Roundtable on the Research and Practice of Women's Participation and Leadership in Climate Solutions

Simon Fraser University's Wosk Centre for Dialogue | 580 West Hastings Street | Vancouver, BC
Thursday, June 21, 2018
9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Overview

Greater economic, infrastructure and employment and health disparities make women more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. And when given the opportunity to participate and influence policy and programs, they are also key agents of change for social, economic and environmental sustainability across sectors ranging from agriculture to governance to natural resources to energy. This roundtable will examine the barriers that currently exist for women’s (and other marginalized populations) participation as well as the opportunities and actionable methods for greater participation and leadership in climate solutions. The organizing questions include: What would it look like if there was gender equity and fully inclusive participation in your sector to take action on climate change? What innovative methods of inclusion and participation would you scale up to address climate solutions?

SFU’s Faculty of Environment is partnering with CityHive, Participedia.net, Women Transforming Cities, the Suzuki Elders and others to host this invitational roundtable. We will convene leaders, researchers, and students from diverse sectors – universities, civic society, policy think tanks, government and funders – committed to intersectionality and innovation that takes into account the complex relationship between women and climate change. The aim is to share and mobilize knowledge about the participatory methods that foster women’s leadership in climate change solutions.

Please RSVP by registering by Friday, June 15 and please contact Joanna Ashworth (joanna_ashworth@sfu.ca) or Veronika Bylicki (veronika@cityhive.ca) with any questions or if you are interested in partnering or supporting.

Presenters & thematic hosts

Ginger Gosnell-Myers
Andrea Reimer, Councillor City of Vancouver
Rosemary Cooper, Senior Associate and Lead on Share Reuse Repair, One Earth
Veronika Bylicki , Co-Founder City Hive, COP24 BC Youth Delegate
Ellen Woodsworth, Founder and Co-chair, Women Transforming Cities International Society
Meredith Adler, Executive Director Student Energy
Erlene Woollard, Suzuki Elders
Sarah Dent, Young Agrarians
Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, Senior Lecturer, Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies & Urban Studies, Simon Fraser University
Donna Morton, CEO Change Finance
Caroline Merner, Climate Guides
Olive Dempsey
Tarah Stafford, Community Organizing, Climate Communications

Themes

Gender Rights, Human Rights, Indigenous Right and Climate Justice
Gender Equity and Environmental Sustainability
Youth Engagement
Agents of Change in Climate Change Solutions: Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy, Agriculture, Urban
Sustainability, Public Policy, Communications, Community Engagement, Cities and National Government
Integrating the UNSDG’s and Climate Change Targets

Anticipated outcomes

Identify and frame key challenges and implications for policy and programs.
Document participatory methods that foster inclusion, meaningful participation and leadership on policy and program solutions.
Build support for leadership capacity and resiliency building initiatives.
Contribute to Participedia.net catalogue of cases, methods and organizational profiles.
Inform the development of a Women and Climate Action on-line course at SFU.

Lead convener

Dr. Joanna Ashworth, Dirctor Professional Programs and Partnerships, Faculty of Environment, Participedia Researcher, Wosk Centre for Dialogue Senior Associate, Simon Fraser University
joanna_ashworth@sfu.ca

[1] Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Partners

Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Environment, Professional Programs and Partnerships and the Conference Fund, Office of the Vice President Academic

CityHive is on a mission to transform the way that youth are engaged in civic processes, planning and decision-making in Vancouver.

Participedia.net Open to all to crowd source, catelogue and compare participatory processess around the world

Suzuki Elders is a group of volunteers that work with and through the David Suzuki Foundation and are inspired to take meaningful action on environmental issues

Women Transforming Cities International Society (Vancouver Chapter) is on a mission to make Vancouver the women-friendly city in the world.