P. E. I. Status of Women Council marks Day of the Girl

The P. E. I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women joined groups around the world to celebrate the first ever United Nations- declared International Day of the Girl on Oct. 11.

This international recognition came about partly as a result of efforts by women and girls across Canada to draw attention to girls’ unique experiences and the cultural expectations placed on girls around the world.

“We’re fortunate that girls in Canada have equal access to primary education which is denied to girls in many countries,” says Michelle Jay, the new program coordinator at the P. E. I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

“My exuberant daughter has just entered kindergarten this year, and I’m increasingly aware of the ways the larger society undermines girls’ confidence and selfimage.”

The council’s new executive director, Jane Ledwell, is also the mother of a strong- minded girl.

“We’re pleased to see groups paying attention to what girls on Prince Edward Island need,” says Ledwell. “We love the work Women’s Network P. E. I. has done in the community and in our schools with girls circles that focus on girls’ strengths.

“We’re proud that P. E. I.’ s minister responsible for the Status of Women, Valerie Docherty, is launching the CyberSafe Girl project in Newfoundland and Labrador with her colleagues from other Atlantic provinces. This P. E. I.- led project will give girls and their parents and educators ideas for navigating cyberspace safely.”

The Advisory Council on the Status of Women is made up of nine women appointed by government from communities across P. E. I. Council members are mothers, aunts, grandmothers and friends of girls. The council wants girls to grow into rich and full lives and into a world that values them equally.

“The best and most important way to have strong, healthy, independentminded girls is to support women and families that raise them,” says Ledwell.