International Women's Day - March 8

Please join us for an International Women's Day celebration at YWCA Metro Vancouver to watch a screening of the award-winning documentary film Miss Representation. SOLD OUT

Miss Representation is an award-winning documentary film that explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in mainstream media.

The film screening will be followed by an interactive panel discussion hosted by Janet Austin, YWCA CEO, where a group of experts and advocates will discuss the film, share their experiences and consider actions that need to happen in Vancouver to address issues of gender inequality.

This event is a call to action for anyone who believes that the girls of today can grow up to be the leaders of tomorrow!

When: Wednesday, March 7, 6:00pm

Where: YWCA Health + Fitness Centre, Studio One
535 Hornby Street, Vancouver

About our speakers:

Saara Bhanji - Board Member and Researcher, Justice for Girls International

With a passion for social justice and creative arts, Saara is a gifted leader who has already made a tangible difference in the world. At age 21, Saara founded the Association of Women's Action, Research and Empowerment (AWARE), a feminist organization that provides young women with opportunities for self-development, leadership and activism. Through AWARE, Saara strives to be a vocal champion for equality. Saara has also been recognized as a compelling role model for young Ismaili-Muslim women and is a YWCA Women of Distinction award recipient for YWCA Young Woman of Distinction, 2010.

Stuart Poyntz - Assistant Professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University

Stuart Poyntz's research interests include children, youth and media cultures, theories of the public sphere and young people's historical thinking, particularly in relation to digital media technologies. He has an extensive background in the history of media literacy, nationally and internationally, and has written on Canadian cinema and the relationship between film and historical representation. Stuart co-authored Media Literacies: A Critical Introduction, which traces the history of media literacy and grapples with the fresh challenges posed by the convergent media of the 21st century.

Louise Watson - President, Adura Strategy

Passionate Strategist. Career marketer. Facilitative Parent. People who know Louise know that she rarely stops questioning in order to find simple solutions to complex challenges. She rose through the ranks to become a senior executive on the leadership team of Western Canada's best-read dailies. Then, in 2007, Louise made a life-changing move to accept an opportunity to start her own business and consult for organizations with major Winter Olympic files including 2010 Legacies Now and the Canadian Tourism Commission. And, through it all, Louise strives to apply her best facilitative skills in parenting her 14- and 10-year old boys.

Emily Polak - Graduate Instructor and Doctoral Candidate, University of British Columbia, Counselling Psychology department

Emily is from the Chicago area where she provided social services for various populations and then moved to study at the University of Minnesota where she continued her education in counselling psychology. Today, Emily Polak is a doctoral candidate in the counselling psychology program of the University of British Columbia, currently finishing her dissertation research on adolescent body image development. She is also involved in teaching, counselling and psychological assessment. Emily has a strong passion for women's mental health, adolescent development, body image, gender, sexual health and prevention.