Women in Action:
Shaping the future, together
Women in Action: Shaping the future, together
Join Us For An Empowering Event
This free, collaborative event is made possible by Bow Valley College, Women Owned Narratives, Virtuous Circle Counselling and the City of Calgary.
The event kicks off with an inspiring group of panelists, followed by three interactive discussion rounds in a World Café conversational format. Discover, discuss, and strategize around three key themes:
- Workplace diversity and gender equality,
- Women’s entrepreneurship
- Mental health
Resource Fair: Discover services, supports, and career opportunities.
Visit organizations including Bow Valley College, Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (CIWA), Innovate Calgary, Virtuous Circle Counselling, The Alberta Resource Centre for Quality Enhancement, Momentum, YW Calgary and Women Owned Narratives. See more details below.
Finally, we’ll come together for a discussion where we share the valuable insights and patterns from the smaller group conversations.
Spaces are limited, so be sure to RSVP and secure your spot. Grow through networking opportunities, enjoy delicious snacks and beverages, and depart feeling empowered and energized.
EVENT SCHEDULE
- 12:30 PM - Check-in & Resource Fair
- 1:00 PM - Event Opening & Panelist Discussion
- 2:00 PM - Break & Resource Fair
- 2:20 PM - Mindfulness Moment
- 2:30 PM - Cafe Conversations
- 3:30 PM - Door Prizes, Resource Fair
- 4:00 PM Event Closing
Meet Our Panelists
Starting and managing business often comes with a lot of challenges. For many, especially those who are underrepresented, those challenges can range from access to funding, gender biases, networking barriers and much more. Thus, initiatives such as organizations, and programs are essential to addressing such systemic barriers.
Adaeze Hubbard, a Venture Manager at Innovate Calgary, is actively addressing these systemic barriers. Through Innovate Calgary, Adaeze helps diverse founders across Alberta gain access to programming, support, and networking opportunities. She works diligently to connect them to the innovative ecosystem in Alberta. Adaeza is also enthusiastic about the creative arts, loving to perform, and she is passionate about the intersection of creatives and the business sector. Her current project is building an app, which is providing her many learning opportunities.
Nurturing is one of women’s superpowers but the pressure to excel both at work and home can take a toll, shares Saowanee Srisuriyamart. "Financial demands often require women to work outside the home while still managing family responsibilities. This constant juggling act can lead to anxiety, burnout, and a decline in self-confidence. Recognizing these challenges and prioritizing self-care is essential for maintaining overall well-being."
In her role as a registered psychologist at Virtuous Circle Counselling, Saowanee believes that support begins with helping women slow down their thoughts, recognize internal dialogues, and understand their origins. Then they are guided to identify and reshape unhelpful beliefs so they can develop healthier thought patterns. Exploring their support systems with them further empowers them to navigate life’s challenges with confidence and resilience.
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less," said Marie Curie, a trailblazer who defied societal norms to become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Yet, even today, barriers in education such as inequitable access, exclusionary practices and lack of representation continue to create fear and uncertainty for underrepresented groups. Addressing these challenges requires intentional efforts to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in academic spaces.
Tahira Ebrahim, an Associate Director or Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Bow Valley College, is carrying forward with this legacy of courage and understanding. Through Bow Valley College, Tahira has helped build a platform dedicated to advancing EDI in higher education. She helped facilitated the development of the college’s "Evolving through EDI" plan, which was approved in 2024. Tahira has also served as a Board of Director for the Canadian Council of Muslim Women and in the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation; serving as a representation and voice. She has also been the curator and lead organizer of the TEDxBow Valley College for six years helping those with brilliant ideas share their voice. Tahira is currently part of the Colleges and Institutes Canada; she continues to help in shaping a more equitable and inclusive academic landscape.
Resource Fair Participants
Click on the name of each organization to learn more. We look forward to meeting you on March 7!
One of Calgary’s most known colleges. They offer year-round programs in Health, Business, Technology and many more. The Business, and Community Studies departments as well as their Indigenous and Financial services will be at the event open for inquiries. See more of their programs on their website.
CIWA is a culturally diverse settlement agency that recognizes, responds to, and focuses on the unique concerns and needs of immigrant and refugee women, girls, and their families. CIWA’s uniqueness is based on its gender specific mandate. For more information see their website.
Innovate Calgary is a hub for entrepreneurs, investors and all those who aspire for innovation. Check out their website for more details.
Founded in Alberta and female led, Virtuous Circle Counselling (VCC) is dedicated to providing mental health counselling for individuals, couples and their family.
VCC achieved recognition as one of the fastest-growing companies in Canada, ranking #33 out of 416 on The Globe and Mail’s 2024 Report on Business magazine’s Canada’s Top Growing Companies list.
This recognition highlights VCC’s exceptional 1250% revenue growth over the past three years, reflecting the organization’s commitment to mental health innovation, personalized care, and impactful community contributions.
For more details see their website.
With over 20 years of established credibility as a registered non-profit society in Alberta, ARCQE has a long-standing history, relationships and proven service record in delivering high-quality services to the early learning community. For more information see their website.
Momentum is a change-making organization that combines social and economic strategies to reduce poverty. Everything they do is grounded in a community economic development approach. This means they work with individuals, businesses, communities and systems to build a more inclusive local economy.
To Momentum, it’s about more than just creating jobs and starting businesses, it’s about inspiring vibrant communities where everyone plays a role. For more information see their website.
For more than a century, YW has kept its doors open to women. They understand what women need, what their families need and their exceptionally skilled team ensures hundreds of thousands of women and their families have the opportunity, the ability and the resources they need to thrive.For more information see their website.
Women Owned Narratives (WON) is a group of volunteers dedicated to supporting women from all walks of life. By facilitating and helping create space for women to share stories and experiences, WON aims to help everyone build connection and support for challenges and opportunities in today’s world.
