Program Highlights

Program Highlights

The Young Women & Community Leadership Zine

The Young Women & Community Leadership program at ASI 2012 brought together a diverse group of twenty young women from across the Atlantic Region to learn about leadership and work towards creating a plan for change in their communities. The three and a half day program at Holland College in Charlottetown not only gave rise to some inspiring action plans from participants, it also produced a colourful zine highlighting the multiple perspectives on leadership shared by these women.

What is a zine? A zine (pronounced ‘zeen,’ like ‘magazine’) is a self-published, small circulation booklet or magazine, usually handmade in a cut & paste, do-it-yourself style. There are no rules for the content or purpose – zines cover all topics and styles. For this reason, it was a great project to unite the participants during the YW&CL program. Over three sessions, participants developed content for the zine, creating pages individually and collaboratively. The zine includes essays, collages, poetry, inspiring quotes, and facts about women’s leadership.

The zine served as an outlet for the young women to share their leadership experiences and engage with the workshop curriculum in a creative and fun way. It became a document of the program and a resource for the women to share what they had learned at the ASI with other delegates and with women from their own communities.

On the final day of the Institute, the women presented the zine at the ASI’s closing event. Chloe Gagnon (NS) introduced the zine, Alice Marx (PEI) and Melanie Brister (NS) shared personal essays on what leadership means to them, and Ellen Taylor (NS) read a poem she had written, entitled This is our Lives.  Their presentation was incredibly moving and empowering, revealing the strength of this generation of emerging leaders and their commitment to creating change in the world.

Each participant of the YW&CL program got to take home a copy, as did a few other lucky ASI participants. And now, the zine is available for all to see, download, and share. Check it out – you might even be inspired to create your own!

*****

Young Women Leaders Participate in International Day of the Girl Child

This past October, Nova Scotia delegates from the ASI’s Young Women & Community Leadership program were involved in the first year of celebrations for International Day of the Girl Child.

The United Nations declared October 11th, 2012 as the first International Day of the Girl Child. The day is a way to recognize girls’ rights, promote equal treatment and opportunities for girls around the world, and raise awareness about issues that affect them.

The Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women partnered with The Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative and the Canadian Red Cross to host an event in celebration of this day. The event included a reception, film screening, and panel discussion. Leadership was a key topic of the day, and ASI delegates Naomi Aloysius and Chloe Gagnon volunteered and shared their experiences as leaders and participants in the Young Women & Community Leadership Program.

Naomi and Chloe, along with fellow Nova Scotia delegate Ellen Taylor have all written essays about their history of leadership in their communities. Click on the links below to read their essays.

Making My Voice Heard
by Chloe Gagnon

We’re Right Here
by Ellen Taylor 

Small Actions, Big Impact
by Naomi Aloysius

Change language

Twitter

Recent Posts