Not much to report re: travelling, with a day off in Winnipeg. However, I had one CBC TV and one CBC radio interview, which went well. It was a day of meeting new and old friends, and great conversations…….
First I met Sell, a community activist who has done tremendous work in one of the most difficult areas in Winnipeg. He and his wife chose to live in an area that had one of the highest crime rates in Canada. Through direct engagement with the community they helped to get the crime rate down to about average. Sell believes strongly in immediate intervention when people witness violence against women and clear messages by everybody that it’s not accepted. He was excited to hear about the Neighbours, Friends and Families work we are doing in Ontario because he believes in community action and intervention when someone sees or is concerned about violence against women.
Then I met up with our old Owen Sound friend Jim Mulvale who just started his job as Dean of Social Work at the University of Manitoba. We had not seen each other for over 20 years. We went to a little restaurant and discussed children, politics, Change the Cycle and his work. We spoke of the determinants of people’s behaviours and attitudes and the influence of income and social structure. It was a great conversation.
Back at the Cherniack’s house, where I am staying, we had a lively discussion with their daughter Katie who teaches junior high school. She is very concerned about the way the development of teenagers’ sexuality is so strongly influenced by pornography and sexist media. Although it’s a struggle, she hopes that we can teach young male students to respect girls and that girls respect themselves. Katie strongly thinks that we need to foster a society where we recognize that abusive and disrespectful behaviour is “not normal”.
Tomorrow the tour will head to the northwest. It will be a tough stretch on the prairies with long distances without any towns in between. First thing tomorrow morning I will be on City TV at 6:35am!