RAISING WOMEN’S VOICES – June 18/22
Saturday June 18 | 9 am – noon | 10C Community Room, 42 Carden Street, Guelph
Join us for a morning of information sharing, networking, and support for women who are running – or thinking about running – in the upcoming municipal election, and those who support them.
You can hear about the challenges of running a first-time campaign, representing a diverse community, and why now is the time to run. A panel of Community Changemakers will put a municipal lens on the issues that are most important to Guelph citizens such as building a resilient community, inequality, climate change, and the importance of small business to our local economy. And, of course, there will be opportunities to ask questions and to network. This is an in-person event. Masks are required.
For more information please contact:
Teresa McKeeman
[email protected]
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The Guelph Campaign School is particularly interested in encouraging women from diverse backgrounds to run for municipal office in October 2022. We know that women encounter unique barriers to seeking elected office such as stereotyping of women’s roles and abilities and media imbalances in the treatment. Social media is rife with misogynistic comments about women’s abilities as leaders. As a result women may feel they are less qualified to run for office.
Our definition of women encompasses cisgender women, transgender women, genderqueer women, and two-spirit, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people who are woman-aligned.
Key Facts
In Canada, women occupy 18% of the mayors’ positions and 28% of councillor seats despite making up half the population. In Guelph women currently occupy 38% of the council seats but we could do better.
Encouraging Women to Run
At the Guelph Campaign School for Women we want to level the playing field by making it easier for women from diverse backgrounds to participate and have their voices heard. Women often care about different issues. We need more women in office to ensure that these issues are addressed and that institutions begin to change the way they do business to meet the needs of our entire population.
The Organizers
The campaign school is being organized, in cooperation with Councillor June Hofland, by a group of independent women advocates who are interested in the equal representation of women in public life and with the support of local women’s organizations.