The COVID-19 delayed Cape Breton/Unama’ki/Strait Leadership School for Women is happening this weekend.
Organizer, and Port Hawkesbury Mayor, Brenda Chisholm-Beaton says the pandemic shifted things around a lot, but their mission remains the same.
Chisholm-Beaton tells The Hawk it’s about equity.
“At the heart of everything that we’re doing, we want to ensure that women can choose leadership for themselves if they wish,” she says. “We want to give them the tools and the inspiration to be able to choose leadership.”
Chisholm-Beaton says the pandemic has changed the venue, it was going to be at the NSCC Strait Area Campus but is now being held in Membertou.
She says it’s also changed the delivery. 76 participants have signed up for the in-person event, but organizers are still accepting virtual attendees, she says they don’t know exactly how many will take part online but there are 30 signed up already, and she expects to see 50.
Chisholm-Beaton says they are blazing a trail.
“To the best of my knowledge, it’s the first time anything like this has occurred, most certainly, in Nova Scotia, but perhaps across Canada,” she says. “We really hope to set a precedent.”
She says it starts Friday evening with an optional blanket ceremony, a truth and reconciliation exercise, and runs through a full day of sessions Saturday.
