International Women’s Day is on Thursday, March 8 and, this year, the event is building on the global momentum striving for gender parity.
International Women’s Day has been observed for a century, according to IWD.com, but women’s equality movements have been most recently been fuelled by campaigns such as #MeToo and #TimesUp and awareness around the gender pay gap.
This year’s International Women's Day theme, #PressforProgress is shining a worldwide spotlight on accelerating gender parity.
#PressforProgress represents a strong call to “motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.”
Here in Kamloops, the Women’s Leadership Council at the United Way is hosting more than 200 people for an International Women’s Day networking social at Hotel 540.
The event, hosted in partnership with RCB Dominion Securities and RBC, will feature Olympian Anastasia Bucsis and celebrate the launch of EmpowerHer, a local initiative that will be empowering women to gain independence through access to The Rent Bank, financial literacy education and a matched savings program.
The social is happening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and tickets sold out on Wednesday. United Way marketing director Geralyn Alain said the Women’s Leadership Council has hosted the event for the past three years and every year it has grown in size.
Also on March 8, The TRU Faculty Association Status of Women Committee is hosting a breakfast at Hotel 540 with keynote speaker Dr. Manulani Aluli Meyer and special guest, elder Dr. Margaret Vickers Hyslop.
Attendees will enjoy breakfast and healing wisdom from Meyer in celebration of Indigenous girls and women. The event is free to attend but organizers are accepting donations toward local indigenous and community women's organizations.
To register and confirm your attendance, email [email protected]. Details are also on the Facebook page. The event is running 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Share your thoughts on International Women’s Day using the hashtag #IWD2018 and don’t forget to wear purple!
