Media
Funding revealed for Sask. emergency shelters
980 CJME, June 26, 2018Radio/Podcast
URL: https://www.cjme.com/2018/06/26/370159/
The provincial and federal governments announced over $4.2 million will be going to 14 emergency shelters in nine communities, including Regina and Saskatoon. The funding is coming through the Shelter Enhancement Program.
Funding announced for emergency shelters in Saskatchewan
Regina Leaderpost, June 26, 2018Print
URL: https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/funding-announced-for-emergency-shelters-in-saskatchewan
The federal and provincial governments came together Tuesday afternoon at the YWCA in Regina to announce more than $4.2 million in funding for emergency shelter initiatives in Saskatchewan.
Sask. government grants 10 days of leave from work to survivors of interpersonal violence
Regina Leaderpost, December 6, 2017Print
Advocates agree that the Saskatchewan government’s move to grant 10 days of unpaid leave from work to survivors of intimate partner violence is a step in the right direction.
Regina mayor wants answers following national housing strategy news
Regina Leaderpost, November 23, 2017Print
For Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen, the most exciting part of the national housing strategy is the consideration of women and families.
'The future doesn't look so bad': Sheldon Williams students fundraise for YWCA for six weeks
CBC Saskatchewan, June 2, 2018Online
Over the past 6 weeks, Grade 11 and 12 students at Sheldon Williams Collegiate have been raised tens of thousands of dollars and gathered thousands of hygiene products for YWCA.
Biography
Melissa Coomber-Bendtsen has been leading YWCA Regina, the city’s largest and longest serving women’s organization, since 2015. A graduate of the University of Regina, she has spent her career developing and harnessing skills in all corners of the non-profit sector—from developing housing and program models to empowering survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Her background in restorative and rehabilitative justice allows her to navigate—and ultimately change—the systems of oppression that leave marginalized women and girls without adequate services and support.
As a community leader, Coomber-Bendtsen recognizes her role to play in nation-to-nation reconciliation, and harnesses the power of inclusion and diversity in the work that she does. She believes that by providing women and girls with opportunities to grow and succeed, we can encourage the realization and maximization of each other’s full potential. A feminist and advocate, Coomber-Bendtsen is committed to eliminating family homelessness, combating toxic rape culture with healthy masculinity, and ending the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis in Canada, and often speaks to these issues publicly.
Past Talks
Empowering Women Conference
Canada's Farm Progress Show
AGT Lounge, Mosaic Stadium, June 22, 2018