Salient

Women’s Week

By Gabrielle Stewart | 17 Sep, 2007

Hi All!

Welcome to Women’s Week. Last week, Salient highlighted some of the issues faced by women today and showed why we need to celebrate our successes and question our shortcomings as women. This week, VUWSA is running Women’s Fest in conjunction with National Suffrage Week, where we celebrate the efforts of strong women before us. This is a great reminder to respect the memory of all women who have fought for our future. Enrol to vote (National, local or even student elections), join the women’s group or attend an event that VUWSA is hosting.

Tonight we have a panel discussion involving Lianne Dalziel, Minister for Women’s Affairs, Katrina Shanks, National List MP, Grace Millar from Rape Crisis, Phillipa from Wellington Women’s Refuge and Mary Jane Waru from Ngai Tahu. Our theme: “What women need to lead free and fulfilling lives”. This will prove an interesting forum with the opportunity to ask New Zealand’s influential women about their thoughts on relevant issues. We welcome all people interested: Meeting Room 1, 6pm. Snacks provided.

I personally am very excited about our D.VICE Fuck-a-Ware party on Tuesday night. Having been to a highly successful Tupperware party before, I’m expecting this to be very entertaining, great for a good laugh with the girls and a chance to expand my sexual understanding.

I know I’m not the only person during a drunken walk home from town to pop into a sex shop and laugh with friends, but I know this party provides an informed, fun and safe environment to learn about sex toys. This event is open to women of any sexuality, intersex and transsexual people. Snacks provided.

Friday night sees our ‘Women Who Want to Scare You Fest’. This promises to be a fun night celebrating local female musicians at Happy on Tory St. This is a fabulous opportunity to see a collaboration of local talent in one venue (and at a highly subsidised rate). Get a group together, come down to VUWSA to get your tickets, $7 students/$10 non-students. See you front row for Goodbye Galaxy, Punchbowl, Death Rattle and the Wind Ups. Remember to be safe and stay with your friends if you go into town afterwards!

Throughout the week we are running many workshops. Thursday in the Quad look out for various groups and leave your impression on our graffiti wall. Wednesday in the common room (Student Union building) we are hosting a parents and children’s tea party, designed to introduce parents of young children together in similar situations. Childcare can be hard to find, especially if you just need an hour to hand in an assignment or attend a class. Come along to meet other Vic student parents. Other events this week include zine making and stenciling which are both fun and challenging, and you get to use spray paint! I look forward to meeting many of you this week. Most of our events are open to everyone, so bring along whomever you would like. Most of our events (especially the guitar workshop and ‘Scare Fest’) are heavily subsidised for your benefit.