905-522-0127 fax 905-522-7220
womenscentre@on.aibn.com
International
Women’s Day was first marked in 1911 in many countries to protest women’s
working conditions. In 1977, the United Nations invited all member states to
designate a day as International Women’s Day and today, in most countries around
the world, it is celebrated on March 8.
The
Women’s Centre of Hamilton, On.
This year, the Women’s Centre of Hamilton is celebrating International
Women’s Day 2007 by hosting Seeds of Hope- an
interactive project that connects women support centres around the world.
We
would like to invite your centre to participate in the Seeds of Hope
project and join us in our
effort to create recognition and celebration to honor this day of historical
significance and to provide a voice for women’s ongoing endeavors for equity and
freedom everywhere.
The
Seeds of Hope project involves
creating gardens throughout our city comprised of horticultural seeds donated
from women support centres and groups from around the world. The Gardens of Hope, as they are named,
will commemorate the day and represent the solidarity of women and our ability
for growth, renewal, and peace. The gardens will also serve as a means of
educational outreach-bringing knowledge of our centre to the public by getting
our name and location at gardens sites in public places where people
gather.
A
second component of our project is to create a booklet of International Women’s Day Stories.
Participating countries will be invited to share a brief description of the
types of celebrations, if any, that take place in their country. The descriptions will be collated
into a booklet that will be deposited at the garden site centres, and displayed
on the day of celebration. A copy will also be given to each of the
participating centres- in recognition and gratitude of their partnership on the
project and as documentation of our international
collectiveness.
On March 8,
2007 our Centre will be celebrating International Women’s Day at an art gallery
in our city-unveiling the gardens, the booklet and acknowledging the
participating Women’s Centres.
Seeds of
Hope represents a significant endeavor
towards cooperative global action for women. We envision the Seeds of Hope project extending itself
outwards so that in 2008 other nations might embark on sister Seeds of Hope projects in their own
country, for which our centre would provide mentorship.
If
your centre is interested in participating in the Seeds of Hope 2007 project please e-mail our
Centre as soon as possible stating:
” Yes we are interested in participating in Seeds of Hope 2007 Project.”
Please include your Full mailing address and contact
info.
Our Centre
will follow up with interested participants and our certified horticulturist
will request a packet of seeds specific to your region and safe to our
eco-environment.
We thank you for your time, and we look forward to our correspondence with you. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at kellyhilton74@hotmail.com or 905 522-8513
Our
strength is in one voice.
Sincerely,
Kelly Hilton
Project Coordinator