Women Leaders Invited to Symposium in Charlottetown
Women Leadership Symposium to be held in Charlottetown from March 31 to April 2
The PEI Coalition for Women in Government invites all women and gender-diverse leaders to a free 2.5-day symposium in Charlottetown from March 31 to April 2, 2023. Full event details will be released during the next two weeks.
The PEI Coalition for Women in Government is pleased to host a 3-day Women’s Leadership Symposium at the Delta Charlottetown from March 31 to April 2, 2023. This event welcomes women and participants from underrepresented genders who are looking to network with like-minded individuals and further develop their expertise to be effective leaders.
The Coalition previously offered its first symposium in May 2018, which was attended by women from across PEI, many of whom went on to run municipally, provincially and federally in subsequent years. Currently, 26% of provincial elected officials on Prince Edward Island are women, as well as 39.6% of municipal elected officials. PEI currently has a provincial election slated for October 2, 2023.
“Over the last few years, we have seen the resilience and leadership of women in all spheres of our communities,” states Chelsey Rogerson, Chair of the Coalition’s Board of Directors. “Especially now, as we are in a provincial election year, it is important to provide women with opportunities to gain self-confidence and support each other so that they feel empowered to pursue leadership.”
Women are historically under-represented in leadership on PEI and beyond. Part of the barriers to leadership that women face include isolation as they find themselves unable to find mentors in male-dominated fields. Further obstacles include a lack of work-life balance and tokenism where women are positioned to only produce the perception of diversity without being empowered to champion meaningful change in their individual fields of expertise.
“With this conference, we hope to support women in politics, but also in all realms of leadership, from women entrepreneurs to community organizers,” says Sweta Daboo, Executive Director of the Coalition. “We have several areas of specialization represented in our panel discussions and workshops. We understand that political leadership is one piece of a bigger puzzle on PEI, and women leaders in all walks of life are welcome to attend.”
The event will include workshops and panel discussions on various issues including politics, climate and health leadership, communications and human-centered design. The Coalition will release more details on the agenda and presenters over the upcoming weeks through its social media pages and website.