YWCA girls go global

As hundreds of YWCA women descend on Zurich, Switzerland to discuss ‘Women Creating a Safe World’, the YWCA of Aotearoa New Zealand (YWCA A/NZ)delegation will be amongst the loudest voices at the global event.

A delegation of six women, mostly young women, from around the YWCA movement in New Zealand will attend the World YWCA Council and International Women’s Summit from July 10 -16, 2011 and are looking forward to the opportunity to develop their knowledge around the issues of HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health and rights and violence against women.

Janelle Nee, young woman YWCA of A/NZ member from Auckland will lead the delegation. "The whole theme is creating safer spaces for women and young women. It's also an opportunity for women to develop as leaders and make safer choices,” says Janelle.

Shannon Kelly, young woman YWCA A/NZ Board member from the Waikato is looking forward to ensuring the voice of indigenous women stays on the global YWCA agenda.“It’s such an honour to be selected to go to Zurich. I feel lucky in the sense that I am the only young Māori woman going to this hui.”

As part of the World WCA Council programme, the YWCA A/NZ will present a ‘Guiding Cultural Safety’ workshop based on the New Zealand experience of living in a bi-cultural society where the Te Titiri (Treaty) of Waitangi is its founding document. “We aim to use our experience to highlight the need for cultural safety in the work of the YWCA along with opportunities for improving cultural safety based on what has worked in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We intend to use Maori facilitation and learning methods, based on oral traditions, storytelling and the use of songs. Participants will be encouraged to identify what cultural safety means for them, how they can ensure they are culturally safer and what they can do to assist others to be more safe culturally,” says Tania Thomas, YWCA A/NZ Kuia and Board member.

The impressive panel of speakers participating at the event include Michelle Bachelet , former President of Chile and current Executive Director of UN Women who will be speaking on ‘Inequality, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV and Violence: The nexus and agenda for women and girls over the next decade’; Dr Babatunde Osotimehin , Executive Director of UNFPA, speaking on ‘Investing in Young Women’s Leadership for Sexual and Reproductive Rights’; and Irene Ovonji Odinda , Chairperson for Action Aid International, who will be addressing the ‘Social and Economic Dimensions of Violence Against Women’. At each of the four plenaries, young women will also have a voice to express their point of view as well as their concerns for the future.

The YWCA A/NZ delegation includes YWCA A/NZ President Di Paton, YWCA A/NZ Strategic Development Manager, Sarah Davies, YWCA A/NZ Board members Tania Thomas, Shannon Kelly, Janelle Nee and Andrijana Trajanovska of YWCA Auckland.

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