Old Main 560
(360) 650-2993
pws@wwu.edu
Office Hours: Monday-Friday
8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.

The Ally Building Network

"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine - then let us work together."
- Unknown Aboriginal Woman

The mission of the Ally Building Network is to to promote a civil and caring campus community with the knowledge that people often lack the initiative to speak out against injustice. We hope to share the skills and resources which encourage and motivate students to support diversity, speak up as allies in social and academic settings, and translate egalitarian beliefs into practical action in Western's campus and beyond.

Main messages the Ally Building Network communicates to Western Students about ally building:

• Most of us want to promote a civil and caring campus community.


• Becoming an ally is a process.


• In becoming an ally, you recognize and accept a responsibility for the health and well-being of others.


• Learning about other cultures can enrich your life, as well as aid you in becoming an ally.


• Everyone can learn how not to be a bystander.


• People are not born with bigotry and hatred. Bigotry and hatred are learned; they can be unlearned.


• Allies understand the importance of honoring others.


• Words do hurt; words can also heal. It is your choice how to use them.


• Being an ally is more than being a friend.


• The personal is political.


• Assaults on human dignity are health risks.


• Steps in becoming an ally: Be aware, Educate yourself, Gain the skills, Take action