Townships womxn celebrate what makes them ‘Perfect the Way We Are’
This weekend, womxn and select issues that impact them will be the focus at the Perfect the Way We Are womxn's event to be held on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Magog Community Centre, 95 Merry N, Magog.
The day will be filled with interesting and inspirational speakers talking about a variety of subjects, including leadership in business, taking care of yourself and your health, and knowing your legal rights. The event will also include the first photo exhibit of Perfect the Way I Am.
Lyne Bessette, MP for Brome-missisquoi and Olympian in road cycling and the winner of multiple cycling competitions, will open the event with an inspiring talk about her life and her journey towards success as an awardwinning cyclist. She will discuss some of the challenges she has faced on her road to success as well as the rewards following her hard work and determination.
Following the keynote address, attendees may choose to attend one of two morning workshops. Representatives from the CIUSSS de l’estrie – CHUS’ Taking Care of Your Health program will offer an information-filled health workshop, which will offer participants information to help them achieve their goal of living a healthy life and equip them with information they can share with their loved ones. Concurrently, a facilitator from Avante Women’s Centre will offer a workshop addressing the mental load—the continuous cycle of having to think about, plan, and organize the daily activities of domestic life—its effects and impacts, as well as the importance of taking time to look after yourself. The morning workshops will be followed by a delicious lunch, offered to participants free of charge.
After lunch, participants will once again choose one of two workshops. A representative from Educaloi will host a discussion about consent, sexual assault and other sexual crimes from a criminal law perspective. She will also talk about what happens after someone makes a complaint. Simultaneously, the panel Women in Business: Leading With Strength will welcome Annie Duriez of Clough Street Cakes and Tara Moar of Virgin Hill Coffee who will speak about their journeys to business success, the challenges and the opportunities they have encountered along the way, and more.
The day will end on a high note with participants gathered together to learn about the Perfect the Way I Am photo exhibit, and to witness the unveiling of the exhibit. The Perfect the Way I Am photo project aims to help women address their insecurities, better recognize the influence that social standards can have on them, and begin the process of reclaiming—and loving—their real, perfect bodies. The project offered 11 women from the Eastern Townships’ Englishspeaking community an opportunity to reclaim their power, strength and beauty, and feel more comfortable about their own bodies.
The Perfect the Way We Are womxn’s forum is free and open to all.
Please note that some workshops will be open to womxn only. For more information and to register, contact Michelle Lepitre at ml@townshippers.org or Maggie Severs at ms@townshippers.org, or visit bit.ly/womxns_event.
Editor’s note:
Womxn is an alternate spelling of women, used to explicitly include transgender women and women of colour.