On Friday May 29, inspirational women and their stories will be taking over the Canadian Museum of Nature. The event that prompts this assembly is “TEDxTheGlebeWomen,” which is affiliated with the worldwide brand of TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), known particularly for TED Talks events.
Alyssa Comstock, the director of marketing and communications for the event, said in an email “while TEDxTheGlebeWomen itself does not have a mission statement, [it is an] independently organized TED event so we follow the brand, mission, and vision of TED closely.”
The event does have a specific goal in mind for the outcome of the conference and the impact that it will have on the greater Ottawa community. According to Comstock, “TEDxTheGlebeWomen is about sparking a conversation right here in the nation’s capital; a conversation about equality, empowerment, and engagement.”
Behind the organization of the event is a “group of dedicated, passionate volunteers that are working hard to bring people—men, women, trans*—together to challenge assumptions,” she said.
The overall theme of the day is “tiny ripples,” said Comstock. “We believe strongly in the mustard seed that moved mountains, in the butterfly that flapped its wings and caused a tsunami.”
The speakers list for the conference was recently released and includes women such as Manjit Basi.
Andrea Hogue Reynolds is one of those speakers. She is participating in the event as an extracurricular to her day job as the mentoring coordinator for Carleton’s Student Experience Office.
Hogue Reynolds said that she hopes to “engage the audience in thinking about the many identities we all manage, and how to trust our own wisdom and be confident in what we can offer others and our communities.”
The event itself “evolved out of a desire in the group of women behind our title sponsor, Women’s Integration Network Inc., to spark a conversation right here in the Nation’s capital,” said Comstock.
When asked about why she got involved with the event, Hogue Reynolds said, “TEDxTheGlebeWomen is different than other TEDx events, as it is directly linked to the TEDWomen conference [in California]. This is such a wonderful opportunity to have rich conversations on issues around gender equality, to reflect on issues directly affecting women and other marginalized communities, and to absorb such great energy and inspiration from both the people in the room and internationally. Why wouldn’t you want to be involved in that?”
