‘Women Empowering Women’, IWD Dinner & Show , MARCH 8

HOW ARE WE GOING TO CELEBRATE – YOU ASK?

Fully Catered Buffet Dinner, Open Wine Service, Dessert Table, with the best coffee, tea, more …

Surprise & Delight Door Prize! , Amazing Silent Auction, 50-50 DRAW, WIN FREE TICKETS!!!

Opening Dinner Prayer & Performance – Brenda MacIntyre ( The Song Woman )

Keynote speak, Frances Nunziata shares Her Story of over 25 years as a woman in public service.

Special performance by Damidance.com – a wonderful Salsa Show.

Medicine Song Woman Brenda MacIntyre, also known as The Success Shaman, is a successful Canadian Native American healer, spiritual mentor and highly sought after speaker. Creator of the S.W.E.E.T. Success Code, Brenda is a Juno (Canadian Grammies) Award-winning singer and in 2010 she was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and selected to perform in the nominees showcase. Brenda uses her powerful healing voice and down to earth spiritual guidance to help spirit-led women entrepreneurs to birth their VPS – their voice, their power and spirit – into full expression for improved client results, bigger impact and more money.

KEYNOTE: FRANCES NUNZIATA

Frances Nunziata is a resident of the former City of York since 1963. Her political career began in 1985, as the separate school representative for the Board of Education for the City of York. She went on to serve four terms as Councillor and one term as Mayor of the City of York, prior to amalgamation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. She is currently serving her third term of office in the newly amalgamated City of Toronto.

During her terms in office, Councillor Nunziata served on various committees and boards of the City of Toronto and the former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto Council. These include the Administration Committee (Vice Chair); Nominating Committee; Assessment and Tax Policy Task Force; National Ballet of Canada Board of Directors; Greater Toronto Area Mayors & Regional Chairs; the Mayor’s Special Committee on Crime; the Canadian National Exhibition Association; The Metropolitan Toronto Housing Company Limited; and Metro Human Services Committee.

Message:’My philosophy as a Councillor is to remain accountable to the citizens that I serve. While, I believe that local representatives must be accessible to their constituents, I also recognize the need to be morally and fiscally responsible to the municipality as a whole. Decisions made by Council affect the community at its core, and the individuals that comprise that community.’

‘Women Empowering Women’ MARCH 8 IWD Dinner & Show – TICKET OPT

WHAT IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY – YOU ASK

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

1908

Great unrest and critical debate was occurring amongst women. Women’s oppression and inequality was spurring women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change. Then in 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

1909
In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

1910
In 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin’s suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women’s Day was the result.

1911
Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic ‘Triangle Fire’ in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women’s Day events. 1911 also saw women’s ‘Bread and Roses’ campaign.

1913-1914
On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1913 following discussions, International Women’s Day was transferred to 8 March and this day has remained the global date for International Women’s Day ever since. In 1914 further women across Europe held rallies to campaign against the war and to express women’s solidarity.

1917
On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for “bread and peace” in response to the death over 2 million Russian soldiers in war. Opposed by political leaders the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women’s strike commenced was Sunday 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was 8 March.

1918 – 1999
Since its birth in the socialist movement, International Women’s Day has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength annually. For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women’s rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as ‘International Women’s Year’ by the United Nations. Women’s organisations and governments around the world have also observed IWD annually on 8 March by holding large-scale events that honour women’s advancement and while diligently reminding of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that women’s equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of life.

2000 and beyond
IWD is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China (for women only), Cuba, Georgia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Madagascar (for women only), Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal (for women only), Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia. The tradition sees men honouring their mothers, wives, girlfriends, colleagues, etc with flowers and small gifts. In some countries IWD has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day where children give small presents to their mothers and grandmothers.

The new millennium has witnessed a significant change and attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation. Many from a younger generation feel that ‘all the battles have been won for women’ while many feminists from the 1970’s know only too well the longevity and ingrained complexity of patriarchy. With more women in the boardroom, greater equality in legislative rights, and an increased critical mass of women’s visibility as impressive role models in every aspect of life, one could think that women have gained true equality. The unfortunate fact is that women are still not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men.

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women’s craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Many global corporations have also started to more actively support IWD by running their own internal events and through supporting external ones. For example, on 8 March search engine and media giant Google some years even changes its logo on its global search pages. Year on year IWD is certainly increasing in status. The United States even designates the whole month of March as ‘Women’s History Month‘.

So make a difference, think globally and act locally !! Make everyday International Women’s Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

HOW ARE WE GOING TO CELEBRATE – YOU ASK?

Fully Catered Buffet Dinner, Open Wine Service, Dessert Table, with the best coffee, tea and more …

Surprise & Delight Door Prize! , Amazing Silent Auction, 50-50 DRAW, WIN FREE TICKETS!!!

Opening Dinner Prayer & Performance – Brenda MacIntyre ( The Medicine Song Woman )

Special performance by Damidance.com – a wonderful Salsa Show.

‘Women Empowering Women’ MARCH 8 IWD Dinner & Show – TICKET OPT