Campaign School for Women This Weekend
About 50 Nova Scotia women will learn how to navigate a campaign or run for elected office at the 7th Campaign School for Women this weekend.
This year's event, with the theme Democracy Starts with You, is Friday, June 13, to Sunday, June 15, at Saint Mary's University in Halifax.
The school, hosted by the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, will feature 11 workshops and about 20 speakers representing all four political parties and various levels of government. The speakers include: Megan Leslie, MP for Halifax and federal NDP deputy leader; Jennifer Watts, HRM councillor; Marlene Well, Green Party; Dorothy Rice, Elections Nova Scotia; Joanne Bernard, Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women; and many others.
"Status of Women believes in, and supports, the inclusion and full participation of women in leadership to influence decisions that impact their lives and communities," said Ms. Bernard, a graduate of the 2011 campaign school. "This school is invaluable in allowing women to build the knowledge and skills they need to engage in the political process."
Status of Women will launch the fourth edition of Votes For Women: A Political Guidebook, at the school. The publication, which educates women about engagement and leadership in elections in Nova Scotia, is free and is available in print and electronically at www.women.gov.ns.ca/leadership .
"Campaign school is three days of intensive training for Nova Scotia women where we will focus on the contributions and influence, and the challenges and opportunities for women in politics and in election campaigns," said Stephanie MacInnis-Langley, executive director of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. "The school's speakers and workshop leaders are trailblazers who are well-positioned to inspire our future women leaders."
For more details on the school, go to www.women.gov.ns.ca/NSvoteswomen .
The Status of Women is also launching a leadership speaker series in conjunction with the Centre for Women in Business. The first talk will be Amplify Your Voice and Increase Your Influence with award-winning author, educator and women's advocate Shari Graydon on Monday, June 16.
Ms. Graydon founded and leads Informed Opinions, which increases women's voices and leadership across Canada. The talk will begin at 11 a.m. at Rosaria Student Centre, Mount Saint Vincent University.
Tickets are $20 and are available online at http://centreforwomeninbusiness.ca .
One of the priorities of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women is women in leadership, and to increase the participation and diversity of women in public life, including elected office. Campaign School was first introduced by the Status of Women in the 1990s to help achieve this goal.