A local, Victoria-based non-profit organization, who provide clothing and hygiene products to self-identified women in need, are hosting an event next week to facilitate discussions about gender-diversity and inclusion.
Wear2Start was launched in 2001 by a group of women who sought to help women in need get access to gently used clothing when seeking employment opportunities.
It all started when Wear2Start’s founder, Kathleen McMullin was new to the city as a single mom and seeking a job.
“She was fleeing a domestic violence situation and needed some clothes for an upcoming interview,” said Zoey, a Wear2Start spokesperson.
“She remembered having to reach out to the mom of one of her daughter’s school friends to see if they were able to help, and remembering how unpleasant that felt.”
Shortly after this, McMullin launched Wear2Start with the help of a couple other women to help fill this gap in gender equity.
Wear2Start now has a boutique located at 733 Johnson Street, where women can make appointments and shop for free clothing. They also offer care bags with hygiene products such as deodorant, chapstick and other essentials.
They have grown since their launch and now try to offer additional services to the self-identified women who are in need.
“We used to be focussed on just work apparel, but now we’re open to any individuals that require assistance for whatever the next step in their journey is,” Zoey explained.
“It doesn’t need to be tied to employment or going back to school, it can essentially whatever the need is.”
Zoey says that Wear2Start is more important now than it ever has been, as life in general has become increasingly expensive and tariffs threaten to make it even more expensive.
“With the rise of the cost-of-living, women are usually disproportionately affected,” she continued.
“Women are the ones to make a lot of those decisions, whether it’s to feed our family and buy what they need or buy what we need. A lot of those times we will make the choices to put our families and children before ourselves.”
To expand their programming and help more women in need, their latest endeavour involves hosting community events.
Diversity in Motion
They hosted a gathering in November regarding confidence, called Confidence in Action, and their next event will be on gender-diversity and inclusivity, called Diversity in Motion.
Diversity in Motion will be held at the Royal BC Museum on Wednesday, March 26th.
With this event, Wear2Start hopes to create a more inclusive community by facilitating conversation on things that aren’t always discussed.
They are bringing in keynote speakers, who include:
- Mayor Marianne Alto, City of Victoria
- Tracey Drake, CEO, Royal BC Museum
- Ashley MacDonald, Office Manager, Kopar Administration & Volunteer Coordinator, Wear2Start
- Shelly D’Mello, CEO, Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
- Horst Backe, Coordinator, Living OUT Visibly and Engaged, Community Response Network (LOVE CRN)
- Tanille Geib, Intimacy Coach & Educator
- Gala Vega, Festival Director, Victoria Pride Society
Through panel discussions and interactive workshops, attendees will explore how diversity can be a powerful catalyst for building connection and fostering belonging.
Wear2Start says the event will cast a spotlight on the importance of community as a force for positive change, emphasizing how collaboration, empathy and shared purpose can create positive change with diverse groups.
“These types of events can create a space for people to come together and learn, ask questions and have the opportunity to take away information for their personal and professional lives that they may not have had before,” said Zoey.
“These topics are sometimes difficult to talk about in the workplace or in life in general, there’s sometimes a roadblock to starting a conversation so we just really want to create a space where people are comfortable and people can start to have these conversations.”
Zoey said that registrations for Diversity in Motion are almost at capacity, so those interested should register soon.
To find out more about this event, how to help Wear2Start or how to access their services, visit their website.
Following this event, Wear2Start will be hosting one more event this year in June which will focus on cultural diversity within the community and how to empower and embrace differences in cultural identities.
Wear2Start presents: Diversity in Motion
- Where: Royal BC Museum in the Conference Hall located off of the main hall.
- When: Wednesday, March 26th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., doors open at 5:30 p.m.
- Admission: Free by registration
