You’re invited to join us for our 4th Annual Breakfast with the Guys - where we bring awareness to the small ways you can actually make a big difference for all the women and girls in your life.
Friday, November 5
7am-9am
Virtual Interactive Zoom Presentation
Our 2021 Keynote Speaker is Michael Hoyt, a municipal social worker from Edmonton with extensive experience focused on developing the capacity of allies to dialogue about gender-based violence and the role of men and boys as agents of change. He will be speaking on the lessons learned in his career about possibilities, challenges, and benefits of working with men and his struggles engaging boys. Michael has been striving for the normalization of men working shoulder to shoulder with women from a strength-based approach, focusing on men being important, capable, and necessary allies rather than white knights. Michael believes that most everyone, given a chance, believes relationships work better based on love and respect rather than fear. He will be uncovering and reinforcing the communities’ stories about how we work towards love and respect in relationships.
The Government of Alberta awarded Michael the Inspiration Award in 2017 for his work in Family Violence Prevention. In 2015 the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) awarded Michael a Men of Honour Award for demonstrating compassion and understanding in his support of women in all aspects of society. In his career, he has felt guided by the words of Lila Watson, an aboriginal activist who urges those with power not just to help others but to find ways in which our mutual liberation binds us together.
Violence and abuse are not issues that should stay behind closed doors—they are the responsibility of the whole community. Together we can take action towards creating a world where everyone thrives in safe and empowering relationships.