Archive for February, 2020

Tools for Change: Creating the Change You Want

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International Women’s Day

MARCH

8 art for IWD

Tools for Change: Creating the Change You Want

at the Harbour House Hotel and Organic Farm
March 8, 2020 9am – 5pm

This year, in the spirit of the United Nations’ 2020 International Women’s Day (IWD) theme of “CHANGEMAKERS,” SWOVA and IWAV have teamed up to present a weekend of exciting events, with the generous support of the Harbour House Hotel.

Festivities kick off the evening of Friday, March 7th with SPARKFEST, an evening of entertainment showcasing female performers that brings the community together to celebrate youth and young female mentors.  Saturday, March 8th will feature TOOLS FOR CHANGE: CREATING THE CHANGE YOU WANT, a full day of inspiring and energizing workshops and skill-training sessions.  On Saturday evening, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May will host an EVENING OF INSPIRATION AND CELEBRATION.

The workshops on offer are:

 

9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: 

YOGA with Celeste Mallett

or

DANCE OUR WAY HOME, with Vanya
Dance Our Way Home uses a perfect balance of facilitated and non-facilitated dance. Dances to invoke curiosity in self, practicing in a real, embodied way a “feeling at home” with one another, in community, and in the world at large. www.vanyasforest.com

 

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.:

PROMOTING YOUR VOICE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE INTERNET, with Julie Nowell
Learn how to use social media and the internet to share your passion and promote your business or cause. Understanding the purpose of websites, blogs, twitter and Facebook will help you connect with the people you need, and harness the power of the internet to work in your favour.
JULIE NOWELL is a blogger, publisher and private consultant, she works on amazing projects all designed to support and nurture creativity, a positive lifestyle and viable business practices. A true believer of the win-win-win philosophy, Julie’s goals are to create rewarding opportunities that benefit all of those involved.

or:

FINDING OUR VOICES THROUGH WRITING, with Ahava Shira
In a circle of trust, openness, and respect, participants will be supported to: recognize the limiting beliefs that impede them from writing freely, speaking out, and sharing their voices with others; shape and share their personal and imaginary stories on the page and “on the stage”; express their feelings, desires, obsessions, and uncertainties in fresh, curious, and creative ways.

AHAVA SHIRA, Ph.D., is a writer, storyteller, and facilitator of the Finding Our Voices Project. She mentors girls and women ages 14-70 through Connecting Generations and the Centre for Loving Inquiry. Ahava feels passionately about helping women love themselves through expressing their authentic creativity.

 

12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.:

SEX: TAKING CHARGE OF PLEASURE, with Jenny Redpath, Caffyn Jesse, and Tiffany Wightman. Our society, entrenched in sexism, has resulted in resounding shame around sex, and specifically around women being pleasured by sex. Being stripped of true pleasure negatively affects women and compromises relationships. This workshop will allow room to explore one’s experience with pleasure and sex. It hopes to open the door to fun and meaningful conversation around adopting a feminist model for sexual pleasure. Laughter is likely, as the workshop will respectfully approach with candid humour what we don’t usually choose to explore: Our own pleasure.
CAFFYN JESSE is a Certified Somatic Sex Educator who supports diverse people on their journey to sexual wholeness. Caffyn has a Masters degree in Educational Studies and a postgraduate Associate in Sex Education certificate from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Human Sexuality. She has a special passion for empowering women and helping survivors of sexual abuse to reclaim the capacity for pleasure.
JENNY REDPATH As a Registered Nurse, Jenny cares deeply for others, with a special interest in Women’s Health. Recognized for her tireless efforts in creating education and support around sexual health, Jenny works as a Supervisor at Options For Sexual Health and ensures whole school Sexual Health Education opportunities in our school district.
TIFFANY WIGHTMAN is a teacher and counsellor at Salt Spring Island Middle School. She advocates for equality, social and environmental sanity, and human liberation, especially as they apply to young people. Tiffany has a diploma in Women’s Studies, a graduate degree in Environmental Studies, teaching certification and a Masters in Counselling Education. Tiffany sees the dire need for greater sexual health education in our school system. She supports change through empowerment, honest dialogue, and as much laughter as possible.

or

FINDING OUR VOICES AND BUILDING OUR CONNECTIONS, with Maggie Ziegler
This session is an opportunity to speak from our hearts and with our true voices about what matters to us. We will weave ourselves into a collective tapestry that will provide strength and support to our individual aspirations as changemakers.
MAGGIE ZIEGLER, M.A., is a facilitator, educator, and former psychotherapist. She has worked for several decades in the field of violence-prevention and intervention, and also facilitates processes that deepen our relationships to all of life.

 

2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.:

WORLD CAFE, with Dana Peace and members of the Salish Sea Girls’ Leadership Project
The challenges of life in the 21st Century require us to find new ways to access the wisdom and intelligence inherent in groups both small and large. Café Conversations are one way that communities, and people from all walks of life are using to create a common purpose, share knowledge, make more intelligent decisions, and call forth life-affirming action together.  The World Café is set up like a café, where people move around the tables and have a series of conversations on issues that are meaningful to our community.
More information at: www.co-intelligence.org/P-worldcafe.html

 

This fabulous day of workshops costs only $10 for the day ($5 for 19 and under)

TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST. PURCHASE AT HARBOUR HOUSE HOTEL OR SWOVA TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT!!

For more information, please contact:

SWOVA – 250-537-2020

Or email: [email protected]

Or visit the Event website:  changemakers2020.com

 

 

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All That’s in a Name – by Christina Antonick

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ns-si-cornwallis-highI grew up in rural Nova Scotia and last week was grateful and relieved to read that the Halifax Regional School Board voted to rename Cornwallis Junior High, a public school named after the city founder Edward Cornwallis who was a British military officer who founded Halifax and in 2020 offered a bounty for the scalps of Mi’kmaq men, women and children in. Dan Paul, a Mi’kmaq elder, has been trying to remove Cornwallis’ name for 25 years from the school. I feel a mix of sadness and frustration that he had to wait so long and work so tirelessly for non-indigenous people to finally reach a place of understanding and take action to address racist violence and injustice by changing the school’s name.

When I work with young people in the classroom, I encourage them to understand the importance of relationship skills such as self-reflection, being able to listen rather than grow defensive and the great skill of being willing to say, “I was wrong and I’m sorry.” These skills are personal and political skills that increase one’s sense of vulnerability and presence.

May we each continue to be open to investigating with our hearts and minds so that all people can be honoured?

Link to CBC article

Christina Antonick, R+R Facilitator