September 2013

Your Lady Politician info for the month of September 2013 Featuring Team Building, Dancing Backwards, DWtO and the Yukon, and more visit our website Dancing Backwards Team Night In mid-July, Dancing Backwards hosted its First Team Building Night! 13 talented, women gathered at Sandy's house for an in-depth look at the DB curriculum, feasted on treats as they discussed ways they could contribute to the program.     Thanks to all who attended (and several who couldn't) offering to pitch in and help with research, bookings, fundraising, and getting DB into French Immersion classes in town.   If you have skills to lend please let us know and join the team.  At the moment we're working hard on a full blown business plan now. Wish us luck!   Debrief: Dancing Backwards Special thanks to the three teachers: Amei Mai (formerly from Colquitz Middle), Jenn O'Ryan Ractliffe (Spectrum Community), Jess Avery (formerly from Gordon Head Middle) who participated in the Spring 2013 Pilot program of Dancing Backwards. That's three grade 8 classes and one grade 11 - not bad for a start! We met for a yummy debrief lunch - thanks Ladies.  Your comments and suggestions are invaluable and will be implemented as closely as possible to the curriculum as we move forward in the fall. Still looking for two grade 5 classes and one grade 10 to participate in Oct/Nov - any takers? DWtO & MediaNet Sandy was a guest teacher at the MediaNet summer camp - Creative Media Expression for Youth - and used the different DWtO tentacles to show how to best use Journalism and Documentary Techniques to get your point across. She used examples like DWtO dramatic webisodes - Kaitlin Fontana: Lady Politician series,  short interview spots, video contests, newsletters, event clips, and more! M.A. & DWTO! Veronique Herry-Saint-Onge, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, has completed her MA in Journalism at Ryerson University, and her thesis is on women in politics in the Yukon.  Her beautifully designed website offers a fascinating view of that territory's female political pioneers.  Veronique interviewed Sandy several months ago and features Dancing with the Octopus' work as a route for women to explore ways of getting into politics! Veronique has named her pet octopus, Bertha! Click here to read more: Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend What we do Dancing with the Octopus is a passionate, entertaining, 8-tentacled media project that takes a non-partisan look at the how's and why's of getting more women into politics in Canada and abroad. Michelle Landsberg, Journalist, Author What does Michelle Landsberg have to say on women's collective voice? Read more...: Photo courtesy of Canadian Women's foundation Stephanie Nolen leaves India The feminist journalist is taking up the South America bureau for the Globe and Mail. Read her experiences in India here: Photo courtesy of CBC Vanessa Winn, Author Vanessa is our blogger for this month. It is based on her book, The Chief Factor's Daughter, that is set here in Victoria in the mid-1800s.  All of the characters and the main events are real.  The focus is the women in local fur-trade families. Read more Artist Credit: Jena Hamilton Dancing Backwards Postcards will be available by the end of September. Three great designs, 6 to a set - on their way!