TALK (Third Age Learning at Kwantlen) is marking International Women’s Day with a presentation celebrating women in leadership.
Dancing Backwards, facilitated by South Surrey resident Rose Marie Borutski, will feature producer, performer and activist Sandy Mayzell.
According to dancingbackwards.ca, Dancing Backwards is a school-based program that “reinforces gender parity, celebrates women in leadership and promotes citizenship awareness.”
“Dancing Backwards helps to show students that politics is significant and relevant to their daily lives, and encourages them to become future voters and possibly entertain the idea of becoming political leaders,” the site continues.
“Our aim is to make political participation attractive, debunking myths, offering role models and charting a path around the obstacles that exist for women in particular.”
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Through the program, students select a story from the Dancing Backwards’ online archive of Canadian political women and Indigenous women leaders, and re-tell it in an artistic medium of their choice.
Benefits to the participants include learning the importance of voting, teaching each other about equality, and understanding why women are under-represented in the various layers of government.
Borutski, who is a member of the TALK committee, said she was inspired to suggest the guest speaker during committee discussion of doing something on women in politics to mark March 8.
“In the news there’s lots of stuff about what politicians have been undergoing, in terms of harassment, death threats and verbal violence,” Borutski said. “You name it, there’s a label for it.
“There’s also the issue of women not wanting to break the glass ceiling – it’s not worth it,” she continued.
“That was my thinking when I came up with this: how are we preparing the next generation to want to go into politics, to want to go into leadership?”
The March 8 session is being held online via Zoom, from 1-2:30 p.m. Cost is $15. For more information or to register, visit kpu.ca/talk
tracy.holmes@peacearchnews.com
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