International Women’s Day (IWD) recognizes the achievements of women and marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Over 100 countries will be celebrating IWD on March 8 with this year’s theme Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.
Niagara College prioritizes supporting gender equity and inclusion around the world through projects in several countries. These projects support Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) and demonstrate NC’s commitment to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG number 5 – Gender Equality.
Here is a snapshot of NC’s global initiatives and projects:
The Caribbean
On March 7 and 8, NC’s Senior Director of Global Education and Training, Holly Catalfamo, and School of Business and Management Professor Monique Finley participated in the Leadership Symposium at Excelsior Community College (ECC) in Jamaica, contributing to global leadership development for young female emerging leaders.
Emerging Leaders: Your Future is Bright was the theme of Catalfamo’s presentation to a group of primarily female students, including techniques to overcome barriers based on gender inequities and navigate the pathways to leadership. Finley’s presentation, Find Your Why Then Spread the Word: Personal Branding, focused on how to build a brand as an emerging leader.
As part of the Skills to Access the Green Economy (SAGE 07) program, Catalfamo also delivered an interactive session on gender-inclusive curriculum to educators from ECC and other Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. The in-person session was live-streamed to NC’s partners within SAGE 07 in Guyana, Grenada, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Belize and Canada.
Through SAGE 07, NC, Seneca Polytechnic and Nova Scotia Community College are working together with Caribbean partners to develop six short courses in ecotourism to improve workforce skills and strengthen the capacity of training institutions to develop and deliver gender-sensitive ecotourism programs. Last year, Caribbean partners from Jamaica (ECC), Guyana (Guyana Tourism Authority), and Dominica (Dominica State College) engaged in different activities during a study tour in Canada, including capacity building sessions related to developing gender-responsive curricula.
Gender equality is also integrated throughout SAGE 05, in which NC is working with Moneague College (MC) and Ebony Park Academy (EPA) in Jamaica. NC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) experts have continued to engage with EDI teams at MC and EPA focusing on developing and implementing the Gender Action Plans for both institutions. The plans focus on areas such as Gender & Inclusion Awareness and Training, Policy & Gender and Inclusion Committee, Academic Programming, Student Services and Support, Student Engagement, Marketing and Promotions, Community and Employer Engagement, and Employment Trends.
SAGE is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by Colleges & Institutes Canada (CICan).
West Bank
NC welcomed TVET leaders from the West Bank for a customized International Knowledge Exchange Program, from June 17 to 23. Ten representatives from seven TVET institutions attended sessions at the Welland Campus and the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, with the aim of sharing international expertise on gender equality, equity and inclusion in the Skilled Trades sector.
The institutions are part of the Gender Responsive and Inclusive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (GRIT) project, a partnership between Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) and Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem, with funding from Global Affairs Canada. The GRIT project recognizes the capacity and tenacity of Palestinian women, including women with disabilities, and seeks to reduce barriers to help them achieve their educational and career goals.
Kenya
In Kenya, NC and Sheridan College are working with 26 TVET institutions to increase women’s engagement in the workforce by supporting the Young Africa Works in Kenya – Youth Employability Through TVET, which is a five-year program (2020-2025) funded by Mastercard Foundation. In collaboration with CICan, both colleges are developing processes and policies that promote safe learning environments, especially for female learners.
Through Young Africa Works in Kenya – TVET program, the TVET-14 project held the Gender Mainstreaming Committee (GMC) Events on November 13-17, in four locations. The GMC Events brought together 127 participants (56 males and 71 females) from all TVET institutional partners. The event focused on policy implementation and the gender action plan.
The knowledge and skills that representation from across institutions have been equipped with will help to support gender equality and related initiatives. As the project approaches its conclusion, mentorship to GMC clusters has continued to provide support and an avenue for guidance, as institutions move forward with policy implementation and their gender action plans.
The program also held a principals’ forum on August 8-10, bringing together 50 participants (35 males and 15 females) from the TVET institutional partners. In addition, the forum had representation from the Mastercard Foundation, key Government agencies in Kenya, and CICan. Sessions included discussions around Policy for Leaders, Inclusive Leadership and Governance, as well as Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Monitoring.
Tanzania
NC is working alongside Seneca Polytechnic in Tanzania as part of the Empowerment Through Skills Program (ESP 05) to develop alternative education pathways to support women and adolescent girls’ participation in the workforce, including the development of short courses.
As part of this project, NC met with staff from Folk Development Colleges (FDCs) and members of the Gender Desk to analyze and understand challenges faced by community members and local students as women and young mothers.
The NC team is currently reviewing the FDCs and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) curricula as well as the material and training developed by CICan to enhance the curricula with a gender-responsive focus to address local issues.
ESP 05 is a seven-year program (2021-2028) implemented by CICan and funded by the Government of Canada.
Over the past 20 years, Niagara College has successfully completed more than 100 capacity building and training projects in over 25 countries, including Barbados, Bhutan, Chile, Colombia, Grenada, Jamaica, Malawi, Mexico, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Vietnam. For more information on Global Education and Partnerships and how to get involved, visit ncglobal.ca.
