October 28, 2015 | News
In 2012, Edith Beauvais, among other students, was concerned about the fact that there was nobody actively representing the female students in the school. Beauvais and the others decided to start a project: the Women’s Advocacy Group. Not long after, they received numerous complaints about the fact that the group was directed solely to females. Following this, they chose to widen their audience and change their name to the Hive Gender Advocacy Centre.
The Hive, though it expanded, never forgot its roots and still helps many women in need by giving out free tampons, pads, condoms, pregnancy tests and a place to lie down when in pain due to menstrual cramps. As a feminist group, they fight for every single person’s rights to be respected. In changing their target audience, they’ve transformed their goal, now hoping to benefit all the students of the college, no matter their gender.
An advocacy group is, first and foremost, a group that tries to educate and change the views and perceptions of pressing issues in our society. The Hive has taken on discussing both sexual and mental health; two areas that are poorly perceived by many people in our society. They try to promote awareness by creating and animating workshops and information stands, and by offering a wide library of works and documentation on varying subjects.
The Hive is also a place where you can find ways to contact services outside of Dawson. They can even book appointments with doctors if someone is uncomfortable or unable to do so themselves. With a budget of $10,000, they try their best to grant the students with the best services possible, as they are well equipped to deal with any kind of demand.
The Hive is also easily accessible; you can drop by their office situated in room 2D.1A (near the second floor cafeteria) any time between 9AM and 7PM from Mondays to Thursdays, as well as around noon on Fridays.
The hardworking people of The Hive are happy to receive questions and requests at all times. Currently, there are four people with rotating shifts in the office: Joyce Joseph (Chairperson), Esmee Steck (communications), Valérie Bégin (Treasurer) and Ariel Swan (an employee).
Two other positions as executives have been recently emptied. The first opening being an event coordinator, organizing things like last year’s Queer Prom with the intention of giving another shot to those who didn’t fully appreciate prom the first time around. The second opening consists of another sort of communications position, such as getting in touch with external organizations as well as those within Dawson. If either job interests you, you can attend one of the meetings at The Hive on Wednesdays.
When it comes to seeking help, the Hive Gender Advocacy Centre is open to anyone and everyone, regarding issues from sexual to mental health, and any problem in between.
This article was published in Volume 45, Issue 3, of The Plant.