Upcoming Events
AMI International Day of the Girl Child Poetry Competition
As we approach the International Day of the Girl Child, we are excited to launch our Poetry Competition.
This competition is open to girls aged 9-17 and focuses on the theme “Girls’ Vision for the Future.” It is an excellent opportunity for young poets to express their hopes and dreams while competing for a chance to win prizes and have their work published.
Guest Judges:
- Clare Goulet
Clare Goulet’s writing has appeared in The Fiddlehead, Grain, Room, & others. Her most recent book is Graphis scripta: writing lichen (2024).
- Damini Awoyiga
Damini Awoyiga is a high school student. She is an activist, spoken word poet, and the former Halifax’s Youth Poet Laureate (2023-2024).
Submission Details: 1 submission per person, maximum 40 lines
Submission Deadline: October 31st, 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $50, 3rd Prize: $25
Opportunity: Winners will be invited to read their poems at the Girls Conference on May 22, 2025, and the winning poem will be published in the AMI’s Working Papers in Atlantis.
Submit to: girlsconference@msvu.ca or submit here: https://forms.gle/JeT1eUy18dpSQR9F8
Please include your name in the email subject.
Key events hosted by the AMI
Annual Girls Conference
In March 2012, the Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender, and Social Justice held its first annual Girls Conference in celebration of International Women’s Week. This March 2019 was the eighth annual conference which hosted over 350 girls from junior high and high schools across the province.
Each year, the AMI proudly hosts and co-sponsors research wine and cheese events, writing workshops, conferences, and performances.
AMI Spotlight: Threat to Education of Women & Girls in Afghanistan
To mark 2021’s International Day of the Girl, and launch the global 16 Day Campaign to eliminate gender-based violence, the Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender & Social Justice casted a light on the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan and the impact by the Taliban’s recent return to power.
The Wonders of Coding
Presenter
This session will provide an opportunity for Indigenous girls and allies to think about their world views, learn about allyship, and get inspired! Savvy will share her incites and experiences, touching particularly on the ways she has used social media to reach out with her positive messages.
Presenter
During this exciting session, Alicia will share experiences and reflections from her own journey of body positivity. She will offer five fantastic and practical suggestions for how girls (and everyone else!) can learn to love their bodies more. There will be opportunities for delegates to ask questions, and to chime in with their own body-positive thoughts.
Presenter
Strong allies make strong leaders, and allyship is a practice that needs to be grown on purpose. In this workshop, you will learn some basics related to gender and identity, why knowing these things is important, and how you can support those in your life experiencing difficulty related to their gender identity.
Maxie Janes is the Support Services Educator for The Youth Project, an organization that works to make Nova Scotia a safer, healthier, and happier place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth through support, education, resources expansion and community development. Maxie has a background in community education, organizing, and psychology. Maxie is published in the queer comic anthology Rainbow Reflections, a text designed to bring health information to the masses in an accessible context. They obtained their Bachelor of Science from Acadia University in 2017 and are currently working on an MA in Counselling Psychology through Yorkville University.
