Whilst living in Ottawa, it is almost impossible to ignore the political atmosphere that has come to define Canada’s capital city. Ottawa attracts many politically minded collegiettes for this very reason. Whether it’s getting involved with student affairs on campus or working for one of the many government departments through CO-OP or FSWEP, a large group of Ottawa-based collegiettes actively participate in Canadian politics. However, there is still a disproportionate amount of women represented in the Canadian government.
This reality has not gone unnoticed. The HeadStart for Young Women (HSYW) program is an amazing initiative looking to empower and support young women, especially in the realm of politics. I had the opportunity to interview Supriya Trivedi, a University of Ottawa student and member of the HeadStart for Young Women program.
Her Campus: When and how did this program begin?
Supriya Trivedi: The HeadStart for Young Women program began in the fall of 2013. The program was originally funded through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities organization and had 6 chapters, including Ottawa. The program was geared towards young women, ranging in ages from 16-24, to discuss the range of barriers that were affecting women today from achieving full participation within their public life.
HSYW focused on helping young girls understand their potential and help understand the importance of increasing their participation and having their voices heard within the civic, political, and community life of their municipalities. Both Marianne Wilkinson, who is currently serving as the councillor for the Kanata North Ward, and Elaine Larsen, the Director of HYSW, help mentor and facilitate this chapter.
HC: What are the goals of Head Start for Young Women?
ST: The Ottawa chapter’s program concluded with the launch party of our final project: a workshop focused on overcoming the barriers that young women face in getting more involved with politics. The launch of the project was in the summer of 2014. Currently, the program has evolved into a network for young women our age (and coordinated by young women our age) with the intention of providing networking events, workshops and leadership opportunities. We still include civic engagement as an area where we are growing leadership, but we have expanded into the professional realm and are actively encouraging our peers to grow and show leadership in the workplace!
HC: How has “HeadStart for Women” helped you?
As a university student studying both political science and international development studies, I am constantly reminded of the underrepresentation of women today in our society. I always draw the irony on how Canada is a country that is proud to show that it embodies traits of multiculturalism, inclusiveness, and kindness; yet, we fail to represent equality and equity of both genders within our government. Thus, upon hearing about this program from a past professor I was drawn to the mission that this organization was trying to achieve.
HeadStart for Young Women has allowed me to become part of a community of young women who have pursued the same passion and dream as me. This passion emerges from the ability to have the next generation of potential female leaders to have their voices and presence known, not only in the field of politics and but other complimenting fields as well.
In addition, HSYW has allowed me to strengthen my networking, public speaking, and researching skills. I remember the first task we were given through our project was to understand the potential barriers affecting women from participating in politics. This task led me to the opportunity to interview a young female parliamentarian who gave me the real details about the difficult yet rewarding tasks that have allowed her to become so successful in her career.
HC: Tell me more about the upcoming debate workshop
ST: HeadStart is constantly working towards developing new workshops that will help young women strengthen their skills. Many of our workshops are focused on one of three barriers to civic engagement by young women that we identified through research for our workshop manual (the three barriers being young women being unaware of politics, uninterested if they are aware of politics, and being unsure how to get involved if they are interested in getting involved). Our past workshops have been very successful and have revolved around the topics of public speaking and enhancing networking skills.
This workshop will be focused on young women being able to express their opinions more persuasively in any type of public speaking atmosphere, and acts as a way to empower young women and build confidence in skills necessary for public engagement (hitting that barrier of being unsure how to get involved!). Golsa Ghamari, a young, successful lawyer, will lead the workshop. The workshop will be conducted on August 25th from 5pm-7:30pm at the Councillor Lounge at Ottawa City Hall and the best part about all HeadStart workshops is that they are absolutely free!
If you would like to know more or would like to RSVP to the event, please feel free to email headstartinottawa@gmail.com. This is an awesome opportunity for young women to develop essential skills and I would highly recommend it!
HC: How can collegiettes get involved in Head Start for Young women in Ottawa?
ST: HSYW is currently seeking passionate workshop facilitators to help with our program. Our main product at HSYW is a workshop manual that has various fun activities that promote both confidence and leadership skills. As a workshop facilitator, you would help coordinate and carry out these workshops in fun settings such as high school classrooms and various organizations in Ottawa. In the past, our group has carried out workshops at the Boys and Girls Club, the Nobel’s Women Initiative, as well as various high schools in the Ottawa region.
In addition, this is an awesome opportunity for individuals to practice THEIR leadership and public speaking skills and can be seen as an amazing way to highlight these skills and add to your resume. If you are interested in joining an awesome community, please email headstartinottawa@gmail.com!
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Photo Credits: Richard Murphy Photography and Supriya Trivedi.
Information regarding women in politics found via this link.