Between October 8th and October 11th, 2021, Skills Ontario will be reprising their International Day of the Girl series. Taking place exclusively online, Skills Ontario is continuing the conversation around trades and empowering youth to know their options and pursue their dreams.
Last year, Skills Ontario achieved the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest video of people passing around a screw driver. For International Day of the Girl, the activities, workshops, and panel includes strong examples of girls as young as eight years old thriving in the trades. This year, the panel is scheduled to take place on Friday, October 8th, while an Animation workshop will be held on Monday, October 11th.
Lindsay Chester, Young Women’s Initiative Program Manager, is very excited to roll out the red carpet for the remarkable panelists. When asked about how the events will power the young women attending, she expressed, “The empowerment level is the people involved in our events.
For our International Day of the Girl conference happening on Friday, we have 4 panellists aged 8 to 10. I was completely blown away by them! I think the participants will be inspired by the confidence and passion radiating off our panellists”. The workshops will also give the young girls the opportunity to expand their horizons and experience new career options. “The hands-on component is also another way are we empowering the girls. We are providing a safe space for these girls to want to pursue these careers as well”, Lindsay explained.
2020 was the first International Day of the Girl event that took place online. Since COVID-19, Skills Ontario had to reevaluate and redefine how they can effectively reach their target audience. This year, Skills Ontario will be prioritizing accessibility by allowing more classes and schools to participate from across the province. IDOTG will also be focusing on the skills and trades in the technology realm.
“Last year, we hosted an ice cream-making workshop as a focus towards the service industry. This year, the theme is technology, so we’re offering an Animation workshop”, Lindsay reflects. “We also have a very diverse panel this year, and a lot of them are very interested in the technology piece. This year, we’re still very focused on skills, but we are tapping into that tech-based approach”.
For Lindsay and the team at Skills Ontario, the main priority is to start the conversation with young girls to demonstrate the value of pursuing the trades. Skills Ontario has an abundance of programs that are worthy of considering for possible career paths. When girls see role models like them in the trades, it can open up an array of possibilities.
When asked what she hopes the young girls will take away from the IDOTG events, Lindsay reflected, ” I really would hope that they will feel not only empowered, but really feel driven and inspired to pursue their dreams and their passion. That is the biggest message that they will be taking away from the keynote and the panelists”.
The qualities that will be reflected in the panelists and the events include passion, confidence, and drive that will surely inspire the young women attending the events. “A lot of what we’re going to hear at the conference on Friday is going to revolve around passion and asking questions”, Lindsay states. “If the girls are going to take anything away from this, its that they can do anything they set their minds to, they can be encouraged to pursue their dreams and to ask questions”.
Through the International Day of the Girl series, Skills Ontario is giving Canadian youth the tools they need to create a brighter tomorrow.
For more information, visit skillsontario.com
Author: Vanessa Butera, Content Writer, The Onside Media, Toronto, Canada. If you have stories to share kindly email: – vanessa.butera@theonside.com
