Connecting Canada
Motivated, inspired and hopeful – key takeaways from TELUS team members who participated the Moose Hide Campaign this year
Oct 3, 2024
From community walks to virtual roundtables, lunch and learns and in-person workshops, TELUS team members took small but powerful steps this year toward ending gender based violence, in support of the
Moose Hide Campaign
.
Tegan McMartin Photography. Members of the TELUS team gather in Victoria, B.C. before the Walk to End Violence on Moose Hide Campaign Day.
“The events were empowering, inspiring, and brought so many people together,” said Charne Creasey, TELUS Strategy Manager. “I left feeling motivated, and reflecting on my own life, how I can show up for others, and how I can do one small thing to help drive meaningful change.”
The goal of the Moose Hide Campaign is to end violence towards women and children. Grounded in Indigenous ceremony and traditional ways of learning and healing, the grassroots movement has grown into a nationwide campaign, bringing together governments, schools and other organizations to create a safer, more inclusive world.
A cornerstone of the campaign is the Moose Hide pin, which is worn as a commitment to end gender-based violence and create safe, compassionate communities. To date, more than
5 million
pins have been distributed across Canada.Since becoming the first multi-year corporate sponsor of the Moose Hide Campaign in 2022, TELUS has inspired more than 30,000 team members and customers across Canada to wear and share their Moose Hide pins, and to use their voices to create positive change. According to the campaign, each pin sparks at least 5 conversations which means TELUS has sparked 150,000 conversations through our partnership so far.
This year, TELUS hosted a series of roundtables discussions, both in TELUS offices and virtually, for team members who were curious to learn more about the campaign, looking to engage in important conversations, or seeking to further their own reconciliation journey by taking part in meaningful initiatives.
“Leading my peers in a discussion about the issue of violence and reflecting on the ways we can make our communities safer by promoting healthy masculinity is a responsibility that I take to heart as a father and an advocate for reconciliation,” shared Andrew Hofmann, a co-host of a roundtable discussion. “I am grateful for the team members who joined our discussion at TELUS Garden in April and inspired me to keep having these types of conversations at work, at home and in my community all year.”
Team members met at TELUS Sky before walking together along the Bow River on Campaign Day.
“Small actions can contribute to larger social movements,” said TELUS Business Analyst Khristine Emnace, who noticed the difference created by wearing her Moose Hide pin and using virtual backgrounds at work. “I learned the power of visibility in advocacy,” Emnace said. “The virtual backgrounds served as constant reminders during online interactions, sparking conversations and spreading the campaign’s message far and wide,” she said.
One of the TELUS virtual backgrounds team members used to help share the Moose Hide Campaign’s powerful message.
“Knowing that TELUS is a proud partner of the Moose Hide Campaign makes me feel both inspired and hopeful,” said Emnace, who wears her Moose Hide pin with pride. “This partnership highlights the importance of corporate responsibility and the positive impact businesses can have on social causes.”
TELUS’ support of the Moose Hide Campaign is rooted in our longstanding commitment to partner with Indigenous communities across Canada to progress the path of reconciliation in deeply meaningful ways guided by Indigenous-led frameworks of reconciliation.
Team members gather after a roundtable discussion about the campaign in the Place of Many Rivers.
“I love that TELUS is supporting what’s important to Indigenous communities without taking it over,” said TELUS Senior Communications Manager Gareth Wills. “That’s much stronger community collaboration in my mind, and I love that I work for a company that listens to these communities.”
Erin Derkatz, TELUS Client Services Manager, attended a campaign day Walk to End Violence in Edmonton with her 13-year-old son, who had the day off from school. “He was honoured by two of the speakers for attending. It was a proud moment for me, to be raising a young man who is aware of and participating in a movement that stands up against violence,” Derkatz said. “It will also be a moment that he remembers for a very long time.”
Opening remarks before the Walk to End violence in scəw̓aθən (Tsawwassen).
Through actions like these, both big and small, individuals, organizations and communities are taking action and making progress on this critical issue. TELUS is proud to support these efforts and looks forward to continuing this partnership with Moose Hide Campaign through the years to come.
