Women in Communications and Technology (“WCT”) recently completed a major nationwide consultation about the best practices and strategies to encourage women’s advancement in the digital industries as well as greater diversity and inclusion outcomes among employers. WCT’s BC chapter will share the results of this report and host a panel discussion on May 8th, and everyone is invited to join the conversation.
Women’s Leadership in the Digital Economy
Where: CodeCore – 142 W Hastings St, Vancouver When: Tuesday, May 8, 2018 @ 5:00pm (doors) 5:30pm (start) Tickets: Available for $10.50 online with $5 from each ticket going Ladies Learning Code, an educational program by Canada Learning Code.
The event will be a fishbowl conversation. Seven chairs are arranged in an inner circle (the fishbowl). The remaining chairs are arranged outside the fishbowl. Four invited panelists occupy four chairs in the fishbowl with three chairs remaining open to encourage participants from the audience to move into the fishbowl and join the conversation.
Featured Panelists
Shann McGrail: Co-founder of Devreve Inc., a company focused on helping technology companies develop and diversity talent to achieve business results.
Zara Gray: Senior Advisor, Diversity & Inclusion, for Goldcorp Inc., a senior gold producer.
Joanne Stanley: Executive Director of Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) appointed in March 2013.
More panelists will be announced soon! Follow the event page for the latest details and to register for the event »
Benefitting: Ladies Learning Code
The Ladies Learning Code program offer adults hands-on, project-based learning experiences that are designed to give beginners the skills and confidence they need to become digital creators.
LLC’s workshops, courses and meetups are open to adults of all ages and genders but are designed to be a space where women explicitly are welcome to learn.
Riding bikes through the trails of Green Timbers, hanging out at the mall in Guildford, backyard barbecues, and sleepovers with friends from school where we didn’t have to speak French like in our immersion classes. Michelle Kim‘s new book Running Through Sprinklers is a fictional tale of young friendships, family, and growing up in Surrey, BC.
If you recognize Michelle’s name it’s because she’s an occasional contributor to Miss604.com and one of my first childhood friends – ever since we met in the courtyard at Hjorth Road Elementary. To celebrate the launch of her book, which has been published by Simon & Schuster Canada, we’ve put together a Q&A:
Running Through Sprinklers
How and why did you decide to write this book? Michelle: “I was in university, heartbroken over some guy, and my mom came to take me for lunch at a deli on 10th. I remember sitting there, eating my soup, when I noticed a group of four elderly women sitting next to us. I listened in on their conversation and they were all thanking each other for being there when each of their husbands passed away. It got me thinking about the importance of female friendship, in our later years and when we are young. Preteen girls have such intense friendships with each other, it’s almost like a first love. Then I started to think about how so much emphasis is place on romantic love, and unrightfully so. I think as women, female friendships are the backbone of our emotional health, and in a way, our lives.”
How did the concept evolve from when you started writing it to when it was fully developed?
Michelle: “I wrote three pages for an assignment at UBC. It was a scene where two girls eat ramen (which is now the beginning of the book); I didn’t think of it too much but then I wrote more scenes, in no linear fashion. Years later, when I had enough scenes, I stitched it all together, but it still wasn’t quite working. So I put it to the side and began working on films. After writing and directing my first feature film, The Tree Inside, I decided to tackle the novel again using what I learned from filmmaking and everything clicked. It was a long process but I’ll say I’m so happy it worked out the way it did because otherwise I would not be a filmmaker and my book would not be what it is today.”
Why write about growing up in Surrey?
Michelle: “Looking back, I’ve come to realize what a privilege it was to grow up in Surrey. It’s incredibly multicultural. The people here are very hardworking. I’m just so grateful. In a way, Running Through Sprinklers is a love letter to Surrey.”
You can purchase Running Through Sprinklers online now or find it on the shelves of your local bookstore. If you would like to win your own author-signed copy, I have a one to give away! Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a copy of @miju’s book #RunningThroughSprinklers http://ow.ly/Ms5E30jw4Zl” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
The afternoon will start with free cake (it is our 30th birthday after all), coffee, and an address from some of our local environmental leaders.
Explore the booths of Patagonia, Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver, and Stanley Park Brewing while learning about local ecology and enjoying some Earth-themed activities. Guests will have the opportunity to learn to weave with fiber artists as they demonstrate how to craft baskets from invasive species pulled from the park!
SPES staff and volunteers plant native Oregon grape in Stanley Park, Earth Day 2017 Photo: Michael Schmidt
From there, help with an invasive species plant pull, get down in the dirt as we plant native plants, or join us on a free nature walk to learn more about the nature right in our backyard.
One walk will take guests on a tour of the heron colony to get the best views and insights on the work of conserving this special great blue heron population. Follow the other walk and look at the various pressures that keep our conservation team working hard—from invasive plants and polluted road runoff to rapidly shrinking lakes.
As a member of the Stanley Park Ecology Society (“SPES”), I wanted to offer the organization an opportunity to share their news, events, and work so I created the “SPES Series” years ago. This is where SPES can contribute and share stories with my audience once a month. Follow SPES on Facebook for more information.
Get ready to travel the globe in your own hometown! World Rhythms for Youth Society and CubbyHole Artists present the 4th annual Vancouver World Music Festival, happening April 26-29, 2018 at Guilt and Co. and The Imperial.
Vancouver World Music Festival
The three-night celebration of world beats and melodies, will feature some world-class artists from Mexico, Brazil, Africa, Spain, USA, as well as amazing artists from Canada.
Featured Performers
Las Cafeteras (Mexico/USA) The Boom Booms (Canada) Locarno (Mexico/Canada) Zimbamoto (Zimbabwe/Canada)
MNGWA (Russia/Mexico/Canada) Calle Verde (Spain/Peru/Canada) Bloco Energia (Brazil/Canada) Kutapira (Canada)
Locarno will play The Imperial on April 29th
“This festival is about bringing people together to honour cultural diversity and celebrate the things that unite us instead of divide us. As cliche as it may sound, in a world where current politics incite hate and racism, we believe it’s important, now more than ever, to come together and praise different cultures. We believe music has the power to help forge a path, and in a small way, bring about peaceful change.”
Tickets prices are only $15-25 per night or $50 for a festival pass and are available online, through TicketWeb, or in person at Highlife, Zulu and Red Cat Records.
Evening Performances
Thursday, April 26, 2018 @ 7:00pm
at Guilt and Co. (19+)
Festival Kick-off night
Calle Verde (Spain/Peru/Canada)
MNGWA (Russia/Mexico/Canada)
Followed by GroundUp feat. Mazacote
(Nicaragua/El Salvador/Canada)
Friday, April 27, 2018 @ 8:00pm
at The Imperial (19+)
The Boom Booms (Canada)
Zimbamoto (Zimbabwe/Canada)
Bloco Energia (Brazil/Canada)
Saturday, April 28, 2018 @ 8:00pm
at The Imperial (19+)
Las Cafeteras (Mexico/USA)
Locarno (Mexico/Canada)
Co-presented with The BlueShore at Cap Global Roots Series
New this year is WorldBeat Sunday, with a free set of family-friendly performances on Sunday, April 29, 2018 from 11:30am to 3:30pm at Trout Lake Community Centre. worldBeat Sunday will feature Kutapira, Youth Performers and Percussion Workshops.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to both evening shows on April 27th and 28th at The Imperial. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post listing which day you would like to attend (1 entry)
Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to the #VancouverWorldMusicFest at @imperial_van http://ow.ly/HNtO30ju9Ip” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
Métis actor, writer, stand-up comic, musician and director Sheldon Elter’s Métis Mutt will be presented at the Firehall Arts Centre from April 25 to May 5, 2018.
Métis Mutt – Marc J Chalifoux Photography
Sheldon Elter’s Métis Mutt
Where: Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova, Vancouver) When: April 25 to May 5, 2018 Performance Times: Tuesday 7:00pm, Wednesday to Friday 8:00pm, Saturday 3:00pm & 8:00pm, Sunday 3:00pm
Post-show talkback September 28th Tickets: From $20 online or by calling (604) 689-0926. Pay what you can performances Wednesday, April 25 and May 2 at 1:00pm.
Métis Mutt recounts the story of Sheldon’s coming of age under extremely difficult family and cultural circumstances. The child of a violently alcoholic father, Sheldon struggles to come to grips with his feelings about being the eldest child in an abusive household. Experiencing bigotry from both sides of the racial fence, he attempts to understand both what drives him psychologically and what is important to him culturally.
Nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award (2016-2017), Métis Mutt is a heartbreaking and unpredictable performance piece. Through stand-up comedy, original songs, storytelling and brilliant multi-character vignettes, audiences are invited to share the journey of this young Métis man and watch him pull himself out of a destructive cycle and carve out a creative life for himself.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away to OPENING NIGHT on April 25th at 8:00pm. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to post an entry on Twitter
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets to opening night of Sheldon Elter’s #MetisMutt at @firehallartscte http://ow.ly/Tcil30ju5bK” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Thursday, April 19, 2018. Follow The Firehall Arts Centre on Twitter, and Facebook to learn more about this production and more.
The Ladies Learning Code program offer adults hands-on, project-based learning experiences that are designed to give beginners the skills and confidence they need to become digital creators. 
Michelle: “I was in university, heartbroken over some guy, and my mom came to take me for lunch at a deli on 10th. I remember sitting there, eating my soup, when I noticed a group of four elderly women sitting next to us. I listened in on their conversation and they were all thanking each other for being there when each of their husbands passed away. It got me thinking about the importance of female friendship, in our later years and when we are young. Preteen girls have such intense friendships with each other, it’s almost like a first love. Then I started to think about how so much emphasis is place on romantic love, and unrightfully so. I think as women, female friendships are the backbone of our emotional health, and in a way, our lives.”
