Aura Freedom turns 10!

Aura Freedom turns 10!

Our hearts are bursting! A heartfelt thank you to all those who came out to A Day After Freedom and celebrated 10 years of Aura Freedom with us at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto.

There aren’t words to describe what this evening meant to us and our community. The sisterhood and siblinghood felt in the room that night was especially powerful and beautiful. It was truly a night of music, celebration, and – of course – of powerful activism. 

Here’s to decades more of the feminist movement, and of Aura Freedom. 

A Day After Freedom featured performances from Neon Nostalgicas well as a surprise performance by our very own Executive Director, Marissa Kokkoros!

Thank you to our wonderful hosts, longtime supporter Adwoa Nsiah-Yeboah (left) and Board member Kimberley Fowler (right), for lending your broadcasting and media skills to A Day After Freedom!

Thank you to our amazing community. To our Board Members, Advisors, Staff (past and present), Partners, Supporters, Donors, and more who came out and joined us, as you do in our mission to end violence against women and girls, each and every day. 

What a night! Check out our photos.

MANY THANKS TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS:

MAIN GRASSROOTS SPONSORS:

SILENT AUCTION & PRODUCT SPONSORS:

We thank the El Mocambo for generously sponsoring a portion of our venue.

Our 10-Year Anniversary Event

Our 10-Year Anniversary Event

Join us on October 18, 2023 to celebrate Aura Freedom’s 10-year anniversary at the legendary El Mocambo in Toronto. 

A Day After Freedom is an event to celebrate a decade of Aura Freedom’s work eradicating Violence Against Women and Human Trafficking…and to talk about what’s next.

October 18, 2023. 6PM. El Mocambo. 464 Spadina Ave, Toronto.

Join us for live music, art & activism! All are welcome.

Enjoy finger foods, merch for sale, a silent auction, cash bar and more – plus a live musical performance by Neon Nostalgic.

Hear from our Founder,
Marissa Kokkoros

The El Mocambo is one of Toronto's most legendary music venues.
Discover all its Rock & Roll history at your fingertips.

GRATEFUL TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS:

MAIN GRASSROOTS SPONSORS:

SILENT AUCTION & PRODUCT SPONSORS:

We thank the El Mocambo for generously sponsoring a portion of our venue.

We're still looking for event sponsors!

Download our Sponsorship Package

Support the work to end violence against women and human trafficking in Canada and beyond.

We can't wait to see you all there!

65th UN Commission on the Status of Women- Virtual Forum

The Relentless Resilience Campaign is Going to the UN

The 65th UN Commission on the Status of Women is completely virtual this year, which gives you a unique opportunity to attend as if you were a delegate in New York.

Last year, the entire Commission – normally held in New York – was cancelled due to COVID (including Aura Freedom’s event), but we are back virtually this year and want to take you with us!

Register for free HERE to join our team for an amazing two weeks of online feminist events to choose from. Once you register, add our event “Relentless Resilience” on March 18th at 2:00pm to your agenda and we’ll see you there!

United We Stand – An International Panel for World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2020

UNITED WE STAND - And International Panel on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2020

Check out one of our favourite events of 2020 (over 9000 views on Facebook!) with our colleagues around the globe working to end human trafficking and advance equity in different ways. Thank you to all our co-panelists and tireless activists fighting for the eradication of human trafficking and exploitation in different corners of the world. Big thanks to Ushoshi Sangupta, New Light Kolkata and Urmi Basu!
 
Check out the full video below or watch it on YouTube.

‘Reclaiming Power’ – A Webinar on Human Trafficking and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada

Reclaiming Power - A Conversation on Human Trafficking
and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada

In July 2020, Aura Freedom participated in the ‘Reclaiming Power’ forum for a conversation on human trafficking and violence against Indigenous women in Canada hosted by She Leads from Ontario Tech University. 

Our Executive Director Marissa Kokkoros provided a (very) crash course on what human trafficking looks like in Ontario and spoke alongside our good friend Melissa Compton, a Mi’kmaq Nation social worker, trauma counsellor and Indigenous educator, who spoke about the historical contexts of violence against Indigenous women.
 
Thank you to She Leads for hosting this important conversation!

#MeToo Conference – Iceland

#MeToo: Moving Forward Conference, Iceland

In September we attended the ‘#MeToo Moving Forward’ conference in Iceland on the impact of the #MeToo movement. We attended workshops and sessions led by fellow feminists, activists, academics, and government officials including the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

A highlight was meeting American political activist Angela Davis and engaging with feminists and change-makers from around the world.

The conference was a part of the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019 and organized in collaboration with RIKK, Institute for Gender, Equality and Difference at the University of Iceland.

Standing Up for Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence

Standing Up for Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence

In August 2019, we stood in solidarity with the Sudanese women’s group Kandaka International for Women’s Rights to support Sudan’s survivors of wartime sexual violence.

Our Executive Director gave a talk on sexual violence in conflict and presented an interview she had with survivor Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman (photo below), a survivor of the war in Kosovo and winner of the 2019 Kim Bok-dong Prize.

The sisterhood was alive and well and after all the tears, we even managed to laugh and sing during the ‘photoshoot’.

Women Deliver 2019 Conference

Women Deliver 2019 Conference, Vancouver

In 2019, Aura Freedom participated in the 2019 Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, Canada. Aura Freedom was a Bronze sponsor with a gorgeous booth in the Fuelling Station showcasing our work.

Over 4 intense days, our team attended countless sessions and workshops with over 8,000 activists and feminists from 169 countries. Hundreds of feminists from around the globe stopped by our booth to take part in our FEMINIST MOSAIC and we couldn’t love these faces more.

Our Executive Director was featured at the ‘Expert Desk’ as an expert of sexual exploitation and human trafficking and was available to answer questions for media channels and other stakeholders. 

We were also a partner of the Women Deliver Mobilization Canada team, which connected Canadian organizations attending the conference and called for action on gender equality and women’s empowerment in conjunction with the Government of Canada. As a result of our participation, we attended several high-level events with the Mobilization Canada team and advocated with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the Honourable Maryam Monsef and other Canadian officials.

Let’s keep the momentum going and the fire lit to make gender equity a reality in our lifetime.

 

‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ – An Aura Freedom Special Event

Walk a Mile in My Shoes - An Aura Freedom Special Event

In May 2019 we hosted the experiential learning event “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” that raised awareness of the root causes of sexual exploitation and human trafficking and honoured survivors and their family members. Supported by the Department of Justice Canada and Lush Cosmetics North America, the event explored how marginalized communities in Toronto (women and girls; Indigenous, Black and LGBTQ2S+ youth; Newcomers, etc.) are more vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation and how communities can empower each other to break the cycle. Guests also learned how Aura Freedom’s Peer Prevention Project is currently addressing these issues.

Through art and music by local Toronto artists, this interactive event communicated powerful messages to over 100 attendees. Survivors of violence and trafficking were honoured at the event by their peers, raising awareness and creating community solidarity. Attendees learned what services are available to them in Toronto through our community partners and where/how they can safely seek help for situations of sexual violence/exploitation.

We even had an impromptu drumming performance by Indigenous musician and Juno winner Brenda Macintyre.

What a night!

Women Deliver Mobilization Canada – Meeting with Minister Monsef

Women Deliver Mobilization Canada: An Event w/ Minister Monsef

On May 21, we attended an event with The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and International Development, along with other members of Women Deliver 2019 Mobilization Canada at BMO Canada to discuss the importance of the upcoming Women Deliver conference and how to keep the feminist movement going in the face of backlash. 

An inspiring morning and a taste of things to come in next month’s massive Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, where Aura Freedom will be exhibiting!