Dream, Girl film to inspire women

A film to inspire women entrepreneurs is coming to St. Catharines next week.

In fact, there will be two screenings of the documentary movie, Dream, Girl, a film that tells the stories of five powerful entrepreneurs and the dreams that have propelled their businesses forward.

After each screening, there will be a panel of Niagara women who will discuss the celebrations and challenges of being leaders in their field.

On Tuesday, the film and discussion will take place at Brock University during the monthly meeting of Babes in Business, a group of young women entrepreneurs and business leaders. And on Wednesday, the film and panel discussion will take place at the Warehouse in St. Catharines. This event is sold out, but a second is planned for July 5, with a new panel of women speakers.

“When women support each other, we achieve amazing things,” said Melanie Wong, business owner and co-founder of Babes in Business.

“We’re the change the world is waiting for.”

The movie and discussion is meant to inspire other women entrepreneurs, or women who are considering a business of their own. It’s about sharing challenges and triumphs. Pushing each other forward. And connecting women to other women.

“It’s not always going to be rainbows and butterflies,” said Wong, who owns Olive and Splash, a line of eco-friendly clothing for children.

“You will leave empowered and feel that you can take on the world.”

Dream, Girl is a film created by Erin Bagwell, after she interviewed dozens of women from across New York City about their entrepreneurial experiences for her blog, Feminist Wednesday.

She ran a crowd-sourcing campaign to fund the film. Dream, Girl has been viewed at the White House, and it travels across North America in screenings organized by local women in business.

It asks the question, while we know the names of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, why don’t we know the names of woman business leaders.

Kaitlin Sanders, who is organizing the Wednesday event, saw the film a year ago and found it so powerful, she needed to bring it to her own community.

“It gives you a push to go after that dream,” she said. “The inspiration is in the solidarity of women.”