President’s blog Nov 2014
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We are in the midst of an important study on Status of Women in Canada and on its imperative economic and social advantages. SCWIST is engaged with full power in this initiative and we have a voice!
We have been working closely with WEB Alliance and joined the October 24 BC Economic Forum: Women as Catalyst for Growth. The Forum was led by great group of people including Lois Nahirney, Carolyn Cross, Jill Earthy, Alex Johnston, Kristina De Araujo. It was supported by the BC and Federal government with presence and word of commitment from Premier Christy Clark, Hon. Shirley Bond, Hon. Naomi Yamamoto, and Honourable Kellie Leitch.
Another great event for our SCWIST organization happened on November 18, early morning before 6 AM! Yes, we had a chance to talk to the House of Commons in Ottawa through secure video conferencing in downtown Vancouver! When we talk about team work and the power of group versus individual, here is an excellent example! My greatest appreciation goes to Dr. Maria Issa, SCWIST Past President and one of the SCWIST greatest supporters for many years. Without her help, her encouragement and her support I wouldn’t be able to deliver our message and feel good about it! Maria, you are a great mentor and an aspiration to all of us!
The role of organizations such as SCWIST to work towards the noble goals of making a positive difference is undeniable. To count a few organizations I have been engaged with in the past month: Multicultural Advisory Committee, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, BCIT Centre of Excellence in Analytics, and SFU Innovation Boulevard. We have proven and continue to prove that we can be successful and achieve great results when we have a clear vision and can work collaboratively.
The outcome of the BC Economic Forum, Status of Women study by House of Commons, and all other initiatives will shape the direction we need to take to become the number one country in the world in solving social, cultural, and historical issues related to women.
And again we cannot accomplish extraordinary things without men! We need support and mentorship from both men and women and act upon the economic imperative and thereby create opportunities for all Canadians – because we prosper together.