Media Release: The Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund empowers underserved women experiencing barriers to employment in Ottawa.

Media Release - Ottawa November 30, 2023

The Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund empowers underserved women experiencing barriers to employment in Ottawa. 

Ottawa, ON - With the Government of Canada’s Community Services Recovery Fund (CSRF), EcoEquitable’s Sewing For Jobs program has been able to make a significant comeback after experiencing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CSRF increased the organization’s capacity to grow the professional sewing and job skills training program by hiring new staff, developing a program evaluation strategy, and creating impact measurement tools and processes to manage student recruitment, onboarding, and post graduate employment success. 

“The projects supported by the Government of Canada through the Community Services Recovery Fund demonstrate that we are a caring and compassionate society that values the well-being of all its members,” said Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development. “It is heartening to see the compassion and empathy of our citizens as they give back to those in need. Projects like EcoEquitable’s Sewing For Jobs program are a testament to the power of our collective action and our ability to come together to make a positive difference in the world. I am confident that together we can make a meaningful impact on the lives of those in Ottawa.”

“The positive impact of the CSRF  on our organization has been tremendous, said Julia Hunter, Executive Director of EcoEquitable. “This fund has supported pivotal staff positions, the addition of new team members, and the development and implementation of evaluation and impact processes to inform the future growth of this program. We are proud to empower many diverse women on their professional sewing journey’s and having the United Way’s support during this time has empowered us to recover and level-up our approach and programming.”

EcoEquitable will be hosting our Fall Semester Sewing For Jobs Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, December 14 from 1:30-3:30pm in Heartwood House, located at 404 McArthur Avenue to celebrate. The graduation ceremony will kick off, as always, with a Fashion Show featuring students’ creations! Guest speakers will include EcoEquitable’s Executive Director, volunteers, and a United Way of Eastern Ontario representative. If you are interested in attending the ceremony, please contact us.

EcoEquitable is an Ottawa nonprofit social enterprise which works towards a dual purpose of textile waste reduction and women’s empowerment through the art of sewing. Sewing For Jobs is EcoEquitable’s flagship charitable program which works to equip women experiencing barriers to employment with the skills necessary to succeed and thrive. We support many newcomer and underserved women through this program, and are currently welcoming new applications for our Winter 2024 Semester, which is set to begin in early February. We also run two social enterprise programs: our Eco Fabric Boutique and Public Sewing Classes. 

Donations can be made to support EcoEquitable’s work here. As a nonprofit charitable organization, we welcome financial donations as a way of supporting our organization’s operations, programs, and services towards our dual mission of textile waste reduction and women’s empowerment. 

For partnership or media inquiries:

Julia Hunter, Executive Director

Email: director@ecoequitable.ca

Website: www.ecoequitable.ca