Champlain Women’s Empowerment Symposium Set for April 3

“Being Brave” with Keynote Alexia Vernon, Student Panelists, and Muslim Girls Making Change

Burlington, VT (03/17/2017) — The Champlain College Women’s Empowerment Initiative’s Spring Symposium will be held on April 3. A series of events will be held throughout the day to celebrate the 2017 theme -- “Being Brave: Cultivating Our Courage and Confidence.”

The third annual Spring Symposium will bring together members of the Champlain College faculty, staff, students, alumni and community for learning and engaged discussion. Events are open to the public.  

The day will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a breakfast in the Morgan Room of Aiken Hall to recognize “Champions at Champlain” who have made a difference for women-identified people in the community.

This year’s keynote speaker is Alexia Vernon, founder and President of Influencer Academy, a women’s leadership development program. Vernon was branded a “Moxie Maven” by the White House Office of Public Engagement for her unique approach to developing rising female leaders. She is a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and is the author of “90 Days, 90 Ways: Onboard Young Professionals to Peak Performance.” She will speak at 12:30 p.m., in Argosy Gym in the IDX Student Life Center.

Following Vernon’s keynote, at 2:15 p.m., an all-student panel discussion will explore “The Many Faces of Feminism” in Argosy Gymnasium. The panel will talk about how they embody (or choose not to embody) feminism and what they see for the future of feminism. Members of the panel are: moderator Emily Rice, '17, and panelists Bryn Bachmann '19, Dylan Cullen, '17, Morandah Garrett, '17, Absa Samba, '20, and Sue Te, '19.

Afternoon hands-on workshops, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. will include:

• Self Defense for Women by Women (limited to 20, led by The Safety Team)
• Mansplaining by Dan & Luke: Men as Allies (led by Luke Lewis and Dan O'Hara)
• Speak Up & Negotiate Your Worth (led by WEI keynote Alexia Vernon)
• Using Entertainment to Change Public Opinion (led by Population Media Center)

All workshops will run for two hours. Space is limited; pre-registration is appreciated.

And finally, to top off the day, a Poetry Slam in the Champlain Room of the Center for Communication and Creative Media will feature the award-winning slam poetry team Muslim Girls Making Change. Students, faculty and staff participation in the poetry slam is encouraged!

Muslim Girls Making Change (MGMC) is a youth-led group created by Hawa Adam, Kiran Waqar, Lena Ginawi, and Balkisa Abdikadir. They are dedicated to social justice through poetry. Tired of having their voices shut out or ignored by an older generation, they turned to slam poetry to be heard and to make a change. Since forming these girls have competed at international levels, done shows all around Vermont, and have made real change. They have been featured on Vermont Public Radio and participated in the Women’s March on Montpelier in January.

The Women's Empowerment Initiative at Champlain College aims to cultivate confidence and courage by fostering the achievements of women. Through the Initiative, we strive to empower current and future leaders and to provide learning, networking, and recognition opportunities for students, staff and faculty.

Since 2015 the WEI has included a spring Symposium focused on Women's Empowerment, including a panel discussion, recognition event and keynote speaker. Learn more about the program

About Champlain College:

Founded in 1878, Champlain College is a small, not-for-profit, private college in Burlington, Vermont, with additional campuses in Montreal, Quebec and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain offers a traditional undergraduate experience from its beautiful campus overlooking Lake Champlain and more than 60 online undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificates. Champlain's distinctive career-driven approach to higher education embodies the notion that true learning occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain College is included in the Princeton Review's The Best 381 Colleges: 2017 Edition. Champlain College is featured in the "Fiske Guide to Colleges" for 2017 as one of the "best and most interesting schools" in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Champlain was named one of the “Most Innovative Schools” in the North by the U.S. News and World Report’s 2017 “America’s Best Colleges and #91 in the overall list of “Best Regional Universities in the North. For more information, visit www.champlain.edu.

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