It is officially January 2022. We made it to the New Year! This past year has been a difficult one for many of us. Some people see this month as a time to “start fresh” and dive into self improvement-based resolutions; setting goals, and making plans to be a better version of themselves than the year before. While we are advocates of a life-long dedication to accountability and growth, this year the WAVAW team invites you to rethink your resolutions, looking outward towards community instead of inward towards the self. As survivors, and those who love survivors, we as a community have a collective responsibility to care for each other.

You may be thinking, “What does collective, community care have to do with New Year’s resolutions?” Well, resolutions often focus on very individualized effort and goals: “Eat more healthy foods. Exercise more. Lose weight. Try new things. Dedicate time to self-care each day.” 

This idea of self-care on the surface is well-intended, but upon use of a feminist, anti-oppressive, decolonizing analysis we begin to see how entrenched self-care is in capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, sexism, classism, ableism, fatphobia, racism, and every other system of oppression. The concept of self-care is rooted in the assumption that we exist in isolation, and that we alone as individuals can be and are responsible for our well-being – The problem is, this concept is deeply rooted in colonization and white supremacy.

In reality, we are all situated in intersections of identities, oppressions, and privileges. These intersections greatly affect our ability to navigate complex systems that inform our reality, and what may seem like easy self-care strategies for one (such as a new year’s resolution to do more yoga) may be completely unattainable for another. So rather than focusing on ourselves as individuals, we must look at ourselves within our communities and explore how we can rely on our communities for care and accountability.

Our work supporting survivors and shifting society to create a future free from violence demonstrates the importance of community care in many different ways. Survivors cannot heal in isolation, nor can we eradicate gender-based violence or fight systems of oppression single handedly. Just as fighting for justice is a collective effort, care and accountability must also be community-based.

So what can community care look like and what can you begin to do in lieu of creating new year’s resolutions to sustain yourself in the coming year? Here are just a few things you could do:

• Check in on your friends, let them know you are thinking about them while assuring them that there is no pressure for them to reply to you.
• Check in on your neighbours, see if anyone needs help grabbing groceries, or running an errand.
• Support Black, Indigenous and POC creators and businesses and other small businesses.
• Shop local and in season.
• Put your money where your values are: support local community-based organizations (like WAVAW!) who share similar values.
• Set up a virtual or in-person recreation group (board games, tabletop RPGs, book clubs, craft clubs, movie club, pet play dates, walking or running groups etc.)
• Volunteer at an organization (like WAVAW!) whose values are aligned with yours.
• Find events in your community, such as marches, shows, panel discussions, etc.
• Join in on advocacy work being done in your community by becoming a board member, signing petitions, sharing news and information, fundraising, etc.
• Donate clothes, lightly used items, or non-perishable foods to shelters, transition houses, vet clinics or animal shelters – socks and umbrellas are the most needed items!
• Donate your skills and crafts to local organizations to support fundraising.
• Contribute to mutual aid campaigns and encourage those with the means in your community to also do so. 
• Follow activists and advocacy groups and support their calls to action. Here are some of our favourite activists!
• Look beyond a one year resolution and commit to a life-long learning journey. Take workshops, attend panels and listen to folks with lived experience. We have all inherited oppressive beliefs and behaviours and unpacking them is a life-long evolution. 

It’s important to keep in mind that community work, much like self work, is imperfect and messy. And since every person has different capacities to engage or participate, it is impossible to be involved in every cause or advocate for every social injustice. There is no blueprint for how best to do community care. It is important to try your best while committing to being accountable to mistakes that we make along the way. Perfection is not the goal! Even the act of raising awareness in yourself or learning as much as you can about an issue can have a huge impact on a community.

Be gentle with yourselves and with those you love. Take care of one another and hold each other accountable. And know that the burden of care does not lie in us as individuals, but in our capacity as communities. And, as members of our WAVAW community, know that you can rely on us for support. Call our 24-Hour Crisis & Information Line or share this information with those in your community. We are here for you. 

Happy New Year, we can’t wait to continue to grow with you in 2022!

24-Hour Crisis and Information Line

Lower Mainland: 604-255-6344 National Toll-free: 1-877-392-7583

Text and Chat Support
Monday – Friday. 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
salalsvsc.ca/connect