Happy International Women's Day! What a wonderful thing... I thought it would be fitting for me to blog about some interesting IWD facts and how I spent my day.
In case you didn't know, International Women's Day first began in 1911 in Germany, meaning this year is the 101st IWD. In some countries, such as Russia, it's a statutory holiday. How amazing would that be if Canada followed suit? Unfortunately that probably won't happen, as the UN ranks Canada low on the list of countries in regard to gender equality. You're probably surprised, huh? There is a lot I could go into around that topic, like how women in Canada still make 71 cents for every dollar a man with the same job would make. I don't want to focus on the negatives right now, but it is important for both women and men to understand that we have come a long way on the road to gender equality, but there is still a long stretch ahead.
All that being said, let me now tell you how I spent my IWD. This morning I attended an International Women's Day Luncheon put on by the Pictou County Women's Centre. I went early to help set up and take money for tickets, and then had a lunch while some local amateur actresses portrayed four women from Pictou County who have made important impacts on our community over the last 150 years. This included women from the African-Canadian and First Nations communties. The really great thing was that two of the actresses were actually portraying women they were related to - one was an aunt and the other was a great-grandmother. Very interesting and a fun way to learn some local history.
After the luncheon I got to work at Sobeys for the evening (lame, as usual), and although it was maybe not my ideal way to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening on such a beautiful day, I was happy to wish all my female coworkers a Happy International Women's Day. Next year I'm going to do something bigger for IWD though... I won't be working at Sobeys, but I think I will plan something to continue to raise awareness.
Often I find that when I mention women's rights or wish women a Happy IWD, it's taken almost as a joke or something equally as unimportant. I wish this wasn't so. Be proud, get informed, and don't take your rights for granted. You deserve more. Every day is International Men's Day.
So when I say Happy International Women's Day, I mean it! Celebrate the women in your life, everyday.
Showing posts with label Women's Centre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women's Centre. Show all posts
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Oh the difference a couple of years can make...
So this past week I've been doing contract work for the Women's Centre. I've been going to different schools/grades around the county holding focus groups with young women to try to figure out what programs they feel they would most like to see in Pictou County. So far I've done three out of six focus groups: one with grade 6's, one with grade 8's, and one with grade 11's.
I basically asked all the girls four basic questions after bribing them all by giving everyone a lifesaver sucker:
1) Where do you hang out outside of school?
2) What do you do when you're not in school?
3) What do you think is going on with girls these days?
4) What programs would you like to see for girls in Pictou County?
The first day was the grade 6's. I was a bit nervous because I had no idea what to expect or how it would turn out. I was pleasently surprised at how fun it was sitting around talking to grade 6 girls, plus they gave up some great general info and some specific ideas. They also seemed to really enjoy the session and asked me if I'd be back... great kids, very friendly.
The next day was the grade 8 girls. Oh. My. God. That age group is such a pain in the ass. The principal told us that the group we were going to be talking to was pretty vocal so it should be okay. Yeah, right. I felt like I was some evil dentist trying to yank teeth out of these girls. They would barely even tell me where they like to hang out or what they usually do when they're not in school. Good god. These are not trick questions, kids. We got some info by the end of it, but I felt that it was no where near as successful as the first focus group. All I really found out was that they mainly like to eat, sleep, and text. Not joking, that is actually what they said to me.
So yesterday was the grade 11 focus group, and I have to say that it might have been my favorite so far. Maybe it's just because the girls are older and have more of a concept of what is going on with girls these days, I don't really know. The group I talked to was just very open and willing to tell us what's up. We probably could have stayed for even longer than our allotted hour if the girls didn't have another class to go to. Another interesting tidbit that came from the grade 11's was that they mentioned trends among young women that they have noticed, such as high pregnancy rates and hyper sexuality at younger ages, which matches quite well with the stats that we have at the Women's Centre from a professional point of view. Lots of great stuff from that group, and it boosted my morale after the grade 8 zombies.
Next week I have three more groups to do, and I'm interested in seeing the response from the same age groups in different schools. I'll keep you posted :)
I basically asked all the girls four basic questions after bribing them all by giving everyone a lifesaver sucker:
1) Where do you hang out outside of school?
2) What do you do when you're not in school?
3) What do you think is going on with girls these days?
4) What programs would you like to see for girls in Pictou County?
The first day was the grade 6's. I was a bit nervous because I had no idea what to expect or how it would turn out. I was pleasently surprised at how fun it was sitting around talking to grade 6 girls, plus they gave up some great general info and some specific ideas. They also seemed to really enjoy the session and asked me if I'd be back... great kids, very friendly.
The next day was the grade 8 girls. Oh. My. God. That age group is such a pain in the ass. The principal told us that the group we were going to be talking to was pretty vocal so it should be okay. Yeah, right. I felt like I was some evil dentist trying to yank teeth out of these girls. They would barely even tell me where they like to hang out or what they usually do when they're not in school. Good god. These are not trick questions, kids. We got some info by the end of it, but I felt that it was no where near as successful as the first focus group. All I really found out was that they mainly like to eat, sleep, and text. Not joking, that is actually what they said to me.
So yesterday was the grade 11 focus group, and I have to say that it might have been my favorite so far. Maybe it's just because the girls are older and have more of a concept of what is going on with girls these days, I don't really know. The group I talked to was just very open and willing to tell us what's up. We probably could have stayed for even longer than our allotted hour if the girls didn't have another class to go to. Another interesting tidbit that came from the grade 11's was that they mentioned trends among young women that they have noticed, such as high pregnancy rates and hyper sexuality at younger ages, which matches quite well with the stats that we have at the Women's Centre from a professional point of view. Lots of great stuff from that group, and it boosted my morale after the grade 8 zombies.
Next week I have three more groups to do, and I'm interested in seeing the response from the same age groups in different schools. I'll keep you posted :)
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