Maureen Trotter has been involved with the Women's Resource Centre in Quesnel (QWRC) since it started over 40 years ago, and is one of the original advocates pushing for resources for women.
"It's pretty obvious if you grow up female in the world that there are a lot of barriers and a lot of challenges that women face that men don't face, generally speaking," Trotter told The Observer. "If you take a look at the status of women report that came out in the 1980s, there's a lot of those things that are still around."
Throughout its history the QWRC has had a wide variety of programs to support women. A childcare centre, job training, a sexual assault crisis hotline, counselling and so, so much more. One of their upcoming projects is a second-stage housing project, which will support women escaping violence and provide them a longer-term place to safely live than an emergency shelter.
One of the achievements Trotter is most proud of is simply seeing the QWRC continue to support women in the community after so many years. Across B.C. Women's Resource Centres have closed over the decades. The QWRC as well as women's centres across B.C. used to have funding from each level of government, but that was lost in the 1990s.
"I remember very clearly one year where we didn't think we were going to be able to keep the doors open at the end of the fiscal year," Trotter said. But because of the dedication and work of the women who work at the QWRC is continues to offer resources and to grow.
The QWRC is set up as a collective of women. Community members, practicum students and employees at the centre work together and collaborate on any issues affecting the QWRC and women in the community.
"Everybody who's involved should have some skin in the game and the ability to contribute to making decisions. That's just a basic feminist philosophy," Trotter said.
She has a background in education and has spent around 25 years teaching in a social services program that helped prepare students for social working degrees. She also has a Master's Degree in counselling psychology and has done a wide range of jobs in social work, from working with prisoners to youth.
"I guess I'm just drawn to not liking inequality," she said. "Wanting to make life better for people was just there in my bones."
One of the things she hopes she's done as an educator is helping people to think critically about life and the world around them.
Emily Neilsen is the QWRC's administrative coordinator and she said Trotter has a wonderful ability to help women in the community flourish. She said Trotter has helped many, many women be successful and she said she admires her and is honoured to be able to know her and work with her in the community.
From attending the United Nations Conference on Women in China to advocating for poverty reduction to building homes in other countries, Trotter has taken her dedication to lift up women globally.
In Nicaragua, Trotter taught women how to make furniture after a hurricane. She did something similar in Granada where she very clearly remembers riding on a donkey across the city to deliver lumber.
The QWRC also supports events in Quesnel, including the upcoming International Women's Day event which is focusing on women in leadership this year. Nazko Chief Leah Stump and Heather Peters from UNBC will be at the event talking about values, beliefs systems and who makes a good leader. The event will be on March 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Echen Hall. It's open to any women in the community who would like to attend.
"We need more women in the decision making arenas," Trotter said.
