January Newsletter

Your Lady Politician info for the month of January: Moustach Contest winner, Happy New Year thank yous, Dancing Backwards gets moving, and more! visit our website Moustache Contest Winner Congratulations to our Movember fundraiser contest winner, 11-year-old Anya Reed Blake from Victoria, BC. DWtO will donate $100 to Movember Canada in Anya's name. She will also receive a coveted 'tentacle moustache' to sport next November.  Anya already raised $500 for her Movember campaign (impressive), and now thanks to DWtO her contribution is a whopping $600. Way to go, Anya! Thanks to all those who participated and keep your eyes open for our next contest. Dancing Backwards Newsflash The past month has been a whirlwind of good news for Dancing Backwards: Let's Get Canada's Political Women into History! - We're thrilled to report that The Hamber Foundation has come through with a cash grant for the project - our first foundation support! Please contact me if you have ideas for potential educational sponsors as well. - Three schools have jumped on the bandwagon; two grade 8 classes and one grade 12. These students will have the opportunity to pilot this exciting new program - to experience the Dancing Backwards classroom curriculum and be the first to contribute their storytelling projects to the online database which will serve as an educational tool to be expanded for years to come.  Thank you to the teachers who volunteered their time and classrooms for this project, we look forward to meeting you during our upcoming planning meeting this month.  Grade 5 teachers, we are looking for one more pioneer class! Contact us to join forces! - The new Dancing Backwards intro video is almost done - thanks Pan Productions. After some final tweaks, it'll be posted so you can share in the excitement as those amazing seven lady political heroes come to life. - DWtO is planning an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign to propel Dancing Backwards into the new year, and beyond. Keep your eyes open for our upcoming campaign launch! - Check out our Dancing Backwards video shoot photos on Flickr. New Blog Post This month's blog post is from our very own video contest winner, 14-year-old Rebecca Hansen. With wit and insight she discusses the power of political education from an early age. It's a must read! And if if you haven't already seen it, take 3 minutes to enjoy Rebecca's  "What if..." video. ...from Sandy's Desk Looking back on all of the many DWtO's accomplishments in 2012, I feel it's time to express huge thanks and extend an 8-tentacle handshake to everyone who's jumped on board and lent a hand - interns, film colleagues, video contest entrants, actors, crew, lady politicians, women's campaign school grads, CWP, publishers, friends and family...so many. Thanks for the inspiring paths you've created to open and keep this critical conversation going.   It feels like change is in the air, doesn't it? Seems that the awareness is heightening, and every day the media reports not only the problems but also the baby steps forward. Our efforts to gain equality and put an end to violence against women are paying off - the fruits of our efforts are within sight. I believe that by talking about these issues, staying pro-active, keeping the idea of women-in-leadership at the fore, we reinforce the work, facilitate the shift away from patriarchy and generate change. Best wishes to all for a safe, productive, healthy and happy 2013. Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend Rise to End Violence On February 14th, 2013 women all over the world will rise, dance, and strike to bring an end to violence against women. And the cry's not just for women. Every person across the globe is invited to join the cause and stand up against this violence as a global community. Here's what you can do: ~Listen to the amazing One Billion Rising anthem. ~Be inspired to rise! ~Join an already existing event, or create one of your own and get the toolkit. ~Share your plans with DWtO. If you're hosting/joining an event, or planning something special to join the cause we want to hear about it. Queen of Green At DWtO we recognize the buying power of women and what that means for our environment. But it's hard to know what you're buying these days, much less how you're decisions and lifestyle are affecting the environment, and therefore the people around you. That's why we want to introduce you the David Suzuki Foundation's Queen of Green! And here's a great place to start: make a resolution to spend more time in nature in 2013? Every month we'll bring you tips from Tovah Paglaro on how to use your buying power (or your not-buying-power) for the greater good. In the meantime, this is a fun resource to start your family's nature habit for 2013. Enjoy! Madeline Albright once said "People say there are not enough qualified women, that's one of the biggest bulls**t things I've heard." So true, Madeline! In the spirit of looking back as we move forward, here's a great article highlighting the most powerful women in politics of 2012. But wait, it's only going to get better in 2013 as the "boom" of women in politics increases! We've got a long way to go to reach full representation, but there's no harm in celebrating the accomplishments along the way. Enjoy! What we do Dancing with the Octopus is a passionate, entertaining, non-partisan, 8-tentacled media project. DWtO invites women of all ages to enter the conversation about the how's and why's of getting more women into politics in Canada and abroad.  follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend  Contact us to donate or volunteer your talents! Copyright © 2013 Dancing with the Octopus, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you attended a DWtO event, corresponded with a member of our team, or subscribed from our website. We send one newsletter on the first of every month.  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences