She-Rites is a program to nurture dreams as an essential ingredient in the lives of women and those who identifying as women, who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC). She-Rites is a call to participants to dream, write and take action steps towards realizing their dreams as a rite of passage and a right as a woman. Through dreaming and writing activities they will focus their visions and move them to live their Best Life.

At the end of the program, our goal is to help participants gain confidence, clarity and have the courage to create the plan and take the action needed to realize these dreams.

Dreams of all sizes are welcome. Dreams are essential to tap into the gifts each of us has to offer the world.

This She-Rites Program is a pilot program for staff of the City of Toronto and is a part of the Awakenings Program.

Why She-Rites?

Canada has a colonial past that continues today in various, subtle and systemic forms. Black, Indigenous and People of Colour have been historically oppressed. Our stories have been ignored and often not included in the stories of a dominant culture that has been white, of European heritage and a speaker of English. Colonial systems were built by the dominant culture for the dominant culture which has resulted in the oppression and othering of BIPOC people.  She-Rites is a part of the Awakenings Program of the City of Toronto designed to forefront BIPOC women’s dreams as a critical part of our thriving social, artistic and civic past, present and future. When BIPOC women’s dreams are realized not as a glimpse of but as a central part of life, women can share their talents and give back to the community for everyone’s well-being.

Program Values

BIPOC women’s dreams are central to the full participation, contribution, sharing and community of the greater community. To this end, She-Rites will create sessions to support dreams, navigate challenges and provide techniques to help navigate internal and external challenges on the road to participants living their Best Life.

Safe Space

The She-Rites facilitators will nurture and maintain a safe space including respectful interactions, non-judgement of others, acceptance, listening, curiosity, supportive and reciprocal contributions.

Ground Rules

  1. Confidentiality
  2. Commitment
  3. Respect and each other’s opinion, people feel respected
  4. Authenticity
  5. Being truthful
  6. Show up unmasked
  7. Patience with ourselves and with others
  8. Give grace to others
  9. Non-judgmental space
  10. Show up how we are
  11. Self-awareness
  12. Be encouraging as we need to be courageous
  13. Be aware of how we are projecting ourselves
  14. Aware of body language
  15. Fun!