calling youth with ideas!

So first of all, it's been over a month since I posted to this blog. Oops. Forgive me! However ... my school choice is decided. University of Toronto, here I come! If you know of some great places to eat or hang out in Toronto (or some great feminist-y organizations to get involved with), I'd be happy to hear about them!

Anyways, the Edmonton Social Planning Council launched a really interesting Youth Internship Program. They are supporting young people between the ages of 15 - 25 to initiate a social justice project! They offer desk space, computer access, printing/photocopying, links with their networks, and general support that would be very helpful. Youth can start in the summer or in the school year, and applications and more information can be found at http://www.edmontonsocialplanning.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=509&Itemid=215

On the note of leadership projects & social activism, I want to do a shout-out to the OV girls who are, at the ages of 11, 12, 13, and 14, are kicking butt and raising awareness about social causes that matter to them. Breast cancer research, animal cruelty, the genocide in Darfur, you name it. These girls are on it & are already in the hundreds with their fundraising! Way to go girls!

I love discovering resources that support activism and project development, and here's a great one. TakingITGlobal is offering an e-course in project development for youth called Sprout. I think they've begun their first cycle, but keep an eye out for their newsletters & upcoming applications. They connect you with a mentor and support you the entire way through.

Also, if you're a young woman who wants to launch an action project in your community, registrations for the ELLE Project, hosted by the Girls Action Foundation, are coming up soon! Check here for details - I took it last year and it was phenomenal.

And finally, if you're a girl looking to make an impact with technology, Microsoft has a special program on how to create podcasts and websites. It's full of resources, and available here.

Happy activist-ing!

Joanne

I've got a beef.

I was listening to the radio the other day and I had the pleasure of hearing the song "Don't Trust Me" by 3Oh!3. For those of you that haven't heard it, here's the chorus:

"Shush girl, shut your lips
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips
I said shush girl, shut your lips
Do the Helen Keller and talk with your hips"

I was shocked. Aside from the blatant messages that girls' place in society is to shut up and be stared at, they use Helen Keller as a metaphor. Helen Keller dedicated her life, as a blind and deaf woman, to being listened to in a society that was extraordinarily ableist. I'm disgusted this band dared to defame the name of such a role model to suggest girls and women today are worth little more than their ass.

I've had enough of song lyrics like this. I can't believe we, as consumers and listeners, side idly by and listen to and enjoy this music without even questioning the messages. For a society that claims it's progressive when it comes to women's rights, I'm going to have to disagree while songs like this make the Top 40 list.

Let's all do ourselves some good and listen to some India.Arie!

calling all girl & women writers!

Ophelia's Voice is launching a very exciting Legacy Book Project and we are collecting 250-word submissions from girls and adult women about their reflections on female leadership. These submissions will be compiled into a book available late June 2009.

For girls, we are asking them to write a letter to yourself at the age of 30. What do you hope you will have accomplished by age 30? What will you want to remember about being a teenage girl? How do you hope the world will have changed?

For adult women, we are asking them to write a letter to yourself at the age of 13. What would you tell yourself about your potential about being a leader? What advice do you wish you had at the age of 13?

You can find the submission form here.

Our submission deadline is April 30, 2009 - so hurry!

work with girls in Edmonton? let's network!

Ophelia's Voice is very excited to host a Girls Stakeholders Networking Meeting from 9 am - noon on Friday, May 22, 2009 at the Stanley A. Milner Library Centennial Room (downtown).

If your agency:
- works with girls or young women in any capacity (counselling, violence prevention, intervention, leadership development, volunteer recruitment)
- is looking for opportunities to network, exchange resources and best practices, and discuss common challenges

This is the event for you!

There is no limit for the number of attendees per organization, so bring your executive director, program delivery staff, program managers, and even participants. We also ask that attendees bring promotional materials about their organization and programs, and any display copies of resources they find helpful in their work (i.e. a manual, workshop guide, video) to be part of a mini "resource fair".

If you're interested in attending, email your name and agency to joanne@opheliasvoice.org before May 15, 2009. We are filling up quickly!

For more information, view the invite here.

We are also investigating how to create connections between girls' groups in rural Alberta via teleconference, so contact us if you're interested in participating!

happy International Women's Day!

It's International Women's Day today - how did you celebrate?

The Ophelia's Voice plan was to host a film screening of "Iron Jawed Angels" (an amazing film about women suffragettes on a hunger strike to get the vote!), but some nasty increment weather got in the way.

When I reflect on the importance of International Women's Day, I guess the first thought I have is - why isn't everyday an opportunity to celebrate women and their contributions to society?!

Whether or not we like to acknowledge it, women in today's society - and even the Western world - is very much that of a second class citizen. For example:
- In the Canadian House of Commons, 22% of the seats are occupied by women.
- Women have been considered "persons" in Canadian society only for 80 years.
- It wasn't until 1982 that women's equality was included in our Constitution.
- Canadian women still only earn $0.72 for every $1.00 a man makes.
- Women account for 83% of the victims of domestic violence in Canada.

While it's important to recognize the disheartening state of women's equality in Canada and abroad, it's also important to celebrate the amazing accomplishments and contributions of women worldwide. Some of these include:
- President Obama championing a powerful women's rights agenda
- Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton forging groundbreaking territory in U.S. politics
- Peggy Whitson was the first woman to command the International Space Station
- Women gain seats in Rwanda's Parliament, making them the 55% majority!
- Women make up 56% of the college population - a big gain from previously not being allowed to attend the institutions at all!

So celebrate women & girls on a daily basis. Read blogs like Feministing. Support organizations that do great work, like Girls Action Foundation or the Canadian Women's Foundation. Tell a woman or girl that you value them for their strength, intelligence, integrity, or leadership abilities. Speak out against sexism or sexual harassment. Call yourself a feminist and talk to others about what that means to you. Vote - it was something that had to be earned!

Whatever you choose to do - have a wonderful International Women's Day & may you carry this spirit of solidarity and justice for women in the other 364 days of the year!

what do girls need to be loved?

Courtesy of the wonderful Girls Action Foundation!

we're making buzz: OV in the media

As part of being celebrated as Global TV Edmonton's March Woman of Vision, the lovely Lesley Macdonald wrote this piece on February 27, 2009 in the Edmonton Journal on the journey that's been Ophelia's Voice:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Health/Teen+leader+driven+empower+girls/1335020/story.html

Also, watch Global TV at 6pm this Monday, March 3 to see the Woman of Vision feature on Ophelia's Voice! (My understanding is that it's being shown nationally - yikes!). If you miss it, it should be available online here.

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