Dossier F32 - Tradeswomen: a winning ticket - A conference to celebrate BC/Yukon women in trades

Host: Women’s Studies Department, Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Location: Vancouver, BC
Valerie Overend's Role: Participant (SIAST/SaskWITT), Keynote Speaker, Co-presented with Judy Kujundzic

This conference was really an anomaly since it focussed on trades yet was organized by an academic Institution. Thanks to Kate Braid, a carpenter and, at the time, the Ruth Wynn Woodward Chair in Women’s Studies at SFU. Co-sponsor of the conference was BCIT in conjunction with the Trades Discovery for Women Program led by Tamara Pongracz.
The conference was designed as a retention measure for tradeswomen who would have a supportive opportunity to network, build continuing relationships and conceivably, work to lobby government and industry to encourage more women into construction trades primarily.
Overend was involved in 4 distinct aspects:
- a short presentation from CCWESTT at a Researcher’s Breakfast with a handful of other research organizations;
- a Roundtable and Focus Group focussing on best practices and diversity in the construction/ trades sector and hosted by Women in Leadership Foundation;
- a keynote speech in a plenary session: Start-up, Care and Maintenance of your Local WITT Group;
- co-facilitator of a workshop with Judy Kujundzic from Victoria. Claiming Our Territory involves small groups of women designing an ideal workplace for women in an Industrial setting.