“The hand connects the brain to the paper.” by C.V.
NAIT CAT Building, Edmonton, AB.
August 8, 2017 2:00 pm, 23°C

This photo is taken in my office at NAIT where I am preparing an activity for young people considering education in the trades or technologies at NAIT. My job is to put together a manual drafting (sketching) exercise for the potential students to get a taste of what some technology students learn. Although so much of our work is now done on a computer, we always start by doing hand sketches, similar to the exercises in the photo. Making the connection between the brain to the hand and then to the paper is tedious to some students but it is an important skill for graduates of my technology, engineering design.

The image in the background is a print of a manual drafting exercise from NAIT in the 1960’s. In the past when all drafting was done by hand the connection between brain, hand and paper was easy to grasp. The importance of accuracy and neatness was apparent in your product, the final engineering drawing. Computer-aided drafting has simplified our work, but removes us from the quiet pleasure of planning your work and then meticulously translating your design to paper.

“Leadership Gardening” by S.W.
August 7, 2017. VERY Warm Memories!

I recall looking around at the all of the people who all play a role in the work we do at our final WAVE gathering for this calendar year, including the volunteers and the astounding City Staff who support our mandate. The “garden moment” captured in this photo with one of our collaboration carvings helps me remember that one of the most important leadership lessons is realized when people can honestly say to themselves, “I am not the most important or the most intelligent person in the room.”

Within my public memory of our last meeting, I see developers, team builders, roadblock removers, visionaries, and those remarkable people who prioritize detail, act as messengers, and idea explorers -- the explorers who seek to make an impact on our future and serve as consensus builders. The list could go on and on. Our success depends on enabling the success of others, especially through collaboration and lending our leadership to help people achieve larger purpose. I am so proud to be part of this important work. I am one of the many gardeners.

“The Common Good” by S.W.
June 23, 2017. 19°/10°C

As I chaired our monthly WAVE meeting I glanced around the room at the amazing women who volunteer their time, and the presence of the entire group reminded me how we can work together towards the common good. At WAVE, we do not set out to be leaders, but all of us have arrived to this table at City Hall because of the quality of our actions and the integrity of our mission to build a better city for everyone living in Edmonton. The women found around the WAVE table are here to serve those who need their gifted expertise, our shared leadership, and, most importantly, our hearts.

“Stream of Leadership” by M.V.
June 20, 2017. 24°/11°C

As a member of WAVE, I attended a Famous Five Foundation lunch event that celebrated the great women of the past by honouring our current leaders of the community. This book by Nellie McLung serves as reminder of the female leadership tradition in Edmonton. We are proud to be supporting local women and girls who continue to fight for justice, equity, and a better tomorrow for all people in our city.

"We got this, together!"by T.E.

While I am a member of WAVE, I also work for Habitat for Humanity, Edmonton. I took a photo during a quiet moment before hosting a home maintenance workshop on the Gift Lake Métis Settlement on June 15, 2017. With Habitat for Humanity Edmonton and Northern Alberta, I teach homeowners how to take care of the systems in their home. This workshop was open to all families on the settlement regardless of if they were with Habitat or not.

A sick home will make our families unhealthy and lead to higher costs for future maintenance. We don’t want our Elders and our children to be canaries in a coalmine. Preventative maintenance is key to keeping our families, homes and wallets healthy.

Women may hold up half of the sky, but they must also hold up half of the roof -- sometimes the whole roof, and, sometimes, everything under that roof.

Knowing how to take care of your residence through home maintenance is a very empowering place to be, especially for women. It’s more than just tools and “to do lists”. It’s all about the power of curiosity, following-up with new knowledge, and then putting that knowledge into action! It’s about building confidence and self-esteem. And it’s always an honor to spend time with the families to learn about how they see their role in taking care of their homes while encouraging them to take action.

Thank you for the opportunity to share a moment with you.

Links:

To help build a better future, please see: Habitat for Humanity, Edmonton

“The Africa Day Gala, 2017” by M.W.
June 17, 2017 21° /10° C.

I attended African Day Gala of the Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta. The theme for this year's event was Empowerment through integration. The diverse citizens of our country can be empowered when we help them navigate the Canadian system through civic engagement. We also acknowledged that June 16 marks the United Nations’ initiative known Worldwide as the African Child Day. Started in 1991, its purpose is to give and to secure proper education for the African Child. The Gala recognized all of the grassroots organizations that offer and sustain after school programs for families that don't have the means to give their children the support they need as they enter the Canadian school system!

Links:

For additional information about the Council for the Advancement of African Canadians in Alberta, please see: Africa Centre

“WAVE with PRIDE!” by S.W.
June 11, 2017. 14°C

This photo records a PRIDE 2017 event with several members from WAVE.

At WAVE, we believe that we are driven to serve others in our community. Leadership is an action and not a position. We realize that the most powerful leadership tool is our own personal example. Our photo documenting our solidarity is evidence of that action.

“Ladies Learning Code YEG” by J.L.
April 22, 2017. 4°/0°C

Today, I went to Startup Edmonton for a Ladies Learning Code YEG class with my rock! The workshop provided a group of Edmonton women with some practical training in Photoshop for web design. What I found to be most impactful was that there was one mentor for every group of three-to-four students so instruction was very “hands on” and informative. Ladies Learning Code YEG has developed an effective roadmap for attendees to use to navigate their journeys through education. I will, most definitely, attend another workshop with this group.

Links:

For additional information about the superb programs described here, please see: Ladies Learning Code - Edmonton Chapter

“Multicultural Language Class” by D.Y.
Changing Together, April 5, 2017. 20°C Indoors/6°C Outdoors.

The carving called Bylaw 16658 YEG-GA visited Changing Together during an adult learning class. The class was attended by women of all ages from many diverse cultures. Changing Together is a flagship non-profit charitable association founded by immigrant women for immigrant women and it has been serving the community since 1984. The mission of the organization is to help immigrant women within Edmonton and the surrounding area overcome personal and systemic barriers that keep them from fully participating in Canadian society. Now, Changing Together offers various programs and services for immigrant women in a safe, welcoming, “women only” environment. English Adult Learning, English Lifelong Learning courses, and counseling for family violence are a few of the support resources available. Their Prevention of Family Violence Program is designed specifically to assist immigrant women navigate the complexities of Canadian socio-economic realities and legal systems. Meanwhile, the Volunteer Support Program of Changing Together has been the only program in the City of Edmonton helping to place immigrant women in various volunteer capacities so that they can acquire new skills and professional experience to increase their opportunity for employment (which, otherwise, may not have been possible).

The ladies I met that day said that while they are learning together, they are “changing together” by teaching one another about acceptance and the richness of their respective cultures. Currently enrolled in Changing Together’s programs are women from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, El-Salvador, Brazil, Congo, Somalia, North and South Sudan, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Spain, Russia, Poland, South Korea, China, Japan, Philippines, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Their educational backgrounds range from highly trained professionals (such as lawyers, teachers, accountants, engineers, IT professionals, and fashion designers) to uneducated participants, some of whom are illiterate even in their own mother language. The status of women I encountered included a mixture of Canadian citizens, new immigrants, refugees, TFW’s and exchange students. Overall, I could count at least twelve different nationalities that day.

The Bylaw 16658 YEG-GA sculpture received a lot of interest from the students and was held by each one of them in attendance. I asked the ladies what they felt when they were holding the carving. Their answers were: Calmness, softness, spirituality, as well as thoughts about the design, the stone, and the sculptor.

Links:

Further information about the programs may be found at: Changing Together

"GBA+ at City Hall" by DN
Edmonton, Spring, 2017.

Today, I presented the benefits of the proposed Gender-based Analysis+ (GBA+) training for City Staff to the City Council Executive Committee as part of my responsibilities for WAVE. GBA+ training is central to federal governance, and the program is also embraced by the Province of Alberta. To help buttress the core Canadian value of gender equality stipulated in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, moreover, the Government of Canada provides an online course.

I wondered if this portrait would work for the Y150 YEG-GA project. My five-year-old child lent me his bear for the photo while we waited in the City Hall lobby. While the image helps mark a moment together, it also serves as a convenient metaphor for the spirit of collaboration so central to the promotion of gender equality and equity within municipal affairs.

Links:

Please be sure to take the Status of Women Canada’s Introduction to Gender-based Analysis+ online course at: GBA+ Education

"Women's Initiative Edmonton" by MB
April 4, 2017. 12°/-1°C.

The City of Edmonton is committed to advocating on behalf of women in municipal and civic life and enhancing its leadership role on gender-based issues important to Edmonton women. Councillor Bev Esslinger and Mayor Don Iveson are City Council champions for the Edmonton’s Women’s Initiative, launched in December 2013, along with the creation of a new Women's Advisory Council (WAVE) in early 2014. As our web page explains, we focus on three key areas for action:

1) Engagement: The Women’s Initiative will facilitate networking opportunities through consultations, focused gatherings, various social mediium and other opportunities; 2) Leadership: Through mentorship opportunities, the Women’s Initiative will increase leadership by encouraging women to actively engage in civic and political life. This includes addressing the need for equal access to employment possibilities; and 3) Best Practice: Universal research into other municipalities will identify best practices that can be incorporated into the Women’s Initiative mandate and activities. This includes recognizing issues and opportunities, and profiling the demographics of women.

"Famous 5 Luncheon" by DJ
March 8, 2017. -17°/-21°C.

This photo was taken on International Women’s Day while attending the Famous 5 luncheon featuring Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, Dr. Marie Wilson. She gave a powerful speech about the need for reconciliation in Canada. Please read about the 94 Calls to Action, and, of course, ACT.

Links:

Information about Commissioner Marie Wilson may be found at: Marie Wilson, Trudeau Foundation

To learn about the 94 Calls to Action, please see: Truth and Reconciliation

Details regarding the historic legacy of Canada's Famous Five may be found at: Famous 5 Foundation

"International Women's Day Edmonton" by MB
Sometime after 2:30PM, March 5, 2017. -11°C.

I was at the International Women's Day (IWD) march on Sunday March 5th at City Hall and took this photo. IWD called for people to gather at Churchill Square for the march at 1:00PM and then at the foyer of City Hall for a cultural forum. The announcement also observed how, for more than 100 years, IWD "has been an important occasion for women around the world to express their unity in the struggle to defend their rights and the rights of all." It was a great event.

For this photo, Advocacy YEG-GA was perched on the podium used for the cultural forum in front of a banner. The banner, which was also conspicuous in the march, included five women of different ethnicities holding hands around a blue globe draped with a large yellow ribbon featuring the words, "Women Workers of the World." A sixth woman, dressed in white with fists clenched victoriously upward, stood below the words "Freedom" on top of the image. We later learned that the banner was created by the Industrial Workers of the World's Edmonton chapter in collaboration with the artist Memi von Gaza. Since that organization does not have too many women members in the city, they gave the banner to the IWD.

Links:

Details about IWD and a photo of the entire banner in the march may be found at, IWDEdmonton Facebook Page

Local CBC news video of the event may be found at, "Dozens March in Edmonton for International Women's Day"