WAVE. Women s Advocacy Voice of Edmonton. The Building Blocks for Success

Transcription

1 WAVE Wmen s Advcacy Vice f Edmntn The Building Blcks fr Success Year 1 Reprt March April 2015

2 WAVE WOMEN S ADVOCACY Makes recmmendatins t Edmntn city cuncil abut wmen s gender-based issues and pprtunities in relatin t cuncil plicies, pririties and decisins Prmtes leadership develpment t empwer Edmntn wmen t fully participate in civic life Researches and prvides infrmatin and resurces t Edmntnians abut wmen s gender-based issues and pprtunities VOICE OF EDMONTON The creatin f WAVE is a true milestne fr Edmntn and all the peple wh live here. It shws that we aren t just hping wmen will engage in civic life; we re actively seeking wmen s input in shaping ur city. WAVE is tangible prf f Edmntn s cmmitment t real gender equality. Jackie Frd, WAVE cmmittee chair Jackie Frd, WAVE cmmittee chair Angelica Hernandez, WAVE cmmittee vice chair 2

3 WAVE has made significant prgress in Year 1. We ve laid a great fundatin fr all f ur wrk t cme. Angelica Hernandez, WAVE cmmittee vice chair WAVE Year 1 What is WAVE? The Wmen s Advcacy Vice f Edmntn, r WAVE, is a cmmittee f 15 wmen wrking with Edmntn City Cuncillr Bev Esslinger and Mayr Dn Ivesn. It was created in spring f 2014, t be the mechanism r wrking part f Edmntn s Wmen s Initiative. Alng with the wrk WAVE des, the Edmntn Wmen s Initiative als supprts Wmen@theCity: a cmmittee f city emplyees t prvide ideas and insights and prvide mentrship pprtunities in civic leadership rles hsted Wmen s Sympsiums in fall 2012 and spring 2013 WAVE will generate awareness, and share infrmatin and recmmendatins t Edmntn city cuncil and ther rganizatins: t bring a gender lens t decisins that affect all Edmntnians. This, in turn will help break dwn barriers and pen drs t mre pprtunities fr wmen t becme mre engaged in all aspects f civic life. Cmmunity cnversatins abut wmen s issues, engagement and leadership began in These resulted in the Edmntn Wmen s Initiative being created in It s City Cuncil s cmmitment t advcate fr wmen in leadership rles t ensure wmen s rights, issues and pinins are represented fairly and equally Since 2012 mre than 1500 wmen have engaged in this initiative. Their input supprted the creatin f the Wmen s Initiative and WAVE The Edmntn Wmen s Initiative is the umbrella structure within which WAVE and Wmen@theCity wrk n specific fcus areas THIS JUST IN May 27, 2015: WAVE, a cncerned citizen, and the Edmntn Student Alliance appeared befre City Cuncil s Transprtatin Cmmittee t prvide feedback abut the issue f safety n Edmntn s buses and LRT. As a result, WAVE will nw wrk with Edmntn Transit t develp a public awareness campaign, training fr ETS drivers and imprved ways t reprt harassment. 3

4 Why des WAVE matter? In 2014, wmen made up half f Edmntn s ppulatin. But that s nt the case when it cmes t ur city s cmmunity leaders. There simply aren t enugh wmen, particularly thse frm abriginal and immigrant cmmunities, and wmen frm diverse backgrunds, sitting at Edmntn s public decisinmaking tables. Changing that simply makes sense because it means all Edmntnians will get better value frm and mre pprtunities t participate in city services and civic life. We dn t have gender equality. Let s change that. Edmntn Wmen s Initiative VISION BY THE NUMBERS minimum % f wmen required in gvernment, accrding t the UN, t make a visible impact n style and cntent f plitical decisin-making % f senir management psitins in Edmntn are held by wman 3 % f mayrs in Canada are female % f city cuncillrs in Canada are female % f wmen in Edmntn s ttal ppulatin in % f wmen in Edmntn s labur frce in 2011 % f Canada s MP s are female (2011) - the highest ever # f female city cuncillrs in Edmntn 2013 present Alberta wmen wrking full-time make 63% f what men d. That s the lwest rate in Canada. 2 Wmen s equal participatin in decisin-making is nt nly a demand fr simple justice f demcracy but can als be seen as a necessary cnditin fr wmen s interests t be taken int accunt. Withut the active participatin f wmen and the incrpratin f wmen s perspectives at all levels f decisin-making, the gals f equality, develpment and peace cannt be achieved. United Natins - Reprt f the Furth Wrld Cnference n Wmen, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Natins publicatin, Sales N. E.96.IV.13),chapter.I, reslutin1, annex II. Paragraph Lahey, Kathleen A., The Alberta Disadvantage: Gender, Taxatin, and Incme Equality; March 2015, Parkland Institute. 4 3 McInturff, Kate, The Best and Wrst Place t be a Wman in Canada An Index f Gender Equality in Canada`s Twenty Largest Metrplitan Areas, April 2014, Canadian Centre fr Plicy Alternatives.

5 WAVE is already setting recrds. When Edmntn City Cuncil frmed WAVE in February 2014, 150 wmen applied t vlunteer fr it. That s the ne f the highest number f applicants ever fr a city cmmittee. WAVE s year 1 highlights The WAVE cmmittee met fr the first time in May f Fifteen wmen, f varying ages and cultures, frm all aspects f life in Edmntn, all determined t break dwn gender barriers in ur city. And they were wrking frm a blank slate, s t speak, because this is the first cmmittee f its kind in ur city. The WAVE cmmittee began its wrk by determining hw WAVE culd mst effectively apply an intersectinal gender lens t city plicy; learning hw and where t be invlved in civic decisin-making. Cmmittee members then started building a framewrk, utlining WAVE`s wrk fr the next few years, including Defining WAVE s 4 strategic pririty areas, each with its wn wrking grup Leadership Engage Gender Lens Plicy Identifying plicy areas where WAVE shuld fcus Wmen f Edmntn! We want t hear yur stries. Drp int the Stanley Milner Library tnight between 5 and 8 pm, and tell us abut yur experiences in Edmntn as a wman. It s a way f cllecting and preserving ur scial histry, and fr us, t better understand the fabric f ur city as seen thrugh wmen s eyes. Ding baseline research n the state f wmen s civic and plitical invlvement in Edmntn, aimed at prmting evidence-based decisin-making Creating a public presence fr WAVE and gender-based issues by creating a Wmen s Initiative scial media campaign n Facebk and Twitter This event was part f In Yur Own Wrds a MAKE SOMETHING EDMONTON initiative t cllect the regin s ral histry and preserve it n Sundclud, s it can be accessed by all. What is an intersectinal gender lens? Applying a gender lens means cnsidering all genders interests and needs. These cme frm many perspectives such as race, gender, r sci-ecnmic status and they all intersect. An intersectinal gender lens cnsiders all f these and hw tgether they might lead t discriminatin, ppressin r dminatin. 5

6 WAVE s year 1 wrk n strategic pririty areas. Each area has a wrking grup t frward each pririty s actins. Engagement and pen dialgue lay at the heart f ur wrk at WAVE, as we remve barriers and infrm plicy. Dawn Newtn, WAVE cmmittee member LEADERSHIP: mdel and share leadership skills with wmen; address barriers they face in cmmunity participatin; identify existing leadership tls, new appraches and pprtunities and apply these in Edmntn ENGAGE: determine hw WAVE shuld identify plicy areas f fcus and then hw t influence thse; develp a full cmmunicatins strategy; fster dialgue thrugh scial media and ther avenues; identify pprtunities fr public engagement; engage ther advcates t be invlved with WAVE initiatives WAVE SOCIAL MEDIA SUCCESS In just its first six mnths, WAVE s scial media campaign is taking ff. The infgraphic belw is a snapsht f the grwth frm March t May 15, Leadership Outcmes WAVE is a key cnnectr with Wmen@theCity, an internal city cmmittee dealing with genderbased issues fr municipal emplyees C-hsted Celebrating and Inspiring Wmen Wrkshp and the Internatinal Wmen s Day event Learning mre abut Family Friendly Parliament prcedures and hw these can be applied t the City f Edmntn MARCH 1-31, 2015 MAY 1-15, Engagement Reach (rganic & paid) Fllwers Accunts Reached 1,647 58, ,186 2,354 39, ,821* Engagement Reach (rganic & paid) Fllwers Accunts Reached * actual number at May 31, Engagement Outcmes Cmmunicatin plan and key messages cmpleted Scial media campaign underway with steady and cnsistent grwth Wmen s Initiative website wrk is underway Participatin in tw Public Cnsultatin Cuncil Initiative pen cmmunicatin wrkshps

7 WAVE is prf fr me, and fr all f us, that every persn s vice n matter their gender is equally imprtant. It s als a symbl f prgress; a building blck twards an equitable sciety where each and every ne f us is fully valued. Meghana Valupadas, WAVE cmmittee member 2015 Gender Lens Outcmes Benchmark research cmpleted n wmen s civic invlvement in Edmntn Glssary f terms cmpleted, s all members understand and use the same language in discussing gender lens Tw gender lens training sessins fr WAVE members, t understand hw t apply a gender lens t plicy wrk Gender Gap screcard wrk underway 2015 Plicy Outcmes Review current Edmntn plicies and initiatives t identify initial plicy pririties fr WAVE Review and evaluatin f Safety n Transit reprt and recmmendatins and resulting presentatin t City Cuncil Transprtatin Cmmittee City advcacy training sessin fr cmmittee members cmpleted Participatin n the Mayr s End Pverty Task Frce GENDER LENS: educate WAVE members n the cncept and applicatin f gender lens; build an nline resurce database n gender-based issues; identify gaps fr further research; develp a gender-gap screcard fr the City f Edmntn, mdeled n the United Natins Gender Gap Screcard POLICY: fcus initial wrk n city plicies relating t scial issues, transprtatin, infrastructure and urban design; find ways t cnnect and wrk n jint initiatives with Wmen@theCity; develp and present annual reprts t City Cuncil WAVE has tw additinal wrking grups Sympsium planning Edmntn s Octber 2015 Wmen s Sympsium Cmmunicatin prviding timely cmmunicatin supprt and input n emerging issues and messaging fr public and scial media utreach Fr me, WAVE is a unique pprtunity because we re casting a gender lens n issues that are imprtant t all Edmntnians. Our cmmittee membership is s diverse that ur deliberatins and actins intersect virtually every aspect f municipal cncern. Philmena Kkeke-Ihejirikam, University f Alberta, WAVE cmmittee member 7

8 WAVE Year 1 WAVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS Emily Dietrich Mia Nrrie Meghana Valupadas Rajvir Gill Philmina Okeke-Ihejirika Sandra Witas Angelica Hernandez Claudette Rain Hendriatta Wng Jennifer Jennax Preet Kaur Sandhu Meheret Wrku Dawn Newtn Cristina Stasia Dilara Yegani Missing frm the pht: Jacqueline Frd, Preet Kaur Sandhu (recruited in May 2015) WOMEN S INITIATIVE CITY COUNCIL SPONSORS Mayr Dn Ivesn, Cuncillr Bev Esslinger WOMEN S INITIATIVE COMMUNITY SERVICES LEADS Lyall Brenneis, Kate Gunn WOMEN S INITIATIVE PROJECT MANAGER & COORDINATOR Marian Bruin, Brenda Wng WAVE represents wmen f all ages and different scial and cultural backgrunds. We re united by a cmmn gal: t engage all Edmntnians t talk and t take actin, s that Edmntn is an excellent place fr wmen and fr everyne wh lives here in term f leadership, equality, representatin and quality f life. Bev Esslinger, Edmntn City Cuncillr Cnnect with us and click n WAVE Wmen s Initiative