Today, March 8, is International Women’s Day! All through March, we at the WCC are celebrating Women’s History Month.
For our Volunteer Facilitator Spotlight this month, we are thrilled to introduce our community to Ashley B. and Natalie C., two extraordinary facilitators who began volunteering with WCC in 2024. Currently, Ashley and Natalie co-facilitate our A Force For Women: Her Story series, writing workshops for women-identified Canadians who have served in the military.
The WCC asked — Ashley and Natalie answered! Read our March Facilitator Spotlight below…
Q: HOW DID YOUR JOURNEY WITH THE WCC BEGIN?
ASHLEY: I connected with the WCC after meeting Shelley Lepp, Co-Director, last spring. We instantly connected over our desire to empower others to find their voice and live their most authentic life. I completed my facilitator training last fall, and have only just begun facilitating in2024!
NATALIE: I heard about the WCC through another female veteran, a dear friend who knew this would be right up my alley. I’m relatively new to facilitating, it’s only been a few months.
Q: CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WCC EXPERIENCE SO FAR, FROM VOLUNTEER TRAINING TO BEING ENGAGED WITH YOUR FIRST WORKSHOP?
ASHLEY: So far, being a part of WCC has been nothing short of fulfilling and rewarding! With every training,every workshop, I feel as though I get as much as I give. I continue to discover my own voice through writing, as well as through the space I co-create as a facilitator in workshops. The WCC gives me a sense of belonging, a source of inspiration and a feeling that I matter.
NATALIE: The experience has been wonderful so far, I was lucky enough to train in an extremely supportive environment, where they teach us the strengths of listening, encouragement, and positive feedback. The group consisted of lovely and empathetic people who help others tell their stories, uplifting one another through the power of writing. I very much appreciate that you are not expected to be a professional writer and that everyone is treated as an equal. The whole experience has been, in a word, inspiring.
Q: WHAT BRINGS YOU TO VOLUNTEERING?
ASHLEY: I see facilitation as a privilege: Being in a space with others who want a space to explore their voice through writing feels like an honour. Being able to co-create this opportunity with others is as much a gift to me as it is for all writers in attendance.
NATALIE: Having been released from the military left me with a whole lot of time on my hands. I struggled with imposter syndrome, feelings of failure, and not being a “real veteran”. Therapy for me has always been putting pen to paper, enabling me to get rid of many of those negative emotions. Volunteering means helping others to feel that same sliver of light when we constantly feel like we are being pulled toward the darkness.
Q: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A WORKSHOP SERIES LIKE “A FORCE FOR WOMEN”? CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A FACILITATOR?
ASHLEY: I think “A Force for Women: Her Story” is important because it offers community and validation. Both of these are necessary ingredients to help writers tap into their inner voice. As a facilitator, I also write in these workshops so I know what it feels like to write in community and experience validation. I always walk away feeling empowered and fulfilled.
NATALIE: The workshop series “A Force for Women: Her Story” is a very empowering space. I am delighted and thankful to help other military women through the sometimes strange and conflicting emotions that come with working in a male dominated community. It would at times become a very lonely environment, where that voice was often suffocated. We sometimes also saw ourselves as competition and it’s been very gratifying to step away from that and be in a safe space where we support one another. The most wonderful feeling is knowing that you aren’t alone, you can commiserate in your trauma and that helps heal yourself as well as others.
Any kind of release from the military (though you are certainly welcome if you are still serving) comes with many conflicting emotions, it’s quite helpful to know that you aren’t alone in those feelings. More importantly, we encourage each other to write through those emotions and receive the much-needed validation that comes with the often stressful experience that is being a woman in the military.
Q: HOW DOES THIS WORKSHOP SERIES ALIGN WITH YOUR PERSONAL OBJECTIVES AS A VOLUNTEER?
ASHLEY: As a Motherhood and Self Development Coach, I support women to use motherhood as the catalyst for their own self discovery and transformation. For some, writing is the tool that allows a woman to unlock that door to a new path, so I hope to continue to be able to help women connect to themselves and find their inner voice.
NATALIE: The goals I set for myself were merely those of wanting to prevent any other woman from feeling like their voice was being stifled. To have people hear and appreciate your voice, to feel like other women have got your back, it makes this journey so much less lonely. Volunteering for “A Force For Women” has given new meaning to the military adage “I’ve got your six”; I now believe that to be true.
Q: THIS MONTH, WE CELEBRATE BOTH INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY AND WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH. WHAT KIND OF CONNECTIONS CAN YOU MAKE BETWEEN THE WCC WORK OF “IGNITING AUTHENTIC VOICE,” AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT?
ASHLEY: I think the sense of safety created in each workshop allows writers to access their authentic voice, which as I said above, feels incredibly empowering. Sometimes I will write something and surprise myself with what came out, or I will hear a piece that leaves me in awe of the strength of women.
NATALIE: Any time a woman can open up and share her true feelings in an environment that feels safe and non-judgemental, that to me is women’s empowerment. I am lucky enough to see it every week in the series, when each and every story written and read out loud is done with such raw emotion, exposing the wound, but having a group that helps you wrap it back up so that it will heal properly.
That is definitely igniting one’s authentic voice, especially when doing so in the military meant that your voice would often fail to be heard. That group connection and the strength it draws during each workshop is something we hope each participant will feel and carry with them moving forward through their healing journey.
Thank you Ashley and Natalie for your ever-inspiring work as WCC facilitators. We are so proud to spotlight your voices this month.