Recognizing International Women’s Day

Eleven organizations will receive funding support to create greater opportunities for Island women and girls.

Funding through the 2022 Interministerial Women’s Secretariat Grant is for community group projects that focus on encouraging women and girls to pursue opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering + Math (STEM), skilled trades, and leadership, as well as engaging men and boys in gender-based violence prevention.

“Now is the time for lasting change, and through these grants we are proud to be investing in women and girls throughout our province. We are supporting community groups to help build safer, more inclusive and supportive communities for Island women and girls and strengthen their leadership abilities, voices and confidence,” said Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Natalie Jameson.

This year, Women’s Network PEI is one of the organizations that will receive a grant for a project to help remove barriers for girls and non-binary youth in areas of non-traditional employment.

“We look forward to creating opportunities for self-identified girls and non-binary youth to explore careers where they have been traditionally underrepresented by connecting them to mentors in those fields. We are grateful for the funding opportunity, it will amplify existing work to increase gender diversity in specific sectors in PEI,” said Executive Director of Women’s Network PEI, Jill Kilfoil.

Since 2015, the Interministerial Women’s Secretariat Grant has provided over one million dollars in funding to community organizations across the province.
 
Today is International Women’s Day and there are various activities taking place to celebrate.  

Islanders are invited to join the PEI Business Women’s Association (PEIBWA) who is hosting an online event at 3 p.m. today recognizing the 25 Most Powerful Women in Atlantic Canada Business . The virtual event will feature a moderated panel discussing women and power.

The PEI Status of Women have a series of podcasts on Break the Bias, profiling exceptional women and gender diverse people breaking the bias on PEI.
 
Innovation PEI is excepting nominations for PEI’s most influential women entrepreneurs.

Islanders are also encouraged to celebrate the diverse voices and contributions women have made – and continue to make – in our lives by posting on social media and using the hashtag #iwdpei. 

Media Contact:
Autumn Tremere
Interministerial Women’s Secretariat
agtremere@gov.pe.ca

Backgrounder
Here are the 2021 Interministerial Women’s Secretariat Grants recipients:

• Aboriginal Women’s Association ($25,000). Through a series of workshops, AWA will engage men to help address family violence. 
• The Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering at the University of Prince Edward Island ($28,000). This project is focused on developing leadership and promoting the intersectionality of identities of under-represented youth through authentic mentorship and role-modelling from women and diverse leaders, as well as providing first-hand experience in engineering research for sustainability. 
• Women’s Network PEI ($24,600). This project will help to remove barriers for younger girls and non-binary youth in areas of non-traditional employment through means such as innovative career days.  
• Actions Femmes ($25,000) for the project “Valorisons nos talents”. This project will honour and value women’s talents through French language networking and learning opportunities.  
• The Coalition for Women in Government ($22,050). This project will support a publication that records and documents women trailblazers’ history to mark the 100th anniversary of gender being removed as a barrier to voting in Prince Edward Island elections.
• PEI Business Women’s Association ($15,000). This project will assist women-owned business growth, expand operations, and enhance reach through a pitch competition that helps prepare for future success. 
• STEAM PEI ($29,000). This project will provide effective science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) after-school programming for girls in Grades 5 and 6 (years in which studies show many girls reach a “give-up” point in math-related exploration) to help facilitate future gender balance. 
• Sierra Club of PEI ($12,600). The PEI Wild Child Program will provide leadership development opportunities to girls and gender-minority youth through participating in hands-on engaging activities to build confidence and enhance community-connectedness.  
• Adventure Group ($15,850). Youth between the ages of 9-14 will be provided experiences that will enhance their knowledge on healthy relationships, leadership, empathy, skill development, inclusion, kindness, and gender equality and gender-based violence.
• East Prince Women’s Information Centre ($17,900). The GETT (Girls Exploring Trades and Technology) camp provides young women and girls with a safe, supportive environment to explore the tools, equipment, and skills needed for a trades or technology career.
• Skills Canada PEI ($25,000). This project will offer provincial experiential learning, mentorship and essential skills development to diverse communities/young women by providing inclusive/accessible programming and help eliminate some traditional barriers to accessing career exploration opportunities.