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NEWSBYTES - March 6, 2009
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The Advisory Council on the Status of Women is the provincial government agency that promotes equality, fairness and dignity for women, by bringing forward concerns and advising the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Act. Through research, policy, education, and partnerships, the council works to ensure women have an equal voice in society, fair pay and pensions, freedom from violence, and good health and well-being.
Newsbytes is a free bi-weekly e-mail newsletter with links to stories and contacts.
You can also read the newsletter and about coming events at the Advisory Council's website: <http://www.women.gov.ns.ca>.
Also, visit our online catalogue at http://women.gov.ns.ca/library.asp or come visit our library!
CONTENTS AT A GLANCE
/1/ March 8 is International Women's Day
/2/ Bread and Roses Bursary Fund
/3/ Joan Glode to Receive National Honour
/4/ Halifax’s Sue Goyette Wins Poetry Prize
/5/ Giving Credit Where Earnings Are Due
/6/ Women's Shelters and Federal Infrastructure Money
/7/ Summer Female Mentorship Program
/8/ 2009 Funding for Students in Aboriginal Health Research
/9/ Conference – Looking Back, Thinking Ahead: Using Research to Improve Policy and Practice in Women's Health
/10/ Mental Health Advocacy Training Project
/11/ Celebrating Diversity Within the Francophonie
/12/ Did You Know?
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/1/ MARCH 8 IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
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March 8 is International Women's Day - designated for the global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women. Check http://women.gov.ns.ca/calendar.asp for events in your community. Get an IWD Bread and Roses poster by e-mailing Donia at krowchde@gov.ns.ca .
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/2/ BREAD AND ROSES BURSARY FUND
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Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council, and NSCC president Joan McArthur-Blair launched the Bread and Roses Bursary at the college's Lunenburg Campus in Bridgewater today, to mark International Women's Day. The new student award will help women studying sciences, trades or technology at Nova Scotia Community College.
Bread and Roses is a poem that became an anthem
for women marching for improved working conditions a century ago.
"Even
though more women attain higher education and better careers today, many of us
are still working in low-paying, part-time jobs," Bolivar-Getson said. "We need
to boost the ability of women to work in higher-paying careers with long-term
economic security."
The $20,000 fund, to be managed by the NSCC
Foundation, will benefit women studying sciences, trades, or technology, with
particular consideration for women from diverse communities. Future events and
gifts will support the bursary, which begins this fall.
For more
information, go to http://women.gov.ns.ca/projects.asp
.
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/3/ JOAN GLODE TO RECEIVE NATIONAL HONOUR
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The Advisory Council congratulates Joan Glode, a recipient of this year’s National Aboriginal Achievement Awards for public service. Ms. Glode, a leader in her field, was the first native person in the Atlantic region to earn a master’s degree in social work from the Maritime School of Social Work. She was founding president of the Mik’maw Native Friendship Centre and founding director of Mik’maw Family and Children’s Services of Nova Scotia.
She and 13 others are to receive their awards from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation at a gala event in Winnipeg on Friday, to be televised on Global TV and APTN at a later date.
Source: The Chronicle Herald, March 4, 2009.
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/4/ HALIFAX’S SUE GOYETTE WINS POETRY PRIZE
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The Advisory Council would like to congratulate Halifax poet Sue Goyette on her prize-winning manuscript “Outskirts” in the CBC Literary Awards. Her work, published in enRoute magazine and read on CBC Radio, was inspired by a search for complete darkness to view the Pleiades star cluster.
Goyette’s novel Lures (HarperCollins) was shortlisted for the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and her two books of poems, The True Names of Birds (Brick Books) and Undone (Brick Books), have been nominated for several awards, including the Governor General’s Award. She has just finished a second novel that is being "shopped around" and right now is writing poems.
Goyette teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University and leads a workshop for teenage writers at Alderney Gate Public Library.
Source: The Chronicle Herald, February 27.
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/5/ GIVING CREDIT WHERE EARNINGS ARE DUE
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Statistics Canada has reported that the median earnings of individuals employed full time full year in 2005 were $41,401. In other words, one-half of full time earners made more than this amount, and one-half made less. When the agency compared the 2005 figure with the median earnings 15 years earlier, in 1990, they found (that after adjusting for increases in the cost of living) median earnings were only about $600 or 1.5 per cent higher.
The Vanier Institute has an online feature designed for anyone interested in understanding the strengths of Canadian families and the challenges they face. Hyperlinks to related resources and research are provided whenever possible.
Read more: http://www.vifamily.ca/families/ff15.pdf .
Source: Vanier Institute of the Family, Fascinating Families #15 - February 2009.
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/6/ WOMEN'S SHELTERS AND FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE MONEY
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Women's shelters may qualify for infrastructure money from the Federal Building Canada Fund. If you have capital needs or plans, act now. Here is the link to Building Canada fund by region, or contact your local Member of Parliament:
http://www.buildingcanada-chantierscanada.gc.ca/regions/ns/ns-eng.html .
Provincial information on how to apply: Building Canada Fund (BCF) Community Component - Application Information: http://www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr/muns/infr/bcf.asp .
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/7/ SUMMER FEMALE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
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You can get full-time work in a Nova Scotia government department or agency in a field related to your education and where women are under-represented. Terms are usually four months. Each participant gets to work closely with a personal mentor who helps guide and advise her on her career and opportunities within government.
To put your name on the list or for more informa6ion visit this site: http://www.gov.ns.ca/psc/v2/jobCentre/careerStarts/summerFemale.asp .
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/8/ 2009 FUNDING FOR STUDENTS IN ABORIGINAL HEALTH RESEARCH
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AAHRP provides internship funding to undergraduate students who would like to pursue
a career in Aboriginal health research. The student must be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program, and the internship must include a health-related research project that will allow the student to gain skills needed in Aboriginal health research.
Internship funding is typically provided over a four-month period, with awards of up to $4,048. Students must have a supervisor located in a recognized Canadian university or institution. All applications must be received and post-marked by May 8, 2009.
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/9/ CONFERENCE – LOOKING BACK, THINKING AHEAD: USING RESEARCH TO IMPROVE POLICY AND PRACTICE IN WOMEN'S HEALTH
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Running from March 15 to18 in Halifax, this conference will focus on how research has been used to improve policy and practice in women's and girls' health. The Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health invites researchers, policy-makers and grassroots practitioners in Canada and abroad to discuss how research has been used, and to exchange ideas and perspectives about the future of women's health research, policy and practice. See the website for information and registration on-line: https://acewh09.dal.ca/ .
For more events announcements visit our site: http://women.gov.ns.ca/calendar.asp .
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/10/ MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY TRAINING PROJECT
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Not-for-profit organizations and groups that work on behalf of people with mental disabilities are eligible to apply for funding under the Mental Health Advocacy Training Project. The project goal is to enhance the capacity of Nova Scotian communities to provide individual and systemic advocacy for people with mental illness.
The grant is the outcome of a settlement reached in a complaint by H. Archibald Kaiser against the Executive Council of Nova Scotia in 2002. This is the third phase of funding proposals made available by the Human Rights Commission, and in co-operation with the Disabled Persons Commission.
The total funding available is $30,000. The deadline date for proposals is Friday, March 27. Proposals will be rated based on the criteria outlined in the guidelines. A complete package is available at http://www.gov.ns.ca/humanrights or by contacting the commission at 1- 877-269-7699 or TTY at 1-866-811-3732.
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/11/ CELEBRATING DIVERSITY WITHIN THE FRANCOPHONIE
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March is an important month to celebrate diversity within the Francophonie and our rich Acadian and Francophone culture. Since 1990, citizens from the 70 countries and governments belonging to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie have gathered on March 20 to celebrate the Journée internationale de la Francophonie.
In Canada, Acadians and Francophones join the 200 million French-speaking individuals worldwide to celebrate their language, heritage, and culture during the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie.
The 2009 edition of the Rendez-vous runs from March 6 to March 22. For a list of events organized across Nova Scotia as part of the Rendez-vous, contact the Provincial Coordinator of celebrations at the FANE (Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse -
http://www.federationacadienne.ca ) at fane@fane.ns.ca or visit the bilingual Rendez-vous website: http://rvf.ca/communautes_francophones/nouvelle_ecosse/index_e.php.
Source: "Diversity_Round_Table" diversity_round_table@gov.ns.ca .
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/12/ DID YOU KNOW?...
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More and more Nova Scotian women are participating in celebrations of International Women’s Day. See our events calendar ( http://women.gov.ns.ca/calendar.asp ) for an event near you, or invite your women friends to brunch. It’s a great day to reflect on our accomplishments.
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NEXT ISSUE – March. 20, 2009
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