In keeping with this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) theme – “Be Bold for Change,” the Family Resource Centre (FRC) of the Department of Counselling Services, has invited a male keynote speaker to address the annual observance.
The International Women’s Day Celebration 2017, being held at the Marriott Beach Resort, Wednesday, 8 March, 5.30 p.m. – 8.30 pm, will kick-off with an hour-long reception. It will be followed by a powerful keynote address by American cultural theorist, gender equality campaigner, academic and author Jackson Katz, PhD.
The TedxFiDiWomen speaker’s November 2012 talk went viral with more than three million hits. Dr. Katz’s speech for the event is entitled, “Gender on the Agenda: Why equality between the sexes is a critical issue for women and men.”
He is part of a growing global movement that advocates the need for greater participation by men in recognising and addressing all forms of gender inequality.
His speech will lead into a question and answer session, where attendees can quiz him further on his views and recommendations on how to effectively include men in addressing gender violence and working towards achieving gender equality.
Charmaine Miller, Programme Coordinator at the Family Resource Centre said, “We are delighted to have engaged such a high-profile speaker. As attendees will see, he is not only a gender affairs academic of international repute, he is a fully-fledged, card-carrying gender activist who is committed to helping changing the male-female paradigm when eradicating patriarchal views on gender violence.”
Another highlight of the evening is the world premiere of the trailer for a documentary on the history of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the Cayman Islands.
The 22-minute documentary, which will be finalised for release in April, is being researched, directed and sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Employment and Gender Affairs.
Talking about the impetus behind the film, Minister for Education, Employment and Gender Affairs, Hon. Tara Rivers said, “Producing this documentary chronicling the Women’s Suffrage Movement and subsequent advancements in promoting gender equality in the Cayman Islands was critically important to me. It was one of the key goals discussed with the Gender Affairs Unit early in my tenure as Minister. We must never forget ‘her story’ as a part of our history. This documentary is intended to be a teaching tool for this generation and generations to come.”
The event will also include the FRC giving out awards several awards.
Free general admission tickets and $25 VIP tickets (including hors d’oeuvres, refreshments and special seating) are currently available from the Family Resource Centre, Compass Building on North Sound Way.
For the full programme of Honouring Women Month events this March, visit the FRC’s Facebook page.
To view Dr. Katz’s TEDxFiDiWomen talk, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTvSfeCRxe8.