Women in media Archives - Page 14 of 19 - Canadian Women's Foundation

Be the Change You Want to See: A Q&A with Sheherazade Hirji

Be the Change You Want to See: A Q&A with Sheherazade Hirji

Canadian Women's Foundation2017-12-19T17:09:05+00:00April 21, 2016|Empowering girls, Gender-based violence, Women in media, Women’s poverty|

This interview was originally published by International Innovation.

Sheherazade Hirji, President and CEO of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, wants to put the organisation out of business – envisioning a generation of empowered women, gender equality and an end to sexual violence.

Having dedicated your career to the philanthropic sector, you are committed to helping women and girls in Canada. What led you to your present role at the Foundation?

I actually qualified as a solicitor in England first, so I’m a ‘recovering’ lawyer. I came to Canada in the 1980s and qualified again, got called to the Bar and started to work in the area of philanthropy. I very quickly found that the work I was doing with foundations resonated with my own personal values much more than law.

Learning to Hold Yourself Up

Learning to Hold Yourself Up

Pacinthe Mattar2016-04-11T13:05:39+00:00April 11, 2016|Guest bloggers, How to, SHE Magazine, Women in media|

When I was asked to write this guest column, honestly, my first thought was: “Why me?”

This feeling only got stronger when I heard award-winning journalists Michele Landsberg and Sally Armstrong had also written this column. As I began my “Thanks but no thanks” email reply, I thought of others who would do a better job.

For me, this behaviour isn’t unusual: I consistently undervalue my qualifications and second-guess my skills. Here’s another example. I recently co-facilitated a six-week media workshop for young Muslim women called Outburst! (it’s funded by the Canadian Women’s Foundation). As I approached the workshop location, with every step all I could think of was the person I thought was better qualified to lead it. And during the Calgary flood, my senior producer asked me to fly there to cover the emergency for the Current. Inside, I panicked, thinking of all the other producers who were more qualified to go. In the end, I gulped and said: “Sure.”

Inspire Body Positivity with the Body Confidence Canada Awards

Inspire Body Positivity with the Body Confidence Canada Awards

Jill Andrew2017-12-19T17:11:45+00:00March 18, 2016|Empowering girls, Guest bloggers, Women in media|

Almost four years ago our lives changed for the better when we decided to create the Body Confidence Canada Awards (BCCAs) – and we haven’t looked back!

Inspired by outstanding body image awareness initiatives taking place in the United Kingdom, namely their Campaign for Body Confidence (2009) and the inaugural Body Confidence Awards (2012), my partner Aisha Fairclough and I decided it was time to create a likeminded platform in Canada. We created the BCCAs to acknowledge and celebrate people for whom their personal and professional lives embodied and inspired body confidence, body positivity, and body diversity in our communities.

Some Clothes Cost More Than You Think

Some Clothes Cost More Than You Think

Jessica Howard2017-12-19T17:12:35+00:00March 8, 2016|Empowering girls, Women in media|

“Girls just want to wear diamonds.”

“Allergic to Algebra.”

“I’m too pretty to do homework, so my brother has to do it for me.”

“Future trophy wife.”

It’s hard to believe, but stores in Canada market girls’ T-shirts bearing disempowering messages like these. Stereotypes sell, even though they’re the last thing girls need.

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