Armella Sonntag, animator for Development and Peace, gave a brief presentation to several women at the International Woman’s Day Event held at the Chapel Gallery in North Battleford.
She says to be influential we must act out of who we are. In the course of her job, which involves travelling, speaking and facilitating workshops, Sonntag says she has developed attitudes that help her.
She says she has learned to be open to evolving as a person and to be open to the wisdom and experience of those around her. We are not indispensable and we need to learn to recognize that, she adds.
While engaging in activities that will hopefully have a positive influence, Sonntag says to keep the following strategies in mind: passion and beliefs drive one's actions; we are never alone; teamwork provides checks and balances; leadership roles must include local leaders; animate others by providing practical experiences for them; recognize the work that needs to be done, and set priorities; say what you need to say and no more; and experiences lead to various methods of learning.
Marcella Pedersen, National Farmers Union Women’s Advisory Chair for Saskatchewan, who organized the event, thanked the Status of Women for the grant received to host the gathering.
Pedersen recalled her influence in the early years of the NFU when a resolution she brought forward, calling for childcare be available at conventions, was passed. She stated that if the NFU was truly a family-orientated organization and wanted young women involved, childcare was a necessity.
Today her influence involves organizing women’s meetings to talk about the difference between food safety, food security and food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is where the farmer decides what he will grow and the consumer decides what they will eat, not corporations telling us what we will grow and eat.
As for food safety, Pedersen commented that GM canola oil is not safe when it gives her eczema. She commented about the correlation between the use of glyphosate and many of our diseases today, information she obtained from retired researcher, Dr. Thierry Vrain’s presentation.
Rachelle Ternier, NFU Youth Advisory Chair for Saskatchewan, talked about being true to oneself and living one’s convictions. Teamwork can be both exciting and terrifying, but in her farm work she can be influential in the community by conveying to people the value of seed diversity, she says.
It’s importance to our food system, she says, and she is encouraging people to grow, save and share their own seed.
Other comments from the women attending:
• Girls need to be affirmed in their culture, true to self and passionate about what they do.
• Another woman didn’t want to be perceived as being influential as that would mean she would have to step out of her comfort zone — fearing criticism or acceptance.
• “In preaching the gospel, if you must, use words.”
• Respect people despite their ignorance. She had not been sexually abused, but still felt shaken getting out of her situation, so realized that one must learn to be sensitive towards people who had been.
• Women were influential in succeeding in getting government assistance services for the deaf in their communities, discouraging a nuclear facility from being developed in their area and actively encouraging government to initiate an inquiry into missing and murdered women.
• Those attending realized the “power of one” can accomplish much and we are not alone. Though most of the women attending were introverts, they felt empowered by one another.
