|
Human rights are central in Canada’s most multicultural city
Amnesty International’s Toronto office is a hub of dynamic activity.
Dozens of volunteers with the Urgent Action Network and Refugee Network along with 20 regular office volunteers, specialized teams such as the Business and Human Rights committee, as well as 11 Amnesty staff call this office home.
Amnesty's Action and Resource Centre serves the needs of hundreds of students, researchers and teachers the three days per week it is open to the public.
To continue to be effective in our human rights work, we need a space that can accomodate our growing work, membership and staff. Help us to grow in our struggle for human rights! |
Why we need your help The Toronto office is home to:
Amnesty's Toronto office is at full capacity Home to the national Urgent Action Network and Refugee Network, there are also 13 Amnesty staff that call this office home. Dozens of office volunteers work out of this space on a regular basis, doing everything from refugee case intake to media clippings, along with activists, members and other volunteers that utilize this space for their human rights work. Amnesty's Toronto office is currently at full capacity. We needed to move very quickly as our building was sold and we were evicted into our current space at 14 Dundonald Street. This temporary office space is 4800 sq.ft.. We need at least 6000 sq.ft. or greater to house the staff, the volunteers, the Resource Centre, and the member activity area. An Organizational Hub Our office also serves as an organizing hub for a wide range of membership activity. Members working with the Business and Human Rights Group and other specialized teams and networks, local groups, the Amnesty International Toronto Organization merchandise program and their coordinating council use our space regularly for meetings and work. Our new member orientation sessions- which often have up to 20 people - are growing. As Amnesty's work grows, and as the public's interest in human rights grow, our resources keep getting stretched. Open to the public During the three days a week our office is open to the public, a steady stream of students, members, refugees and others come through our doors seeking information or support. Our resource and education centre needs to expand and needs its own space to grow with the number of people seeking information and support. Accessible, safe and easy to find We want to buy a building that will be more accessible and very visible, easy to find for those who need us, but also a constant reminder of human rights and justice in a city where people have come from all over the world. In our old location we were tucked away on the eighth floor of a nondescript building in a tiny street in downtown Toronto, which made the location hard to find. To be 100% effective, we need to be accessible to everyone who comes to our door. Our permanent space must be located on a main subway line that will make Human Rights House visible, easily accessible and safe. It makes financial sense At the size we are now, it makes sense to purchase a permanent building for Amnesty's work in Toronto . Over a ten year period, it is likely to cost less to purchase than to lease. And, if we can raise some additional funds for a down payment and the moving costs, this will make it an even less expensive option and a better investment for the organization and human rights. Our capital campaign to purchase a permanent Amnesty space was interrupted by a surprise eviction notice, we were forced to take a two year lease on a building in downtown Toronto. In order to avoid another eviction and the resulting disruption to pressing human rights work, we need to purchase a permanent home for our work. Please help! Now that you have read why we need to move please read about the future of the Amnesty's Action and Resource Centre or to join us to secure a permanent home for Amnesty. Click here to make your donation.
|