Building community is essential to building worker power. The Workers’ Action Centre is all about workers connecting with each other to learn workplace rights and defend them. Supporters like you make it possible to offer the worker education programs necessary to empower workers.
The Workers’ Bowl, our annual fundraiser with the OEERC*, is on Saturday, November 16. Every dollar raised funds education like our Senior Leadership Program, Feet on the Ground organizer training and a variety of Know Your Rights workshops delivered in several languages.
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When workers take our education programs, they make an impact on their communities.
Amina is a great example of the worker leaders who emerge from our programs more confident in their ability to teach and support other workers. Amina took time to answer questions about her role as a WAC Senior Leader in 2024.
What made you want to learn more about workers’ rights?
If I don’t have knowledge for myself, I can’t help my community. I’ve volunteered at different places, but I found my focus with WAC. I stay connected to what’s going on and I keep up-to-date on workers’ rights.
Everything I learn, I pass on to the Somali community and other workers in my neighbourhood because it helps people. They have lots of rights they don’t know about.
How did your participation in the Senior Leadership Program help your community?
It made me more consistent. I always go back to the same Somali mall in Regent Park to hand out leaflets and talk with folks. Because of that, people remember WAC when they have questions about their workplace rights.
I know my community. People are suffering from discrimination at work and immigration problems, so I give workshops on these issues in Somali. Now that I have the trust of the people, they come to me with questions. I’m proud to know that what they learn from me, they share with other workers.
Many didn’t know about maternity leave. They didn’t know that if you’re non-status, you should get minimum wage and the other rights under the Employment Standards Act. After learning, people who were depressed or scared become confident.
What do you want other workers to know?
When people are afraid of their bosses, I tell them we can come together and support each other. I say, “Whatever I can do, you can learn to do it too.”
This year, I started mentoring a few members who want to be leaders. Last week was the first time I showed them how to lead a community outreach activity. I can’t wait to do more good work with them next year.
WAC Senior Leaders like Amina are building up their own skills and their communities at the same time. Will you help keep our educational programs going? Please contribute to the Workers’ Bowl today. Any amount is appreciated and charitable tax receipts are available for donations of $10 or more.
*The Workers’ Bowl is a joint fundraiser between WAC and the Ontario Employment Education & Research Centre (OEERC), which supports community leadership development. All donations go to the OEERC Education and Leadership Fund for Workers in Precarious Employment to create collaborative community leadership development and educational projects with WAC.