UPDATE February 20, 2024 – INSPIRE has informed kawarthaNOW the International Women’s Day event scheduled for March 8, 2024 is no longer taking place, providing the following statement:
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project’s International Women’s Day Event is postponed. Refunds will be processed no later than March 31, 2024.”
From inspiring speakers to knowledgeable workshop leaders and crafty artisan vendors, the second annual International Women’s Day event hosted by INSPIRE: The Women’s Portrait Project will be nothing short of a celebration of all the powerful, successful, and empowered women that live right here in the Kawarthas.
With limited space for each of the workshops, space is filling up fast for the not-to-be-missed event taking place at the Peterborough Waterfront Holiday Inn on Friday, March 8th. Early bird tickets are currently on sale for $80 until February 18. Groups can also purchase a package of four tickets for $240 ($80 savings) or eight tickets for $480 ($160 savings). Those looking to give back can purchase a “pay it forward” for a local agency to provide to community members facing financial barriers.
Peterborough performer, filmmaker, and writer Megan Murphy will be returning as the emcee for the day, welcoming guests at 9 a.m. before a smudging and blessing ceremony kicks off the fun-filled day of connection and learning.
The opening will be followed by a talk from the morning speaker, Dr. Dawn Memee Lavell-Harvard, Ph.D, whose talk is titled “Investing in Indigenous Women and Girls: Inviting everyone to the table.”
A proud member of Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Dr. Lavell-Harvard was the first Indigenous Trudeau Scholar and works to advance the rights of Indigenous women and their families. She currently serves on the Board of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, the National Indigenous Women’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, Roots of Empathy, Mothers Matter Centres, and the local Community Health Centre. After doing advocacy work for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry, she becaame the director at the First Peoples House of Learning at Trent University.
After Dr. Lavell-Harvard’s talk, participants will break out into their choice of three concurrent morning workshops, led by Atheana Brown, Meg Nimigon, and Heather Howe. A brief break, lunch, and 15 minutes of yoga and deep breathing exercises hosted by Healthy Living Coach Stephanie Bolton will follow.
In the afternoon, participants will join one of another three workshops led by one of Nicole Cooke, Hermoine Revision, or Jessica Erickson, followed by another afternoon coffee break.
Sami Jo Small will then take to the stage as the event’s keynote speaker. As the former goalie for the Canadian Women’s National Hockey Team, Small is a five-time world champion and three-time Olympian, who played on two gold-medal-winning teams. A graduate of Stanford University with a degree in mechanical engineering, she co-founded the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League in 2007, considered the top women’s hockey league in North America during its 12 seasons. She was also general manager of the league’s Toronto Furies.
For three decades, she has drawn on her personal experience leading teams as an athlete and in management roles to help businesses and organizations create effective teams. She is a sports analyst who has worked for TSN and Sportsnet, and provided colour commentary and play-by-play for both the men’s and women’s hockey tournament at the Beijing Olympics. In 2020, she published her memoir The Role I Played, a behind-the-scenes look into one of the most successful teams in sports history, describing her experience as a rookie at the first-ever women’s Olympic hockey tournament in Nagano in 1998 through to Canada’s third straight Olympic gold medal in Vancouver in 2010.
After Small’s keynote, community songleader Mila Redwood will close the International Women’s Day event by guiding guests to sing a simple harmony song by ear in the oral tradition of call-and-response.
Throughout the day’s breaks and free time, guests will have the chance to browse the market of up to 25 local makers and artisans.
“It creates this incredible sense of community support with like-minded individuals that empower, inspire, and support one another,” INSPIRE Board member Jessica Swift tells kawarthaNOW.
With purchase of a ticket to the International Women’s Day event, participants receive $10 worth of “CF dollars” through event sponsor Community Futures Peterborough. These tokens can be used towards purchasing products at the vendor market, which the vendor can then return at the end of the day to get a paid balance through the organization’s sponsorship. This process is done so that even participants facing financial barriers have the opportunity to support the small businesses at the event.
“Markets help local makers get their name and product out there,” says Meghan Garant, a vendor at last year’s event. “Social media platforms and online shops like Etsy aren’t always friendly to the little guys. And local makers’ markets help us by getting our name and product out there, and with less hassle like with shipping costs.”
Garant, who owns Moon Jangled Jewelry, is one of many who will be returning to the event’s vendor market again this year.
“I wanted to return this year as a vendor because I loved the sense of community I felt last year,” she says. “I love chatting with customers and makers alike, and talking about jewellery and gemstones with those who are also appreciative of pretty, handmade things. I love getting to see what others are making, as well, as most often it’s truly unique. I’m excited to see who this year will be there.”
As INSPIRE is still securing vendors for the market, those interested can reach out to inspireartisanmarket@gmail.com.
Below is a list of morning and afternoon workshops at INSPIRE’s International Women’s Day event. When purchasing tickets online, guests can register for one morning workshop and one afternoon workshop. Spots are limited, so buyers are encouraged to register now to avoid missing out on first-choice workshops. For more information and registration, visit www.inspirethewomensportraitproject.com/workshops.
Morning Workshops
“Women and Diet Culture” with Atheana Brown
Atheana Brown will lead a workshop on the oppressive practice of diet culture. As a non-diet, body-inclusive, fat-positive, and trauma-informed registered dietitian and certified intuitive eating counsellor, Brown helps clients move away from chronic dieting, eating disorders, poor body image struggles and binge eating.
In this workshop, Brown will encourage you to think about your understanding of health, healthy eating, and your relationship with food by looking at how diet culture has played a part. The workshop will look at how diet culture is exclusive and unattainable, anti-fat bias, impacts on health, and how to move away from behaviours, thoughts, and ideas which fuel inequity.
The workshop does not talk about food in regards to what we “should” eat, but rather looks at disordered eating behaviours and thought patterns, while looking for ways to move away from the oppressive practice.
“Re-ignite your Self-Confidence” with Meg Nimigon (SOLD OUT)
Team Synergy Coach Meg Nimigon works with remote and hybrid teams to help them build team culture. Nimigon’s workshops and coaching draws on her unique background to move teams away from feeling disconnected in the new world of work to feeling connected and empowered.
Though she regularly works in teams, at this workshop she’ll be instead helping women better their relationships with themselves. Together, you will explore the difference between self-confidence and confidence and how, in understanding the difference, you can take action towards your goals while taking care of yourself along the way.
You will leave this workshop with a new outlook on how to reach your goals.
“Wen-Do Women’s Self Defence” with Heather Howe
The final workshop option in the morning is led by Heather Howe, a Wen-Do women’s self-defence instructor and registered social worker who specializes in working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and abuse.
Wen-Do is Canada’s oldest women’s self-defence organization. Designed for women by women, the Wen-Do program provides accessible, easy-to-learn, easy-to-remember verbal and physical self-defence strategies for women and girls 10 and older (trans inclusive).
This workshop includes discussions that challenge the myths that blame women for experiencing violence. Instead, women are encouraged to consider the techniques that work best for them while learning hits, kicks, blocks, and wrist/arm grab releases. All techniques are designed to be accessible to women of all fitness and ability levels.
Afternoon Workshops
“Streamline and Simplify Your Space” with Nicole Cooke (SOLD OUT)
Nicole Cooke is an Ennismore-based serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of working with companies, volunteer organizations, and individuals to streamline how they function day-to-day.
Cooke is also the founder of Organized by Design, a professional organizing service for residential and commercial clients.
Topics discussed in this workshop include the psychology of clutter, organizing the home beyond baskets and bins, taking back control of your kitchen, how to love your closet again, making “drop zones” work for you, winning the battle against paperwork, relocating without the stress, and more.
“I’m not creative but I have to be: how creativity makes you, Peterborough and the world sparkle” with Hermoine Rivision
Using her vast background in community work, teaching, counselling, theology, and theatre, Hermoine Rivision is a storyteller and officiant.
She is active with The Peterborough Storytellers and a member of Storytellers of Canada, leads workshops, and is a non-denominational minister.
This workshop is designed to help you find your creative spark-the one that makes you unique. It will be all about discovering what suits you and what makes you creative. Discussion will include the fear of creativity and playing with techniques that help you find that sparkle.
“Women and Cyber Security” with Jessica Erickson
An account manager at MicroAge, Jessica Erickson has over 10 years of technical sales experience in business IT solutions. She works collaboratively with clients and partners to build solutions and recommendations that are unique and accessible.
While working one-on-one with businesses, Erickson partners with groups and associations for awareness and educational speaking engagements to make tech talk easy to understand.
This workshop will help you understand the cyber threat landscape, while covering some critical basics of cyber security and digital safety to get you started on your journey of cyber resilience.
