Voices

Banúlacht’s International Women’s Day Conference 2006

A conference to celebrate women’s voices and women’s activism locally and globally, to link local and global issues and to inspire women working at the local level in Ireland

Wednesday, 8th March 2006
Marino Institute for Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9
9:30 am-4:30 pm followed by a reception

PROGRAM

Aim: to explore the experience and challenges of using the media strategically to make local and global connections.

Resource women: Niamh Farren (NEAR FM), Siobhán O’Donoghue (Migrant Rights Centre)

This workshop is a space for those who want to build their confidence in dealing with the media to explore the issues and challenges involved. There will be no formal presentations in this workshop. Following brief introductions, the format will be one of open discussion with the resource women.

WORKSHOP 2. Staging Action: Women’s Creative Strategies
Aim: to explore women’s creative strategies in the context of case studies of the innovative, creative and dramatic initiatives of three women’s organizations:

Ann-Marie Mitchell: Emerge Women’s Groups, Donegal, on the use of a drama based on their housing situation to lobby successfully for better housing.

Claire Casey: Ringsend Action Project, on their performance of the Vagina Monologues

Salome Mbugua: AKIDWA, on the publication of ‘Herstory’ a collection of stories of African women in Ireland

WORKSHOP 3. Collective Activism: Women Making a Difference

Aim: to provide a space where women starting out in community development can address questions to women with long experience, and where women engaged in collective activism, whatever their experience can share and exchange experiences and discuss strategies.

Resource women: Christine Murray (CAN), Mary Rusimbi (TGNP), Anne Marlborough (Concern), Maria Joyce (National Traveller Women’s Forum).

The workshop will be participant-led, with no formal presentations. After brief introductions, the format will be one of discussion with the resource women on key issues of interest to the participants.

WORKSHOP 4. Nobody Said it was Easy: Advancing Feminist Issues in Organization

Aim: to explore different case studies of gender work in organisations, and look at the successes, obstacles and challenges:

Karen Griffin: Irish Family Planning Association, on the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Coalition

Aideen Quilty (Women’s Education Research and Resource Centre, UCD)

Danyanne Quemper (ICTU Leadership Initiative for Females in Trade Unions)

WORKSHOP 5. UN-INTIMIDATED? Speaking Out at the United Nations and the WTO

Aim: to demystify the experience of participating in international fora

Resource Women: Mags Tumelty (Banúlacht’s representative at the CEDAW hearings), Noirín Clancy (Women’s Human Rights Alliance, participant at Beijing 1995 and CEDAW 2005), Lebohang Pheko, GENTA

What is it like to participate in an international conference? How does it feel to be at the UN? How do organizations make the connection from locally based work to international advocacy? This workshop is an opportunity to hear the experiences of women who have worked internationally and explore the way s in which international work can strengthen work at the local level.

3:30-4:30: CLOSING PANEL, REFLECTIONS FROM PARTICIPANTS
Final Speaker: Marie Mulholland

5:00: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY RECEPTION

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Katherine Zappone is a philosopher, educator and independent public policy research consultant. She is former Chief Executive of the National Women’s council of Ireland, and a former member of the National Economic and Social Council of Ireland, and has conducted a number of national research projects in public policy and gender equality, and equality in children’s education. Katherine is co-founder and Chair of An Cosán, a large community-based organization in West Tallaght, Dublin committed to eradicating poverty through education. Widely published in feminism, ethics, equality issues and education, she conducts research, consults and teaches.

Mary Rusimbi is the Executive Director of Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP), has a background in community education, gender, research, policy analysis and advocacy. She has previously worked as a Gender Programme Officer for the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the Canadian High Commission. Mary has substantial experience in gender mainstreaming and participatory training and works with a range of key stakeholders, including civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations, governments, donors and members of Parliament. TGNP promotes activities with a pro-poor and gender perspective in influencing key policy and legal frameworks.

Liepollo Lebohang Pheko is a social Activist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has a background in community based organisations and NGOs in the UK and South Africa in areas including Refugee/Immigrant rights, Welfare law, Human Rights, Citizen participation, Gender and Capacity Building. She has been involved in training, development consulting, movement building, advocacy and policy analysis. Lebohang is currently working for the Gender and Trade Network for Africa *part of the International Gender and Trade Network) as Senior Policy and Dialogue Specialist and participates in several campaigns and mass-based mobilisation strategies. Passionate about young people, Lebohang is founder of a young women’s empowerment group called Phahamang and an active board member of several youth orientated organisations.

Downloads

Booking form (Word doc)

Conference brochure (pdf)

Directions

For directions to the Marino Institute, click here.