Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
British Columbia and Yukon Association of Women's Centres
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1985 - 1998
History
The British Columbia and Yukon Association of Women's Centres (BCYAWC) was founded in 1985 as an umbrella organization of over 30 women's centres. It ceased operations in 1998.
Women's centres developed in the 1970s as a project of the women's movement. They served as women-only space to practice an egalitarian model of organization. They were devoted to improving the status of women through education and political action and to helping women through the provision of safe space, support, and services. Over the years, the number of women using women's centres increased as the centres struggled to find ongoing funding.
By 1984, women's centres were looking for a more structured way to work towards common goals, including secure funding and improved cooperation and communication among centres. In 1985 they established the BCYAWC and incorporated under the BC Society Act on November 12, 1987. By 1990, the BCYAWC consisted of 31 women's resource centres – 30 in BC, one in the Yukon. The Association was managed by a volunteer coordinating collective that included a secretary, treasurer, 11 regional representatives, and six members-at-large. Meetings were scheduled for four times a year.
Around 1993 the group began to lose its cohesiveness because of funding and other issues. In 1995, the province cut the Association's funding. The following year, the Association was struck from the Registry of Societies for failure to file required documentation such as audited financial statements. While the Association made an attempt to file the papers necessary to regain status, the remaining members in 1998 agreed to dissolve the organization and distribute its assets.