SACHA

June is a time to celebrate, learn, and stand in solidarity. This Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month, we honour the strength, resilience, and contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.

We also recognize that sexual violence disproportionately impacts these communities due to ongoing discrimination, systemic barriers, and the lasting effects of colonialism. As a sexual assault centre, we remain committed to supporting survivors, advocating for equity, and working toward communities free from sexual violence where everyone is treated with dignity, respect, and belonging. 🏳️‍🌈🧡

SACHA is actively recruiting new members for our Board of Directors!

Are you a woman or non-binary intersectional feminist who lives in the Hamilton community, and believes in a world free from violence and oppression? We want your voice and unique, diverse lived experience on our Board!

SACHA is currently seeking individuals with experience in:
- finance
- fundraising
- legal expertise
- leadership & business acumen
- community-based organizing

Help support our mission to build a world free from violence! Apply today at www.sacha.ca/volunteer.

*Prior board experience is an asset but not a requirement.

Announcing more speakers for tomorrow’s S*xual Violence Prevention Month Community Conference!! 🛸

As part of the ‘How the Housing Crisis Impacts Survivors Panel’ you will hear from Mirand Jurilj (SACHA), Amy Deschamps (YWCA), and Ali Jones (HESN)! 👾

Swipe through the images to read there full bios or visit www.sacha.ca/blog/SVPMCC2026 where you can read the bios from all of our speakers!🚀

For folks who have registered please arrive at Magnolia Hall at 10:30am tomorrow so we can start our full day of community, solidarity, and learning! Thank you for being a part of our 4th annual conference! We can’t wait to share the day with you! 👽

Want to learn about more of the amazing community partners who will be joining us at our annual S*xual Violence Prevention Month Community Conference this Thursday? 🌱

We are grateful that Immigrants Working Centre (IWC) Women Abuse Working Group (WAWG), Good Shepherd, S*x Worker’s Action Program (SWAP), and Nisa Foundation are going to be tabling to tell community about their services and supports! We are excited that you will be able to learn from them! 🌿

Thank you to all the participants who have registered, we are so happy to be in community with you and to learn together and envision a world free of violence!🪴

We have more conference updates 💜

This year, in recognition of S*xual Violence Prevention Month, we are asking conference participants to join us in a Memorial Gathering where we will travel from Magnolia Hall to City Hall to lay flowers to remember and honour those who's lives have been taken due to sexual and gender-based violence. We will take a moment to reflect on our responsibilities to each other and creating a word free of violence. Community members and media are invited to join us at City Hall Memorial Stone (West
Grounds) at 1:00pm.

The last day to register is this Sunday May 10th! Please register as soon as possible by clicking the link at www.sacha.ca/blog/SVPMCC2026

WE’VE GOT EXCITING NEWS!📢

We are so excited to announce the next speakers for our upcoming S*xual Violence Prevention Month Community Conference! We have two speakers from sibling centre S*xual Assault Centre of Brant coming to talk about ‘How to Talk to Kids About Consent Using Taylor the Turtle’! Introducing Jezeth Esmas and Kasey Politano!🐢

Jezeth Esmas is a community organizer and multi-hyphenate creative dedicated to fostering spaces where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow. With over a decade of experience using a people-first approach at some of Canada's most notable youth-focused companies, Jezeth now finds herself at SAC Brant as a Community Development Coordinator, working alongside Taylor the Turtle to deliver programming that blends digital innovation with body autonomy and consent education-equipping children with tools to build confidence, safety awareness, and self-expression. She also serves as the Chair of Kabangka, a youth-led, national not-for-profit supporting young Filipino/a/x-Canadians on their journeys towards success. At her core, Jezeth is driven by connection, creativity, and community.💜

Kasey Politano holds a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Engagement and has spent over ten years working in sexual and gender-based violence across research, shelter, counselling, post-secondary, and community coordination settings. She is committed to survivor-centred, intersectional practice and believes that supporting people who have experienced harm means taking seriously the systems that shape their lives. She currently serves as Community Development Coordinator at the S*xual Assault Centre of Brant, as Coordinator of the Halton Violence Prevention Council, and as a member of the research team for the Taylor the Turtle project at Wilfrid Laurier University.💚

The conference is taking place next Thursday May 14th at Magnolia Hall and is FREE to attend. Don’t wait to register, space is limited! You can register for the conference and learn more about it by visiting www.sacha.ca/blog/SVPMCC2026🌳

We will be continuing to post more about what you can expect on our website and social media in the next week, we are one week away! 🗓️

SACHA Director Jessica Bonilla-Damptey and Public Education Coordinator Mirand Jurilj are so grateful that we were invited to speak about SACHA’s work at the 100 Women Who Care spring meeting! It’s always so wonderful to see community coming together to learn about supports in Hamilton and give back 💖

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT TIME! 💐

We are so thrilled to announce the keynote speaker for our upcoming S*xual Violence Prevention Month Community Conference - Dr. Autumn Asher BlackDeer! 🌸

Dr. Autumn Asher BlackDeer is an Indigiqueer anti-colonial scholar-activist from the Southern Cheyenne Nation(Tsistsistas). Currently serving as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at York University, their scholarship illuminates the impact of structural violence on Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. Dr. BlackDeer centers Indigenous voices throughout her research by using quantitative approaches and big data as tools for responsible storytelling. As a recent immigrant to Tkarón:to, Dr. BlackDeer uses her scholarly platform and social media reach to bridge understandings and broaden perspectives of marginalized communities across the settler-colonial nation-states of the United States and now Canada, sharing as she learns. Dr. BlackDeer is a professional meme curator, anti-colonial Auntie,and griever. They are deeply committed to uplifting Indigenous sovereignty and furthering collective liberation. 🌺

Dr. BlackDeer will be presenting her keynote speech titled ‘Decolonization of S*xual Violence Work for a Future Free from Violence’, you won’t want to miss it! 🌼

The conference is taking place next Thursday May 14th at Magnolia Hall and is FREE to attend. You can register for the conference and learn more about it by visiting www.sacha.ca/blog/SVPMCC2026 🌻

We will be continuing to post more about what you can expect on our website and social media in the coming days and weeks! 🌷

May 5th is Red Dress Day

Today we wear red to honour the Indigenous women, girls, trans, and Two-Spirit people who have gone missing or been murdered and to show love and solidarity to their families, loved ones, and communities.

Red Dress Day began through Métis artist Jaime Black's REDress Project. Starting in 2010 red dresses have been placed in public spaces to bring attention to the lives taken and the high rates of violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls, trans, and Two-Spirit people. She chose the colour red because it is believed that the spirits can see it and know they are being remembered.