The Work is Never Done: Lessons in Being an Institutional Ally

Organized by: Vancouver Foundation

Good isn’t good enough. In this session, Canada’s leading community foundation will share what it’s doing well to be an ally to women and girls. But in a world of rampant inequality, organizations and institutions need to be accountable for doing so much more. Vancouver Foundation is committed to “learning in plain sight” and we’d like you to be part of it. Join us for a provocative conversation with guests who will hold our feet to the fire and tell us what we need to do differently — and better — to ensure our actions match our aspirations.

Film Screenings: Mental Health

Not Carol (15:00)
> On the afternoon of May 20, 2014, cries of terror shattered the quiet of West 223rd Street in Torrance, CA, when Rudy Coronado entered his bedroom to find that his bloodied wife had just stabbed their three daughters - Sophia, (2 1⁄2 years), Yazmine (1 1⁄2 years) and Xenia (10 weeks) - killing them all. Thirty-year old Carol Coronado, a beautiful young mother, committed the most unspeakable crime that afternoon, and her acts – although despicable – represent the extreme result of undiagnosed postpartum psychosis. NOT CAROL examines the scourge of postpartum psychosis through the tragic prism of the Carol Coronado murder case. In a judicial system riddled with archaic laws and chronic misunderstanding, Carol’s story shines a light on a public health epidemic that is enormous in scale and no one is talking about. Director(s): Eamon Harrington and John Watkin

Doubts (3:14)
> "Don't believe everything you think." DOUBTS, a poem by Julie Flanders with animation by Phoebe Cavise, is both a light and serious reminder to believe in something better than your uncertainties. Conveyed with love and whimsy this short film is meant to shift and elevate the spirit of the viewer. A seamless marriage of word and image, DOUBTS is a philosophical amuse-bouche designed to please the mind and delight the senses.

Vicarious Resilience Trailer (2:48)
> The documentary follows three Hudson Valley residents over the course of a 10-week TMI Project storytelling workshop presented at The Mental Health Association in Ulster County (MHA). Along the way, the participants experience the transformative power of true storytelling; they face mental illness, childhood neglect and addiction head-on; and, ultimately, share deeply personal stories about love, loss and triumph. Director(s): Eva Tenuto

God Knows Where I Am Trailer (2:16)
> The body of a homeless woman is found in an abandoned farmhouse, and a diary documenting a journey of starvation and the loss of sanity lies next to the body. For nearly four months, Linda Bishop, a prisoner of her own mind, survived on apples and rain water during one of the coldest winters on record. As her story unfolds from different perspectives, we learn about our systemic failure to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Director(s): Todd Wider and Jeb Wider

Hope Trailer (1:00)
> Based on a true story. When a widow with mental illness attempts suicide, she survives only to find herself homeless and unable to reconnect with her son. After a year of living in a shelter with no hope of overcoming her situation, she has a chance encounter that changes her life. Director(s): Katie Damien

Take a Deep Breathe (4:27)
> This is a short animation about a day of a woman who lives alone. In this day she wakes up in the morning and goes to kitchen for making breakfast. After hearing bad news about a girl (who has died because of violation) in radio, she remembers her bad experiences about the rape of her privacy. She remembers how some men look at her just sexually. She is afraid to go out but finally changes her mind and decides to go out again and be brave. Director(s): Zahra Safdari Shadloo

Candid Conversation

What is the role of gender equality in climate justice?

Host: Shahira Amin, Independent Journalist
- Farwiza Farhan, Forest, Nature & Environment Aceh (HAkA)
- Fleur Newman, Gender Affairs Officer, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Harnessing the Power of Data for Gender Equality: Presenting EM2030 2019 SDG Gender Index

Launch of the EM2030 2019 SDG Gender Index and Plan International’s Taking the Lead Report

Youth Zone

Film Screenings: Gender Violence

Hinge (22:50)
> When a mentally unstable man stops taking his antipsychotic medication his new neighbors, a lesbian couple with an idyllic life, become the target of his fixation. Director(s): Lisa Ann Mayo

Unsafe in the City (1:29)
> This film was produced to support the launch of Plan International's new report, Unsafe in the City, which was based on more than 21,000 online reports from girls and young women living in Delhi, Kampala, Lima, Madrid and Sydney. Keeping all girls identities anonymous the idea was to use a serene piece of classical music to calm your senses and then use the horrific quotes to illustrate the lived realities of girls. Director(s): Rachael Chilton

Innovation Ecosystem Panel

As part of this fast-paced intergenerational dialogue, leaders from across sectors will share insights on the #PowerOf innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG5 (gender equality).

Financial Education: Building Skills for Economic Empowerment

Organized by: International Development Research Centre, Pro Mujer

This session takes a deeper look at the skills gaps related to financial education, as well as entrepreneurial training and workforce development—critical themes for building for economic empowerment among women. Panelists will examine the challenges women face beyond access to finance, including the digital divide, access to critical resources and training, jobs and market access. Come hear about solutions including training, access to jobs and markets to that foster economic independence for women.

Sponsored Session: Empower. Listen. Act: How Women Demand Quality Health Care

Sponsored by: Merck for Mothers

Education is key to ensuring access to quality health care. Health education in particular empowers women and increases their ability to seek out and advocate for the life-saving care they need. This session will explore the many different, innovative ways to reach women and empower them to access quality health care, including through digital platforms, coalitions and their communities.

Taking to the Streets, Prevailing in the Courts: Demanding the Right to Safe Abortion!

Organized by: Center for Reproductive Rights, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Ipas

Advocates around the world are bravely demanding their right to abortion. Mobilization on the ground in countries and communities- and critical victories in the courts- have catalyzed legislative action. Yet challenges remain. In this session, recent examples from Argentina, Ireland, and Kenya will explore the legal strategies advocates are mobilizing to demand the right to safe abortion.

How To Build and Sustain a Social Movement

Organized by: Global Fund for Women, International Women’s Health Coalition

Movements are powerful drivers of change. When they are organized, coordinated, and strategic, movements can shift public opinion, spur legal and policy reform, and hold decision-makers accountable. Yet the work of movement building is often insufficiently valued and resourced. This session is for everyone who wants to learn about strategies for organizing, strengthening, and funding movements.

Film Screenings: Women in Global Health

Heroines of Health (28:56)
> "Heroines of Health" gives an intimate look into the lives of three remarkable women - Dr. Sharmila (India), Mercy (Kenya) and Mrs. Rohani (Indonesia) - who have overcome incredible challenges to become life saving forces in their communities as women in global health. Director(s): Lisa Russell for GE Healthcare

Money Talks: What Works in Budget Accountability?

Organized by: Equal Measures 2030, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), White Ribbon Alliance

Is money really following political commitments on gender equality? What are the most promising budget accountability efforts and the biggest stumbling blocks? How are governments promoting transparency and accountability? How can advocates and others work to ensure implementation of gender equality commitments? In this session, join in the interactive discussion, share your experiences, and learn from others.

Pushing Back Against the Pushback: The Power of Women’s Organizations to Resist Resurgent National Authoritarianism

Organized by: Women Deliver

Progress in gender equality is under threat in many parts of the world. What used to be considered a fringe movement has gained broader appeal and support, with a growing surge of populist and authoritarian political movements placing new and significant challenges on women’s rights, movements, and organizations. This session will spotlight diverse examples of women and women’s movements standing up, pushing back, and driving change within their communities.

Beyond the Pilot: Scaling Up What Works in Adolescent Sexuality Education, Contraception, and Maternal Health

Organized by: Jhpiego, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, White Ribbon Alliance, World Health Organization

Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 years globally. Young mothers who survive, face high risks of serious health conditions such as eclampsia, endometriosis, infections and depression. Yet many adolescents are still unaware of or discouraged from obtaining contraception. This session will share solutions to scale up sexual and reproductive health information and services for adolescents, including engaging young people in program design and implementation. Come learn how we can shift mind-sets and beliefs around contraception.

Unleashing the Power of Women Entrepreneurs

Organized by: Echoing Green, WEConnect International

Why do women still own very few of the world’s assets? Why do women too often focus on low-profit business? Why are women business owners invisible in global value chains? And what do we do to change this? This session will focus on innovative ways to work together across sectors to implement policies and programs that help women start and grow businesses. Learn how to build an ecosystem of support for women-owned businesses that can deliver innovation, jobs, wealth, and strong communities.

How Advertisers and Advocates are Dismantling Gender Stereotypes in Media

Organized by: Global Citizen, Global Press Institute, Lisa Russell Films/Create 2030, RNW Media

Marketing and digital media agencies create the thousands of advertisements seen in every country every day — images which influence the way we perceive girls and women, for better or worse. This session will show how advertising and media can challenge gender stereotypes and biases, change people’s perceptions of ‘others,’ and reduce discrimination. Participants will learn what levers push top brands to stop perpetuating negative stereotypes, and how storytelling is used to change hearts and
minds.

Smart Investment: Using Data to Make the Case and Track Commitments

Organized by: Data2X, Groots, Guttmacher Institute

Data and evidence have the power to highlight needed investments, set priorities for limited resources, and hold decision-makers accountable on commitments. This rapid-fire session will present examples of how data are used to build a case for investment, to prioritize scarce resources, and to monitor investments. Participants will learn how data was used to make a cost-savings case for adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and to track family planning investments and impact.

Power Talks: Information, Education, Advocacy

Moderated by: Hannah Vaughan Jones, News Anchor, CNN

1:35 | Onyinye Anita Edeh, Founder and Chief Empowerment Officer, Strong Enough Girls’ Empowerment Initiative
> A Nigerian-American public health researcher and girls’ rights advocate, Onyinye Anita Edeh speaks about the tragic and harmful consequences of depriving girls and young women of accurate and comprehensive information about their sexual and reproductive health and rights, and how this education is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

1:45 | Lina López, Young Leader, Women Deliver
> When talking to their children about sex, parents too often focus on pregnancy, femininity, relationships, marriage, and bad boys. The problem is this traditional narrative about sex becomes a currency for love. Lina López suggests a new starting place for sex education, one that teaches girls about pleasure. Then, we can talk about consent.

1:55 | Sandra Mullin, Senior Vice President, Vital Strategies
> A global leader in strategic health communication and social marketing, Sandra Mullin shares how Vital Strategies’ campaigns use cutting-edge behavioral research, emotional storytelling, mass media, and other creative delivery channels to drive policy, change behavior, and reduce preventable deaths.

2:05 | Awa dite Mah Camara, Conseil Consultatif National des Enfants et Jeunes du Mali
> Awa Camara calls on governments to review their policies and end child marriage according to their commitments enshrined in international conventions. Girls who have been forced into early marriage are deprived from their childhood, education, and destiny.

2:15 | Nicola Jones, Ph.D., Principal Research Fellow and Director of Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence, Overseas Development Institute
> Adolescents in humanitarian settings are among the most invisible on the policy agenda. Given that multiple Sustainable Development Goals rest on prioritizing adolescence, Dr. Nicola Jones showcases evidence on gendered experiences of refugee and internally displaced girls and boys in Syrian, Palestinian, and Rohingya communities to inform development strategies and programming.

2:25 | Rahaf Albalkhi, World University Service of Canada (WUSC)
> Education is the key to unlocking the door of our possibilities. Rahaf Albalkhi shares her powerful story as a student, and how education allowed her to tackle incredible personal challenges, including war, family loss, displacement, and chronic disease.

2:35 | Tamasha Hussein, World University Service
> Go on a journey with Tamasha Hussein, whose personal experiences will illuminate the challenges refugee girls face, their resilience, and what everyone can do to contribute to a better-quality education for every child regardless of their refugee status.

WORKSHOP: “But Why Would I Care?” Getting Through to Those Who (Think They) Have Heard It All Before

Organized by: Kristin Hetle

In this interactive session, you'll test and take away some good communication tactics -  drawing from classic storytelling and rethorical principles  that have stood the test of time, supported by data and evidence and combined with the requirements of today's fast-paced competitive never-ending news stream -  that will help you develop your pitch, elaborate your story and communicate on behalf of your organization in a way that makes you heard.