Plan Canada marks International Women's Day with a celebration of girls' education as a path to women's empowerment
TORONTO, March 2, 2015 /CNW/ - In celebration of International Women's Day on March 8, Plan Canada is calling on all Canadians to join the movement in support of gender equality and to create a brighter future for women and girls.
Recognizing a critical connection between girls' education and women's empowerment, Plan Canada and the Toronto District School Board's (TDSB) Young Women on the Move initiative will be hosting Girl-Powered Problem Solving, an inspiring event to be held in Toronto on March 4. It will bring together more than 400 girls and their mentors, and the students will learn about developing the persistence and resilience needed to overcome challenges and solve problems encountered in all aspects of life. Through interactive skill-building activities, the students will also explore fields where women are traditionally underrepresented, such as science, technology, engineering and math.
"Though there has been significant progress on women's rights, on International Women's Day we are addressing the obstacles many women and girls still face in Canada and around the world, including barriers to education," said Kristy Payne, Vice President of Communications and Public Engagement at Plan Canada. "We're encouraging Canadians to start a conversation about gender equality and use their voice to help create a brighter future for women and girls that ultimately benefits everyone."
The Girl-Powered Problem Solving event will also shed light on the fact that some 62 million girls globally are denied the right to go to school, and that access to quality education can provide a foundation for girls to become capable, confident women who can assert their rights even while confronting barriers. According to the World Bank, for every year a girl stays in school her potential income will increase by 15 to 25 per cent. And with secondary schooling, she is six times less likely to be married as a child, says research by Girls Not Brides.
Plan's global action and advocacy efforts in 70 countries around the world, including the Because I am a Girl initiative, help to empower girls who are denied the basic resources and investments they need to reach their potential as they grow into adulthood. "By investing in girls everywhere we can support a generation of empowered women, mothers, workers and leaders who will improve the lives of everyone around them and create a cycle of progress for their families, communities and entire nations," said Payne.
Other ways Plan Canada is celebrating International Women's Day 2015
On social media:
Advocate:
Celebrate and donate:
Join our conversations online around International Women's Day
About Plan and the Because I am a Girl initiative
Founded in 1937, Plan is one of the world's oldest and largest international development agencies, working in partnership with millions of people around the world to end global poverty. Not for profit, independent and inclusive of all faiths and cultures, Plan has only one agenda: to improve the lives of children. Because I am a Girl is Plan's global initiative to end gender inequality, promote girls' rights and lift millions of girls – and everyone around them – out of poverty. Visit plancanada.ca and becauseiamagirl.ca for more information.
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Image with caption: "More than 400 students from the GTA shared their hopes for a brighter future for the world’s girls and women at ‘Girl-Powered Problem Solving,’ an inspiring International Women's Day event hosted by Plan Canada and the Toronto District School Board’s Young Women on the Move initiative on March 4. Photo: Angie Ramos/Plan Canada (CNW Group/Plan Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150302_C6125_PHOTO_EN_12855.jpg
Image with caption: "Three of Plan Canada's Top 20 Under 20 award winners, Maya Burhanpurkar (second from left), Jeanny Yao (third from left), and Jessie MacAlpine (third from right), joined more than 400 girls from Toronto to celebrate International Women's Day at an inspiring event hosted by Plan Canada and the Toronto District School Board on March 4. Photo: Angie Ramos/Plan Canada (CNW Group/Plan Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150302_C6125_PHOTO_EN_12856.jpg
Image with caption: "More than 400 girls and their mentors marked International Women’s Day at ‘Girl-Powered Problem Solving,’ an interactive youth event hosted by Plan Canada and the Toronto District School Board on March 4. Photo: Angie Ramos/Plan Canada (CNW Group/Plan Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150302_C6125_PHOTO_EN_12857.jpg
Media contacts: Dena Allen, Senior Media and Public Relations Manager, Plan Canada, T: 416-920-1654 ext. 326 | C: 416-723-6340 | [email protected]; Abigail Brown, Senior Media and Public Relations Manager, Plan Canada, T: 416-920-1654 ext. 277 | C: 647-971-3764 | [email protected]
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