General News » Headline News » News

Breaking the Silence can be as simple as saying “I believe you”

November 6, 2026   ·   0 Comments

Breaking the silence can be as simple as saying, “I believe you.”

That was the poignant message delivered to the local community on Sunday, November 1, as Yellow Brick House, the local shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence, hosted its annual Breaking the Silence, Step Into My Shoes fundraising walk at St. Andrew’s College.

The event marked its tenth anniversary this year with a renewed focus on prevention and education in combatting domestic violence.

Underscoring the importance of education at this year’s event – and in laying the building blocks of a better future – were Grade 11 students Madeline Yi and Emily Choi, who were invited to share more on the work they have been doing in their school community to highlight just that: “the critical role education plays in preventing abuse and violence.”

“When we first learned about Yellow Brick House, we were students looking for a social issue that mattered to us and that was relevant to our community. Domestic violence was an issue we had heard through the news, through people we knew, or even through friends of friends. But at that point, it was still something that felt somewhat distant,” they said, addressing an audience that included MPPs Dawn Gallagher Murphy and Michael Parsa, Mayor Tom Mrakas, the Mayors of Newmarket and Richmond Hill, and Ward 1 Councillor-Elect Lauren Hanna, among others. “We started researching different organizations and learning about the work they were doing. When we discovered Yellow Brick House, we were drawn to its mission and the focus on supporting people experiencing domestic violence while also educating the community.”

Visiting Yellow Brick House themselves “really changed our perspective,” the students added.

“We heard about the experiences of survivors and families who had been supported by Yellow Brick House, and that is when this issue became much more real to us. It was no longer just a number or something we had read about online. It was about real people, real families, and real lives. One of the biggest things we learned was that domestic violence can happen to anyone. Sometimes people may not recognize the signs of an unhealthy or abusive relationship. And sometimes a person may be afraid to ask for help or even know where to turn. This is why we believe education is so important, especially for young people.

“High school is a time where many of us are beginning to experience relationships, as well as learn what healthy relationships should look like, so why wait until someone is already in a difficult situation to talk about these things?  Why not give young people the knowledge and tools to recognize warning signs, understand boundaries, support their friends, and know where to turn for help?

“That is one of the reasons we believe so strongly in Yellow Brick House’s public education program. When young people learn about these issues, that knowledge doesn’t have to stop with one person. We take what we learn, and we share it with our friends, our classmates, our families, and eventually future generations. Education can become an ongoing conversation, and that is what breaking the silence means to us. It means being willing to talk about something that makes us uncomfortable. It means listening to others. It means challenging the stigma around asking for help. And most importantly, it means making sure people know that they are not alone.”

Breaking the Silence takes courage, they said, but people are all too often afraid to speak up. Perhaps they’re worried about what others might think, or they might not know how to start the conversation, but sometime it can be as simple as saying, “I believe you.”

A school project might have been the students’ first introduction to the work being carried out by Yellow Brick House every day throughout York Region, but it won’t be the last. They don’t want their involvement to end with the completion of the assignment and feel “we have a responsibility to keep talking about it and finding ways to help.”

“The money raised in this event will help support Yellow Brick House’s public education program, helping bring awareness and education into our communities and to young people,” they said. “As you walk today, we encourage you to take a moment to reflect. Think about why you’re here. Think about what you’ve learned. Think about how you can be a part of breaking the silence – not just today, but also the next day, and the next, and all the days after that. Because awareness only creates change when we turn it into action. We hope that everyone here will continue the conversation. Talk to your friends. Talk to your family. Learn the signs. Learn what a healthy relationship should look like, and if someone you know needs help, listen to them and connect them with support.”

Sunday’s event may have marked a milestone for the Walk, but it was also a chance to look ahead to another milestone for Yellow Brick House as an organization.

Lorris Herenda, Executive Director of Yellow Brick House, noted 2028 will mark their 50^th anniversary in the community.

For her, it marks a half-century of “standing with women and children, of advocacy, prevention, and life-saving services.”

“This anniversary is not just about looking back at what we achieved in the last 50 years. It’s about looking forward to what we want to achieve in the next 50 years,” said Herenda. “One of our top priorities is making sure that women and children have access to services when they need them, no wait lists, that every young person knows what a healthy relationship looks like, that every community can recognize the signs and respond accordingly – and we can accomplish this over the next 50 years.

“Today, with every step that you take, you’re breaking the silence, and you’re saying to survivors, we see you, we believe you, and we stand with you.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Readers Comments (0)