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Cambridge event changes name to 'Walk a Mile in Their Shoes'

Returning for it's 13th year, the annual Walk a Mile event is coming back after a two-year hiatus but with a couple changes

For the past 13-years men in Cambridge have put on red high heels and walked to raise awareness of gender-based violence in our community.

The idea is to walk a mile in the shoes of someone who has experienced some form of domestic violence while raising funds to support YWCA Cambridge's free violence prevention program for young people in the Waterloo Region. 

The event went virtual during the pandemic and YWCA Cambridge CEO, Kim Decker, is happy to see it come back this September 24 in downtown Galt.

Normally called 'Walk a Mile in Her Shoes' the name has been changed to be more inclusive to others who experience domestic violence in the community.

Now titled, 'Walk a Mile in Their Shoes' the event organizers, YWCA Cambridge, is hoping more people will join them for the walk this year as the number of people reporting domestic violence in Waterloo Region continue to increase.

"We now know better and we need to do better," said Roz Gunn in an email to CambridgeToday.

"Gender-based violence is not something that only happens to cisgender women by cisgender men. It's much more complex than that and anyone can be a perpetrator.

Gunn mentioned that 2SLGBTQ+ folks experience alarming rates of violence based on their gender or gender expression. 

"It's our duty to constantly evaluate how we operate to ensure we're engaging with and advocating for communities and participants in the most equitable way we know how to because we believe we must advocate for all survivors if we are going to build safer communities where everyone is free from violence."

The walk is still to raise awareness about gender-based violence and build safer communities but now is more inclusive to everyone, noted Gunn. 

Gunn mentioned that thanks to local advocates like Fae Johnstone of Wisdom2Action, Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah of the Canadian Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity as well as SPECTRUM Waterloo Region, they are helping to unlearn harmful stereotypes while bringing more awareness to the 2SLGBTQ+ community that also seeks aid for domestic violence at YWCA Cambridge.

"We wanted to be more inclusive and include the whole community in creating this event so we can continue to raise funds for the work we do around gender-based violence," Kim Decker, CEO of YWCA Cambridge said.

"Hopefully more folks will feel more included and participate as well."

The Walk A Mile event in Cambridge has raised more then $155,000 over the past 13-years.

Participants can register as an individual, join an existing team or create their own team for the coming September 24 event.

On the day of the walk, participants walk a mile around downtown Galt, some sporting the red heel associated with Walk a Mile, then meet in front of City Hall for a BBQ and awards ceremony which recognizes top fundraisers.

Walkers are encouraged to wear something red and comfortable for the event.

Participants or teams can register to walk online through the YWCA Cambridge website.


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Justine Fraser

About the Author: Justine Fraser

Justine joined CambridgeToday in March of 2022 as a social issues reporter. She enjoys living in the city (and walking her giant white dog!). A camera is never far from her hand.
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