Programs
The Women’s Centre endeavours to provide support to all of the women who seek its services – mothers, women with part-time or full-time jobs outside the home, seniors, and women in financial difficulty. Our outreach initiatives are an opportunity to reach women who are not served in great numbers by our core women’s programme. These groups include female adolescents and women who have recently immigrated to our country.
Free Seminars
Free seminars/wellness clinics are offered once or twice a month on Tuesday afternoons and on the occasional evening. Topics range from the educational to the entertaining. Because they are free and open to the general public, our seminars/wellness are a great way to introduce a friend to the Centre. Registration is required. Free childcare for preschool-aged children is available, but you must register for this service in advance.
Teen Workshops
The Women’s Centre offers three types of workshops for female adolescents in West Island Schools. They are Girls Online; Sex and Sexuality; and Self-Defence. Each workshop series consists of 2 to 6 one-hour workshops designed for Secondary I – III female teens.
New Connections
Located in the north part of the West Island, this program serves women who have recently arrived in Canada and settled in our community. In addition, this free program is available for women who are experiencing employment insecurity and are looking for professional development opportunities.
Support Groups
The Women’s Centre’s support groups offer women the psychological and emotional support they need to take up a new challenge, handle a problem, or further develop as individuals. Participants share their experience, support each other, and receive information and advice.
Young Families
Since October 2005, we have been offering Time for Two, an arts and crafts program for young families in the CLSC Lac St. Louis territory. The purpose of this activity is to break isolation and support all families.
Time for Two encourages a positive and joyful experience to share between mother and child. An additional benefit of the project is the opportunity for mothers to interact with each other and to have a very positive mother-child relationship. Mothers help to create an enriching environment in which their child can learn and grow. With the help of the instructor, they also learn to incorporate reading and art into their daily family life.
We now also have a duplicate program, Temps pour Deux, offered in the Pierrefonds/Sainte-Genevieve area.