The BC Project continues to emerge deeper into the BC Networks. We held our first BC Project Networking event in Vancouver on January 17 at the W2 Community Media Arts Café. The gathering gave BC Network Members an opportunity to meet one another and talk about the goals for the BC Project. 

What’s working? Participants at the event put their heads together and compiled a list of what has been working in the BC network so far. Here are the key points that came up in our conversations: 

Breaking Isolation

• Speaking to the root of violence and confronting racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and ablism that young women and girls face. As Girls Action notes in the Why Girls? (PDF) resources, one visible form of violence it is connected to a web of other blanketed forms. 
• Acknowledging the unique histories and realities of marginalized communities and honouring the different experiences of each person in our network.
• Recognizing how issues are fragmented in our communities and finding connections and points of solidarity on these topics. 

Empowering Girls and Women 

• Holding safer intergenerational spaces where girls and women can feel supported in sharing their stories.
• Understanding barriers that young women and girls face and providing a platform and resources for them to determine their own needs and processes.
• Seeking out the barriers that language can often create and finding ways to connect with one another accessibly and creatively. 

Resources

The casual BC/Yukon Region online space created by ELLE and Amplified participants of the 2010 National Retreat. Click here to join! 

What are our steps forward? Participants at the event voiced the need to think outside of the box and connect with others outside of their usual communities. Building stronger foundations of trust, transparency, and connections were at the forefront of our conversations. Here are the key actions the BC Project will be taking in the next couple of months: 

Building and Bridging Communities 

• Making connections outside of our communities and cultivating respectful relationships with and as allies (http://www.derailingfordummies.com/)
• Tangibly harnessing the talents in our network and sharking skills, wisdom, and passions to support one another’s initiatives.
• Creating working groups or discussion circles to speak to specifics topics. 

Staying Connected

• Creating intentional spaces to celebrate, relax, rejuvenate, socialize, and connect outside of our workspaces (yes, we can separate the two!).
• Having more opportunities and avenues to share resources and funding opportunities.
• Promoting projects and initiatives happening in BC and exposing opportunities for collaboration. 

Now it’s time for us to take action! Girls Action is working to have a mix of capacity building workshops and discussions on topics relevant to the BC regions, and casual social events for our members to relax, laugh, and connect with one another. Stay tuned for a line up skill shares, workshops, and gatherings in the near future. Save the date and make sure to go to the ZOOM in on Girls regional gathering in Vancouver on May 31^st.   

Interested in organizing something for the BC Network in your area? Want to get updates on BC events in your area? Connect with Melanie, the BC Interconnector, at melanie@girlsactionfoundation.ca.