G Day Vancouver 2018!

The Polygon Gallery – North Vancouver, BC

The 5th G Day Vancouver was held at the beautiful new Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver on Monday May 7th (a North Vancouver school district Pro D day)! Gratitude and blessings to all our volunteers and sponsors for making this magic possible!


 

G Day 2018 Presenters:

Vanessa Richards

Vanessa Richards, born in Vancouver, is an artist and community engagement facilitator. Her work focuses on creativity and participatory culture as central to civic and personal well-being. It explores the question, “What can life become when we turn more often toward each other than away from each other?” She is the founder and song leader for the Woodward’s Community Singers, a drop-in, no-cost, low-barrier choir, and director of Creative Together, a song based facilitation process. She volunteers on the City of Vancouver Black History Month Citizen’s Advisory and the Hogan’s Alley Working Group and has been a Big Sister. In May she began working with 312 Main, Vancouver’s new centre for Social and Economic Innovation as the Director of Community Engagement.

Saleema Noon

Saleema has been teaching in the field of sexual health, empowerment, assertiveness training, internet safety, healthy relationships, body image and self-esteem for many years. Step-mom to two teenaged girls, she is the creator of the popular iGirl and iGuy Empowerment Workshops for 9-12 year olds. Saleema’s work and expert opinions have been featured in Canadian LivingChatelaine and Today’s Parent magazines along with several other national publications and television outlets. She is the recipient of the Options For Sexual Health’s Educator of the Year Award. In 2011, Saleema also received the YWCA Vancouver’s Women of Distinction Connecting the Community Award and is a member of the Order of British Columbia. Her book for parents, Talk Sex Today, was released in September 2016 and the Saleema Noon Foundation was launched in 2018.

Anna Soole

iMatter Program Manager, iGirl Facilitator
Saleema Noon Sexual Health Educators

Anna was forever changed as a young girl when an experience taught her about the ways that girls are socialized to give their power away through their body language, tone of voice and sense of self worth. At that moment she decided it was her life purpose to share the assertiveness, media literacy and empowerment skills she had learned.

Today, with over 15 years of professional experience, she is a seasoned facilitator, certified assertiveness coach and experiential educator specializing in empowerment, sexuality, social justice, healthy relationships, body image and self-esteem. Anna is of Métis of the Cree, Ojibwe, Lakota First Nations, French, Celtic and German heritage, and is dedicated to creating a safe, diverse and inclusive environment in which to educate, energize and inspire. Her favorite thing to do in the entire world is facilitation that incorporates her love for theatre, art, music, nature, talking circles and people.

Tamara Cotton

Tamara is a Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant. She creates and officiates meaningful ceremonies for individuals and families, which include coming of age ceremonies for girls. She believes it is important that we honour our children and youth – that we be the village that surrounds them and holds space for the expected and unexpected transitions that they will undergo in life.

Ashley Wiles

Ashley Wiles is the Founder and Head Coach of Sole Girls, Youth Speaker, Life Coach, 3xIron(wo)man, Ironman 70.3 World Championship competitor, Girls in Sport Consultant and Mental Health Advocate! Ashley started running at 5 years old, and now competes around the world.

After seeing Amanda Todd’s video in 2012, she created Sole Girls, an organization with programs and activities for girls ages 5-7 and 8-12 to build their confidence, connect with mentors and combine that with a love for physical activity. Sole Girls has empowered over 3000 girls in the past 5 years and Ashley was named top 10 young entrepreneurs to watch in Vancouver by the Globe and Mail and top 5 motivators in Canada by Impact Magazine and recently the Most Inspiring Coach in North America by Brooks Running. She has spoken at TedxKidsBC, Rogers Arena, SheTalks as well as schools in Canada and abroad! Sole Girls was named top 5 small businesses in BC with a Community Impact by Small Business BC.

Alix Dunham

Alix Dunham is the leader of North Vancouver’s Pink Petal Ballet where she has taught 200+ girls a week for the last 17 years. She saw a need for Girls with Grit after witnessing her own kids’ generation struggle with anxiety-related issues and recognizing that these kids need some tools to help make it through. Her strength is being able to talk to girls as peers and have open and frank discussions with them about what is happening in their lives. Her background in teaching, yoga and parenting gives her a unique skill-set to make the program inclusive, educational and lots of fun.

Theresa Tree Walsh G Day Vancouver Oct 2015 Presenter
Theresa "Tree" Walsh

Tree is a mover, shaker and groover who has been a teacher, leader and facilitator of dance for over 19 years. Her mission is to inspire people of all ages to live more joyfully by encouraging them to enthusiastically express their essence through movement.

Patrice Mousseau

Patrice Mousseau had a successful career as radio and television host, news anchor, and journalist. She became a conscious entrepreneur when her daughter developed eczema and needed help.

Now, Patrice is the owner/creator of Satya Organics Inc., providing NPN approved, certified USDA organic products to serve those with skin conditions, who those want a legitimate alternative to steroid products.

Patrice is also a single Mom and a member of the Fort William First Nation.

Tsitsayxemaat

Tsitsayxemaat, Rebecca Duncan, is of Squamish and Musqueam descent of the Coast Salish Peoples. Rebecca has devoted her life to preserve the Squamish Language, Salish weaving and Cultural teachings that have been handed down to her from her late Papa and his Papa and so on and so on since the beginning of time.

Rebecca specializes in cultural activities including Language Games (TPR), Traditional Song & Dance, Traditional Cooking, Weaving, Traditional Health & Wellness, Indigenous History and Storytelling.

Rebecca has performed worldwide promoting Language and Culture, representing Coast Salish people and practicing protocols with Song and Dance sharing history with storytelling and weaving workshops to empower our people.

No matter where you are from, it is so important to know your history, your culture, and your ties to the land. U Siyam.

Elisa Lee
Elisa Lee is the founder of Fire & Flower, a rite of passage program for girls 12-14 to transition into young womanhood through mentorship, ceremony and nature connection (fireandflower.wordpress.com). After experiencing a life-changing women’s initiation in 2012, she completed a master’s degree in Environmental Education specializing in women’s rites of passage. Elisa has been promoting people’s personal development in collaboration with nature for the past 15 years and is a specialist teacher in wilderness education, a self-care facilitator, and a gender empowerment guide. She draws on teachings from Joanna Macy, Animas Valley Institute, The School of Lost Borders, The Haven, Nonviolent Communication, and her personal sacred experiences in the wild.
Michelle Wilson

Since her daughter – Tru Wilson – came out as transgender at the age of 9, Michelle Wilson has become an avid advocate for trans rights. Michelle and her husband Garfield filed a human rights complaint against the semi-private catholic school their children were attending, when the school refused to support their daughter’s transition. Two years later the complaint resulted in the first-known policy in North America that supported gender identity and expression in a Catholic school. Since then, Michelle and her family continue to speak publicly about their story and the importance of supporting your children.

Event Information

Registration opens: 9:15AM

Drop off / registration: 9:15AM-9:45AM

Program hours for Girls: 9:45AM-4:00PM

Pick up time: 4:00PM-4:30PM

Parking and Pick Up/Drop Of Information

The Polygon Gallery is located at the bottom of Lonsdale Avenue, between the Tap & Barrel and Lonsdale Quay, 300 meters east of the North Vancouver Seabus Terminal.

The Polygon’s main entrance is on the east side of the building, opposite the Tap & Barrel.

Parking information

Pay parking is available at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier (138 Victory Ship Way, North Vancouver, BC V7L 0A7) , a very short walk from the Polygon. Purchase a day rate pass for $25 (far cheaper than paying hourly) at the dispenser in the hotel lobby.

Unless you do not plan to join us for the full program, DO NOT PARK at the Lonsdale Quay, ICBC or IGA lots as these are limited to 3 hours.

Pick up/drop off information

Volunteers will be available outside the main entrance to escort girls to the event venue.

Public Transportation information

The most convenient way to visit The Polygon from downtown Vancouver is via the SeaBus, a 12-minute ride to the North Shore waterfront and steps away from The Polygon Gallery.

The North Vancouver bus loop is also conveniently located adjacent to The Polygon at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue. translink.ca

Accessibility Information

G Day is committed to creating an accessible day of celebration and empowerment to all Girls and their Adults. If you have specific accessibility requirements not mentioned below or have any questions, please contact our Program Coordinator at alysha@gday.world.

ASL

ASL will be made available upon request – please email alysha@gday.world to request ASL before Monday May 7th.

Mobility Access

The Polygon is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator, wheelchair accessible washrooms and baby changing facilities on both floors.

Assistance dogs are welcome. A water bowl is available on request.

Some of G Day’s programming will involve movement and dance — we encourage all Girls and Adults to participate however they are able, free of judgement.

Bathrooms are accessible for wheelchairs and scooters.

Bathrooms

Single stall, gender-inclusive bathrooms

Seat Design

In the Adults’ Program, adults will be provided with individual chairs. In the Girls’ Program, girls will be seated on the floor on their own pillow (we will have extras). Please note that G Day’s programming will involve some movement/standing activities.

Scent

G Day is a scent-reduced space; please refrain from wearing scented products while attending our event. Please note that this venue does not have a permanent scent-free policy in place.

What Attendees Need to Bring/Wear:
  • A nut-free, nutritious lunch that does not require heating
  • A comfortable pillow or floor cushion that she can sit on
  • Comfortable shoes and clothing (we will be dancing and doing yoga)
  • Optional: personal snacks. While G Day will be providing a variety of morning and afternoon snacks in a nut-free environment, girls are welcome to bring special snacks that work for them.
  • A refillable water bottle
Terms and Conditions

By purchasing a ticket, I acknowledge that:

(1) Registration opens at 9:00am. Program begins at 9:45am sharp. Please allow at least 20 minutes for registration.

(2) The child I am registering is between the ages of 10 and 12, or born in 2005 – 2007.

(3) Girls are required to remain on site from 9:45am to 3:00pm; G Day and its agents assume no responsibility should my child leave the site without permission.

(4) In the event that a Girl is injured, ill, or in need of medical attention and I am unable to be contacted, I authorize G Day to seek medical attention on my behalf.

(5) I am aware of the expectation for G Day participants to respect the emotional and physical safety of other participants. Parents or guardians will be informed if Girls’ behaviour does not reflect this standard. Any participant who puts the safety of others at risk may be asked to withdraw from the event without refund.

(6) G Day and its partners and sponsors are held harmless from any liability resulting from Girls’ participation in the event.

(7) I will arrange safe travel for my child to and from G Day, and acknowledge that the providers of this event are not responsible for my child outside of the specified start and end times of the event.

(8) I am aware that there exists an element of personal risk and/or damage and/or injury in the activities, and willingly agree to assume responsibility for those risks as a condition of registering for the event.

(9) Tickets are non-refundable, but can be transferred.

Our Community Partner

In-Kind Sponsors

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Founding Sponsors

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