and to the community organizations who supported activities!
Financial Empowerment That’s Free to All:
Dollars & Sense is a free, community‑based financial empowerment program that supports women and gender‑diverse individuals in building confidence, strengthening their financial wellbeing, and navigating financial systems with dignity. Grounded in trauma‑informed, anti‑oppressive, and participant‑led practice, the program offers accessible financial education, one‑on‑one counselling, benefits navigation, ID support, free tax filing, and capacity‑building for community partners. If you’re interested in offering financial literacy sessions to your clients, please connect with our Financial Literacy Program Coordinator, Kiranjot Kaur, at k.kaur@ywcacambridge.ca.
Child Care & Camp Updates
It’s been a busy summer for the child care leadership team as our brand new centre, Greengate Child Care, gets built and readied for its anticipated opening this September!
The team is moving full steam ahead as they prepare to welcome families. Over the past few weeks, that’s looked like receiving deliveries of classroom furniture (and then building it!), equipment, and learning materials, and transforming these beautiful spaces into nurturing environments for learning and play.
We are also excited to welcome our newest team members, who started onboarding and orientation at the end of August!
The team is now in the thick of municipal inspections, a key step leading up to our final Ministry of Education walkthrough. YWCA Cambridge is lucky to have this incredible team working so diligently behind the scenes as we look forward to our opening season.
Here is 0-5 Supervisor, Gill Fiander and Before and After Care supervisor, Simmi Saini, taking a quick selfie break while they receive deliveries to Greengate Child Care!
New Staff Orientation
At the end of August, new staff gathered at Kinbridge Community Centre and engaged in a number of team building activities while preparing for the busy school year ahead!
Summer Camp Fun Happened So Fast!
This was our first year operating camps entirely through our licensed child care and what a blast it was! Over the summer, we welcomed more than 300 little campers who enjoyed lots of outdoor play, field trips, and new friendships.
During one of the summer camp excursions, the children engaged in a rich investigation of sensory materials through a variety of slime experiences. Their explorations included colour-changing slime, Oobleck, water slime, gummy bear slime, and an exciting "Slimey Challenge." As the children explored each material, they became researchers, using their senses to investigate textures, colours, scents, and changes. Their conversations reflected deep engagement and growing confidence in expressing their ideas.
Community Love & Gratitude
She Talks: Feminist Cities Edition
Each day, the women, girls, and gender-diverse people who walk through our doors at YWCA Cambridge are faced with a stark reality: Cities are rarely built with women, girls, and gender-diverse people in mind.
Leslie Kern, writer, speaker, and coach, wrote the book on how city development excludes women, not just in Cambridge, but in cities everywhere.
Save the Date: An Intimate Evening with Leslie Kern Author of Feminist City: Claiming Space in a Man-Made World
When: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Where: Cambridge School of Architecture, 7 Melville St S, Cambridge
Don’t be fooled by the venue - this isn't a lecture. It's an opportunity to discuss how we think about and build communities: from the streets, housing, and public spaces we share, and the nonprofits, like us, working every day to fill the gaps that design and policy can overlook.
Change in our community starts when people come together, hear new ideas, challenge their assumptions, ask questions and leave with an intention of doing something about it.
This is a special edition of our SheTalks speaker series, as we continue to create an intimate atmosphere for conversations and connection.
We hope to see you on October 7!
Advocacy & Action
YWCA Cambridge is a proud participant in the Cambridge Elects initiative aimed to drive civic engagement and increase voter turnout
The municipal election takes place this October 26 - are you prepared to vote? Join your ward town hall to hear directly from your ward's candidates and what their priorities for our city are. A mayoral town hall will also be taking place September 24 and another for Regional Council on September 22.
Find information on candidates, town halls, and other election information at cambridgeelects.ca.
YWCA Cambridge in the News
Director of Communications and Advocacy, Roz Gunn, speaks on civic engagement (CBC interview)
Earlier this month, our Director of Communications and Advocacy, Roz Gunn, sat down with Craig Norris on CBC K-W’s The Morning Edition to talk about Cambridge Elects and what we’re doing to increase civic engagement in Cambridge.
Cambridge Elects is a nonpartisan partnership among 14 organizations that will be hosting town halls in every Cambridge ward, as well as town halls for mayoral candidates and regional council candidates. The election takes place October 26, 2026.
Learn more about when and where town halls are planned, and vote on the topics you want to hear from candidates about at CambridgeElects.ca.
Every action you take—big or small—helps us build a community where women, girls and gender-diverse individuals are respected, valued and equal. Here’s how you can make a difference today:
💛Donate: Help us to provide safe shelter, empowering women’s and youth programs, and to be a strong voice for gender equity.
🔁Become a Monthly Donor: Join a community of changemakers fueling sustainable impact all year long.
🎟️Attend an Event: From Women of Distinction to community workshops and fundraisers, your presence matters.
🎉Host a Fundraiser: Celebrate a birthday, milestone or community event by fundraising in support of our programs.
Stay Connected
There are so many ways to stay in the loop and be part of the YWCA Cambridge community. Be sure to follow us on social media for real-time updates, stories and opportunities.
Together, we’re building a stronger, more equitable Cambridge. Thank you for being part of it!
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