Women Transforming Cities Grand Tea Party Café

General Information

The advance Women Transforming Cities Dialogue Cafés focus on grassroots input and achievement: each café is opened by speakers briefly introducing the topic of discussion connected to identifying and creating The City We Need, and then the core of the event – the round table discussion – emerges as respectful, collaborative, and inclusive action.

At each event, there are several round tables, including one table provided with a translator for participants who are more comfortable speaking in one of the many languages spoken throughout the region and the country (depending on the neighbourhood, the additional language may be Cantonese, Spanish, Tagalog, Mandarin, French, or Persian, for example).

All participants are encouraged and supported to lend their experiences and expertise to the formulation of strong, action-orientated recommendations. The events close with a sharing of recommendations from each of the round table groups, statements of intent for moving forward with the goal to implement women and girl friendly cities. Reports from each of the advance cafés will be posted on the Women Transforming Cities website.  The previous advance cafes are:

1. Women Transforming Cities: Near and Far.
2. Women Transforming Cities: Making cities work for mothers.
3. Women Transforming Cities: Naming public spaces.
4. Women Transforming Cities: Women working the night shift.
5. Women Transforming Cities: Ending violence against women.

The voices of all the participants in the advance cafés and the Women Transforming Cities Grand Tea Party Café will be included in the final report and submission to the New Urban Agenda. The Women Transforming Cities Grand Tea Party Café will be a celebration and culmination of the advance cafés, and will include a presentation and discussion of recommendations/characteristics of a women- and girl-friendly city—The City We Need.

Moderators

Ellen Woodsworth, Chair of Women Transforming Cities International Society and former Vancouver City Councillor

Programme

• Aboriginal Opening
• Moderator’s introduction of the Urban Thinkers Campus initiative, The City We Need, the New Urban Agenda, and the Women Transforming Cities Dialogue Cafés
• Keynote speaker: Suzanne Doerge Executive Director of Cities for All Women Initiative (CAWI), Ottawa, Canada. Ms Doerge will present Advancing equity and inclusion: a guide for municipalities, created by five Canadian cities and five NGO’s and endorsed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
• Women Transforming Cities report on the recommendations - presentations from each of the advance cafés
• Summary of proceedings: Christine Nguyen, youth activist who works with municipal governments
• Entertainment: the “Raging Grannies” singing songs about cities, plus an urban youth group performance
• Interactive Displays: featuring images and recommendations from advance cafés, requesting input and commitment to actions from attendees
• Community engagement art project: Grand Tea Party Café participants will be invited to create flags with statements of action, issues and experiences. The flag project will be carried to all Women Transforming Cities events as a visual reminder and celebration of the voices we hear and the community of action that we are creating.
• Tea Party: refreshments & snacks

For more information, visit the Women Transforming Cities website.

*Keep up to date on this event and theme using the hashtag #UrbanThinkers on Twitter