Civic engagement training

Our workshops are open to residents in Ottawa-Gatineau. They center the experiences of women, non-binary and gender-non-conforming folks from a diversity of communities and backgrounds. Your views matter!

Our workshops will give you the tools you need to push for positive change. Our participants leave with confidence and a sense of purpose. Many go on to take action such as supporting our campaigns and programs. Some even train to lead our workshops themselves as CAWI Facilitators.

Our workshops are a welcoming space where women can learn from each other and embrace diverse perspectives. Each session is designed and led by CAWI Facilitators who have lived experience of marginalization, as well as expertise in civic engagement, community facilitation, and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI.) It’s ok if you aren’t familiar with these concepts yet – we’ll make everything clear to you.

It’s completely free to attend our civic engagement workshops. We’ll also give you $30 per session, plus an extra $15 during COVID, to show that we value your time. Need childcare during the workshop? We offer up to $10 per hour to help you cover the cost.

This workshop will give you lots of ideas to foster change at the local level and strengthen your neighbourhood. We design and deliver this training in collaboration with the Community Development Framework (CDF). Read our Creating the Change We Want guide.

We provide training on the City budget every year. You’ll learn how the City budget is developed and how to influence the process. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet City Councillors and present at Council and Committee meetings. Don’t worry if this idea makes you nervous or unsure – you’ll be supported at every step by our Facilitators and other participants.

Participatory budgeting gives residents real power over real money. Gender budgeting helps governments spend money in a way that promotes gender equity and inclusion. In this workshop, we’ll show you how to understand municipal budgets through a gender equity lens. You’ll learn how communities can influence municipal spending. We’ll practice these principles using a made-up example of the City of Ottawa’s budget.

A deputation is a formal written or verbal presentation that makes your views known to the City Council. Our workshop will teach you how to use deputations to influence the Council’s decisions on important issues. You’ll learn how and when deputations work, as well as how they’re useful for getting your message out publicly.

We deliver these workshops in the lead up to municipal, provincial or federal elections. Our workshops describe how to vote, why voting is important, how different levels of government work, and how you can make your voices heard. Together, we explore which election issues are most important to you and we provide support so you can share these workshops and do outreach with your community.

This workshop fosters dialogue between immigrant, settler and Indigenous women. We discuss the impact of colonization on our lives and how we can disrupt colonization on Turtle Island. The decolonization workshop is created by women in CAWI and the Righting Relations Ottawa Circle.