Susan Sullivan, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, has recently announced a series of “Young Women’s Leadership Sessions” that will take place across the island, with the goal of encouraging women aged 16 to 30 to take leadership roles in politics and their communities.

“In Canada,” Sullivan says, “women represent 52 percent of the population, yet they only make up an average of 24 percent of the country’s municipal, provincial and federal elected representatives. We hope these sessions will spark a desire for many young women to consider taking an active role.”

The sessions will run from now through September in various communities – see below for a schedule. The workshops were developed through a partnership between the Women’s Policy Office and the Office of Public Engagement, and will be hosted by 19 Community Youth Networks.

By participating in the facilitated workshops, young women will learn how to effectively engage in their communities and with the political system at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

The Young Women in Leadership Sessions give young women the opportunity to explore the gender distribution of local municipal council positions, share insights on issues faced by their communities, celebrate and explore what young women are already doing in communities to address key issues, and more.

Feedback will be gathered throughout the sessions, and made it available to the public.

Date Location Venue Contact
August 3 Placentia Community Youth Network Placentia cynplacentia@yahoo.ca
August 10 Plum Point Plum Point Community Youth Network cynplumpoint@gmail.com
August 12 Harbour Grace Harbour Grace Community Youth Network (Splash Centre) splashcentre@live.ca
August 12 Stephenville Community Youth Network – Southwestern vanessaleecis@gmail.com
August 18 St. Lawrence St. Lawrence Community Youth Network cynstlawrence@nf.aibn.com
August 19 St. Anthony St. Anthony & Area Boys & Girls Community Youth Network communityyouthnetwork@gmail.com
August 20 Grand Falls-Windsor The Youth 2000 Centre y2c@live.ca
August 21 Baie Verte St. Anthony & Area Boys & Girls Community Youth Network ayscbaieverte@gmail.com
August 26 Harbour Breton Harbour Breton Community Youth Network hbcyn@nf.aibn.com
August 27 Bay d’Espoir Bay d’Espoir Community Youth Network bdecyn@nf.aibn.com
September 9 Corner Brook Community Youth Network Corner Brook/Bay of islands communityyouth.ymca@hotmail.com
September 9 L’Anse au Loup Southern Labrador/Strait of Belle Isle Community Network grcyn@nf.aibn.com
September 10 Springdale Springdale CYN icecap@nf.aibn.com
September 12 Happy Valley-Goose Bay Labrador Friendship Center cynhvgb@gmail.com
September 16 Cape Broyle CYN – Southern Avalon moran_nfld@hotmail.com
September TBD Gander The Open Door Community Youth Network kimberly.murphy@nfld.net
September TBD Botwood Botwood CYN colleenhayter@nf.aibn.com
TBD St. John’s CYN St. John’s Inc (Thrive) acrockwell@thrivecyn.ca