A two-hour event tomorrow aims to open a discussion about the power of words to hurt or heal in the spirit of building a community of belonging in Collingwood and beyond.
Hosted by the Collingwood Library and E3 Community Services, the two-hour event was created to share stories from people in the community and encourage others to do the same.
E3 offers services and support to people with developmental disabilities to enhance their independence and quality of life. The organization regularly partners with the library, including for the Happy Day cafe, which offers food and drink by donation from 10 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday.
On May 19 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. nine speakers will give a five-minute talk about their own experiences with the words people have used to describe them, and how important it is to get to know someone instead of passing a snap judgement.
Ava Zaritzky will be one of those speakers, and she plans to share her story as a senior woman who is 70 and single.
"I get asked, 'what's wrong with you?'" said Zaritzky. "I'm one of the few people my age who has never been married."
While it's not something she hears all the time, the Collingwood retiree does question the double standard of referring to single male seniors as "confirmed bachelors" and single female seniors as "spinsters."
"People describe a single woman as a hag, a witch, unlovable, or someone who doesn't like children, or who hates men, and I think that's unfair and not true," she said.
The point she wants to make at the March 19 event is that life is different for everybody.
"Stop judging people before you get to know their story," she said.
Aside from her own experiences, Zarizky's career in medical social work, and her volunteer work with E3 clients, has given her a close look at the challenges other people face when strangers meet them with judgement.
"It's interesting getting to see the life that other people live and the challenges they have with other people's attitudes on top of the challenges that come with life," she said, noting some people have developmental, physical and other disabilities that make everyday life a lot more challenging.
"We can all benefit from people being kind," said Zaritzky. "Words can be so harsh, or so healing."
The Choosing Words of Belonging event is part of this year's It Starts campaign, which is the ninth-annual iteration of the grassroots movement to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and take action against racism and discrimination. This year's theme is "Words Matter."
In addition to Zaritzky, there will be other speakers sharing their experiences on topics such as gender identity, bullying, attitudes toward disabilities, and more.
Following the speaker presentations, there will be an hour-long open discussion that encourages audience members to share their own stories and experiences. The E3 community choir will also perform and Mandeep Kaur Bassi will read from her children's book called "Mom, we are just like you."
The event takes place at the Collingwood Public Library (community rooms B and C on the third floor) on March 19 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
There will also be a story time (Handful of Buttons) at 10:30 a.m. and screening of Moana 2 at 4 p.m. at the library on March 21.