Empowering Northern Women, Building Stronger Futures
Mission & Purpose
Empowering Northern Women with Dignity, Stability, and Opportunity
The Upskill Northern Women Initiative Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing gender equality and empowering women in Yellowknife. We provide advocacy, culturally-grounded skills training, and trauma-informed social supports to help women reclaim their economic, emotional, and social agency. Our services are critically needed in a city facing an acute housing crisis and an exceptionally high cost of living, which disproportionately impacts women and pushes them into precarious situations. Our core focus is on supporting women facing heightened vulnerability—including those experiencing homelessness, domestic instability, and inter-generational trauma—by providing a clear and dignified path from crisis to stability and self-reliance.
Key Pillars of Action
Key Pillars Driving Women’s Empowerment
Strategic Objectives
Establish Sustainable Transitional Housing in Yellowknife: Develop and operate a dedicated, culturally safe transitional house within the city, forging partnerships with the NWT Housing Corporation and the City of Yellowknife to create clear pathways to permanent housing for our clients.
Deliver Relevant, Market-Driven Skill Training: Partner with Aurora College, local employers, and Indigenous economic development corporations to offer flexible training programs that lead directly to sustainable employment for women in Yellowknife.
Become a Trusted Voice for Northern Women: Engage directly with the GNWT and municipal leadership to advocate for policies that reduce systemic barriers, informed by the lived experiences of the women we serve.
Embed Elder-Led, Trauma-Informed Care: Ensure all services are guided by the wisdom of Elders and grounded in a trauma-informed framework that addresses the root causes of instability and empowers long-term healing.
Measure and Communicate Our Impact: Use robust metrics and the powerful stories of the women we serve to track outcomes in safety, housing stability, and economic empowerment, demonstrating our value to the community and funders.
Value Proposition
Challenges & Risks (Yellowknife Context)
Extreme Cost of Operations: The high cost of living in Yellowknife directly impacts everything from construction and rent to staff salaries and program supplies, requiring a robust and sustainable funding model.
Severe Housing Scarcity: The primary risk is the lack of affordable, permanent housing in the city. Our model must focus on intensive advocacy and partnerships to create exit pathways for clients, preventing a bottleneck where women cannot move on to independent living.
Recruitment of Specialized Staff: Yellowknife faces a chronic shortage of specialized professionals, such as registered social workers and trauma counsellors. We face intense competition and must prioritize creating a supportive work environment to ensure staff retention and prevent burnout.
Collaborating within a Small Ecosystem: We must carefully navigate the existing network of non-profits to define our unique role and ensure our services are complementary, not competitive, in a community with limited resources.
Path Forward
Short-Term (0-12 months):
Secure seed funding and conduct a formal needs assessment in partnership with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN), the North Slave Métis Alliance, and existing service providers. Establish a founding board and begin partnership negotiations for a pilot housing facility.
Mid-Term (1-3 years):
Launch the transitional house and roll out core skills training programs. Secure multi-year funding agreements and establish a formal policy advocacy framework with our community partners.
Long-Term (3-5 years):
Achieve full operational capacity, demonstrate sustained positive outcomes for clients, and be recognized as a cornerstone organization for women’s safety, healing, and economic empowerment in Yellowknife.