R. D. Parker Collegiate teamed up with various organizations and women throughout Thompson to put on a Young Women's Conference on Nov. 18 at the high school, with a focus on careers in the skilled trades and technology industry.
The high school joined forces with Vale Inco, Skills Canada Manitoba, Calm Air, the University College of the North (UCN), Smook Contractors, Hayes Autobody and Glass, the Province of Manitoba and Manitoba Hydro to make the conference a reality for approximately 100 Grade 9 students from Thompson and surrounding areas. Committee members who worked on organizing the conference include Tracy Hanson and Louise Gaslard from R. D. Parker Collegiate; Penny Byer from Vale Inco; Michelle Logeot from UCN; Kristy Prystay with Manitoba Hydro; and Maria Pacella and Lori Royal with Skills Canada Manitoba.
The one-day conference featured women acting as mentors to the students from throughout the community. These mentors included women who worked in various positions for Vale Inco, Calm Air, Manitoba Hydro, Thompson Fire and Emergency Services, the School District of Mystery Lake, Manitoba Conservation, UCN, Smook Brothers and Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation.
The young women who attended the conference got to take part in icebreaker games, listen to a guest speaker and ask questions, learn more about a senior year apprentice option, take part in a discussion panel and take in team building presentations and more.
Bonny Sousa, a Grade 8 teacher at Deerwood Elementary School in Thompson, was the event's guest speaker. She was born and raised in Thompson and graduated with honours from R. D. Parker Collegiate, then going on to attend the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where she studied within the arts and science program. She also worked as an animal control officer and cruelty investigator for the Saskatoon Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) before returning to Thompson as a teacher.
"I was just honoured [to be asked to speak]. I get to teach kids in Grade 8 and then they leave, but I was honoured that I could influence or have a chance to influence some young women, to empower them and make them understand that there are a lot of choices out there for them," Sousa says. "I think it's even more important for young girls to see women that came from their own community or came from a community like Thompson."
Pacella says that many of the girls who took part in the conference showed an interest in a career in skilled trades and technology once they learned more about both fields.
