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THE MISS G PROJECT for equity in education

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MISS G'S STATEMENT ON BILL 13

We believe this to be a very important moment for public education in Ontario. With the introduction of the ACCEPTING SCHOOLS ACT (BILL 13), critical questions have been raised about who has access to safe spaces in schools, and who is included as part of the "public" in public education. READ THE FULL STATEMENT

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UPDATE ON THE ONTARIO GENDER STUDIES COURSE

The Gender Studies course, along with the rest of the revised Social Sciences curriculum, has been stalled in the editing process within the Ministry of Education since late 2010, meaning that Gender Studies will not be offered in schools until at least 2013. You can help make sure Gender Studies makes it to classrooms by writing to Minister of Education Laurel Broten and your MPP to let them know why Gender Studies in high schools still urgently matters! MORE INFO

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MISS G'S PAST CAMPAIGNS

From the Ladies Luncheon to the No More Miss Nice G Campaign - a look back at some of the steps we've taken since 2005 to get Gender Studies in Ontario schools. MORE

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RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Lesson plans, units and other resources for teachers looking to teach Gender Studies or simply to bring more gender-focused materials into your classroom. MORE

The Miss G Project for Equity in Education is a grassroots young feminist organization working to combat all forms of oppression in and through education, including sexism, homophobia, racism, classism and ableism.Dedicated to feminist anti-oppression politics with a strong focus on education, our mandate is to provide young people, - especially young women, transgender, and gender non-conforming youth - with the opportunities, support, and resources necessary to analyze and influence issues that affect their lives and futures. This includes acting as a community resource and mounting political actions towards the ongoing improvement of publicly funded education to meet its own policy commitments to equity in education, respect for diversity, critical thinking, and the provision of a safe and secure environment.MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT

SINCE 2005, OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE HAS BEEN TO GET A GENDER STUDIES COURSE INTO THE ONTARIO SECONDARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that analyzes gender and its inherent intersections with class, race, ability, sexual identity, and location. It recognizes how women of diverse backgrounds have been made invisible through the different and interacting oppressions of traditional education curricula and attempts to uncover their stories across various disciplines.

MORE ABOUT GENDER STUDIES

ABOUT THE PROJECT

ABOUT THE PROJECT OUR MANDATEThe Miss G Project for Equity in Education is a grassroots young feminist organization working to combat all forms of oppression in and through education, including sexism, homophobia, racism, classism and ableism.Dedicated to feminist anti-oppression politics with a strong focus on education, our mandate is to provide young people, - especially young women, transgender, and gender non-conforming youth - with the opportunities, support, and resources necessary to analyze and influence issues that affect their lives and futures. This includes acting as a community resource and mounting political actions towards the ongoing improvement of publicly funded education to meet its own policy commitments to equity in education, respect for diversity, critical thinking, and the provision of a safe and secure environment.ABOUT THE PROJECTThe Miss G project began in January 2005 as the somewhat naive dream of a few students at the University of Western Ontario. Kickin' around a dorm room, listening to tunes, and talking about high school experiences, it occurred to them that they had never encountered an introduction to studies of gender, its intersections with class, race, ability and sexual identity, and its implications in their high school education. Nor did they see women's perspectives and experiences represented or included in the curriculum as anything more substantial than a tokenistic sidebar in a textbook.They decided that they were learning in university Women's & Gender Studies classes and in their experiences of activism was eye-opening and life-changing and should have a place at the high school level. They named the Project for the unidentified "Miss G" and began distributing a one-page photocopied demand for an introductory Gender Studies course in the Ontario Secondary School curriculum.A lot of work has already been done in the past 40 years of feminist research and activism in the area of education. There is groundwork and research that supports the inclusion of Gender Studies in secondary school curriculum. The goal of the Miss G Project has been to raise the level of public awareness and institutional action around the issue so that these knowledges can begin to make a difference in the lives of today's youth. Today, the Miss G Project has grown into a province-wide movement for equity in education. In 2008, The Ministry of Education committed to offering Gender Studies as part of the new (revised) Social Sciences and Humanities curriculum and since then we have been consulting with the Ministry in the writing, piloting and revision of the course. (See WRITE TO YOUR MPP for more info on the current status of the course.) At different times there have been Miss G Chapters in 10 cities across the province. The Project also works to support the efforts of teachers and education professionals to create Locally Developed Courses (LDCs) and to include Gender Studies materials in their classes (see TEACHERS RESOURCES), and offers gender and activism workshops for secondary and post-secondary students and organizations (see BRING MISS G TO YOU).

WHY GENDER STUDIES WHY GENDER STUDIES?Gender Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that analyzes gender and its inherent intersections with class, race, ability, sexual identity, and location. It recognizes how women of diverse backgrounds have been made invisible through the different and interacting oppressions of traditional education curricula and attempts to uncover their stories across various disciplines. It also offers critical analysis of gender constructions and gender roles and relations and aims to sharpen students' critical awareness of how gender operates in institutional and cultural contexts in their own lives. As a field of study, Gender Studies (and closely related disciplines like Women's Studies and Sexuality Studies), grew at the university level in the mid-20th century as the result of feminist and racial and sexual justice education activism. The history of these movements is deeply related to the availability of these knowledges in education and yet these are also movements whose histories are typically made invisible in traditional curricula. By making visible these histories of resistance to injustice, Gender Studies also gives students the tools and opportunities to participate in and author social change in their lives and communities.Topics of study in a Gender Studies class at the secondary school level might include:- Learning/unlearning gender: what is gender?- What is sexism? What is equality? Do we have it?- Discussions on sexual difference, social constructions of femininity and masculinity, homophobia, heterosexism, heteronormativity, and sexual diversity including homosexual, transgender and intersex identities- Self-image, healthy body image, healthy relationships, sex and sexuality- Violence against women- Media literacy- Work and histories of women in the workplace, pay-equity, women and poverty- Law and legal issues affecting women around the world- Families, marriage, reproductive rights- Health care, children- Women in the global economy, social policy- GLBTQ social and legal issues (with a focus on Canadian institutions)- Activism and citizenship- What are(n't) we teaching/learning in literature, history, and other classes? - What is feminism?- Examinations of how classism, racism, heterosexism, ableism and other oppresions interact with sexism- History of feminisms (including Western feminisms, Black feminisms, womanism, Islamic feminisms, other non-Western womens movements, lesbian feminisms, eco-feminism...) and other social justice movements- Canadian feminist icons – significance of these histories for women today- Future possibilities for social justice movement(s)?Shannon Mills, a teacher at Parry Sound High School in Parry Sound, ON, designed and developed an innovative Womens Studies course under the provinces Interdisciplinary Studies curriculum and taught it to a group of lucky high school students in from 2005 to 2008. In this excerpt from an article she wrote for the OSSTF Update, Mills reflects on the progress of the course and her students' reactions."A semester of surfing the Third Wave of feminism alongside a diverse mix of adolescents - some timidly dipping their toes in the water, others eager to dive full force into the most challenging breakers - has served to strengthen my personal belief that a Womens Studies course is essential for today's teens. At a time when young women are bombarded with pornographic messages gone mainstream, in a society where raunch culture is cited as the new feminism, in a decade when even prominent feminists recognize that the womens movement is experiencing a dangerous backlash, it is more important than ever to provide students with a curriculum which equips them with a sense of integrity, entitlement, and empowerment. . . "I know all too well the frustration of attempting to establish a balanced gender perspective in the classroom, having revised my senior-level history course repeatedly over the last five years. It disappoints me to realize that the high school curriculum continues to reflect what one of my professors aptly termed the add-women-and-stir methodology. Womens issues are still relegated to the sidebars of textbooks; womens concerns continue to be presented as tangential topics within the bulk of the core curriculum. In my classroom, despite my best efforts, Michelangelo still eclipses Gentileschi, Napoleon continues to trump Wollstonecraft."An entire semester devoted to the study of issues affecting women historically, politically, and globally gives teachers the rare chance to dig deeply into topics which the traditional curriculum only grazes. The design and delivery of a womens studies course for high school students has been both an exhausting and exhilarating opportunity for me. To hear my students reaffirm the belief that it should have an important place in high school leaves me hopeful that other teachers will join The Miss G project in its quest to make womens studies a reality in the Ontario curriculum."(Originally published in the OSSTF Update Vol. 33 No. 7, February 15, 2006.)The following is an account from Paulette, one of Ms. Mills's students, in which she reflects on the course:"I would recommend the women's studies course to other students because the course opened my eyes about what important events women had roles in during history, which is not usually mentioned in our ordinary History textbooks. It also focused on contemporary issues that are present in our society that not everyone notices at the first glance. Women's studies allowed us to learn about the influence of women in history, as well as let us know that the world is no longer a male dominated place. Women have rights, and they earned them."The course allowed us to have fun, but also to discuss serious events and issues in class, and we were able to address women that made a difference. I had many great times in the course. I would have to say that some of my favourite times in that class were the discussions, presentations/projects where we could dress up, learning about media influence, the white ribbon campaign and the final exam, where we were able to create a dinner party."My perspective of feminism has strengthened since taking the course, and I notice many more events and things that that I would not have before taking the course. People now see me in the hall and ask how the course was, and what we were planning to do next for the course. They seem to want to know what is going to happen to the course, since I have been so involved in advertising it. I have become a feminist."The course has definitely changed my life outside of school. I especially notice it in advertisements and television. I was never really one to analyze commercials and certain advertisements but since the course, I have to say that I drive my family crazy sometimes when certain commercials appear on television. It has also influenced me in school, because I feel more involved, less shy, and I also analyze things that happen in the school with couples. In my school work, I have been doing many projects about strong women, and what the world would be like if it was female dominated, like it was male dominated quite recently."Please tell these people that it would be a bonus to allow other schools, teachers and students the opportunity to take the course, and offer it in Ontario. I think that many people will benefit from taking this course in many ways, and I will do whatever I can, to make this dream, a reality." - PauletteYour turn: why do we need Gender Studies in high schools? (be sure to tell your MPP, too!)

THE STORY OF MISS G THE STORY OF MISS GIn 1873, Dr. Edward H. Clarke of Harvard Medical School wrote in Sex in Education: or, A Fair Chance for the Girls (available online at Project Gutenberg) of a certain "Miss G" who was a top student "leading the male and female youth alike" at a time when women were just beginning to push the boundaries holding them from higher education. Unfortunately, Miss G died.Dr. Clarke, a respected Doctor and Man of Science, explained with the accepted "Conservation of Energy" theory that Miss G died because "she was unable to make a good brain, that could stand the wear and tear of life, and a good reproductive system that should serve the race, at the same time that she was continuously spending her force in intellectual labor." Following in a whole line of theories (some that get rehashed even today) on how women are, by nature, ill-equipped to be included in education, Dr. Clarke wrote: "And so Miss G died, not because she had mastered the wasps of Aristophanes and Mecanique Celeste, not because she had made the acquaintance of Kant and Kelliker, and ventured to explore the anatomy of flowers and the secrets of chemistry, but because, while pursuing these studies, while doing all this work, she steadily ignored her woman's make. Believing that woman can do what man can, for she held that faith, she strove with noble but ignorant bravery to compass man's intellectual attainment in a man's way, and died in the effort."Before we go any further, we should point out that there were doctors who wrote against the faulty theories of Dr. Clarke, and these resisters should be acknowledged. In 1874, physicians and educators wrote a reply to Clarke entitled Sex and Education: A Reply to Dr. E.H. Clarke (available online at Archive.org), edited by poet and activist Julia Ward Howe. Another strong critic of Clarke's work was a fabulous doctor, Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi, who also happened to be a woman. In an influential 1877 paper titled The Question of Rest for Women during Mensturation (available online at Archive.org), Dr. Jacobi refuted the supposed physical limitations that were used as justifcation to holding women back from taking an expanded role in society, education and the professions. The paper was awarded the Boylston Prize at Harvard University.We stumbled across the mysterious Miss G in a Women's Studies syllabus in 2005 and named the Project for this righteous intellectual whose real identity is "lost to history." By reclaiming her from the Dr. Clarkes of the world and repositioning Miss G as the feminist educational pioneer she was, through our own activism and education we aim to ensure that her story and the stories of others like her do not go unrecognized.

PAST CAMPAIGNS PAST CAMPAIGNS & EVENTSMISS G POSTCARD CAMPAIGN (2005-2008)Our first campaign came in the form of boxes and boxes full of postcards addressed to the Ministry of Education. Miss G's face was on the front and on the back, "We need Women's Studies in Ontario's curriculum because..." with a space where supporters could fill in their own reasons. Postcards were distributed through Miss G's growing networks across the province and were filled out and mailed in by secondary and post-secondary students, teachers, professors, activists, parents, union leaders and many others. Anecdotes ranged from academic/political to deeply personal and everything in between. Memorable lines included "because I learn what it is to be a woman from Seventeen magazine" and "because pepper spray won't solve the problem." Postcards continued to be printed, signed and ushered across the desk of several different Ministers of Education over the next four years.QUEEN'S PARK GALLERY DAY (DECEMBER 2005)Despite having to reschedule once because of a snowstorm, the Miss G crew made it to Toronto for our first visit to the legislature at Queen's Park, where we sat in the gallery and were introduced to the House during question period. (When we were introduced, one MPP-who-shall-remain-nameless quipped, "what is that, a beauty pageant?") Afterwards, we were granted a meeting with then-Minister of Education Gerard Kennedy at which we were able to demand that Gender Studies be included in the curriculum and discuss why it's so important. Minister Kennedy invited the Project to present a proposal. "THE NEW GIRLS CLUB" LADIES LUNCHEON (MARCH 2006)With the help of the offices of Sandra Pupatello (Lib, then-Minister Responsible for Women's Issues) and Deb Matthews (then Pupatello's Parliamentary Assistant), we lunched at Queen's Park (in a room lined with the yellowing photos of old, white men) with the Ladies Who Lunch, including about 80 Miss G supporters and 14 female provincial representatives. Attendees included representatives from all of our chapters across Ontario, and from the OSSTF, OECTA, the CLC, the CAW, the YWCA, and the Canadian Society of Energy Professionals. We were also graced by students from Shannon Mills' Women's Studies class from Parry Sound High School, along with students and teachers from London and Toronto. Finally, some Grand Matriarchs also made the scene, including Kathleen Wynne (Lib-MPP), Dr. Rebecca Coulter (UWO), the Cheri DiNovo (NDP-MPP), Ms. H. Marie Smibert (the first woman chair of an Ontario school board), and activist and writer Judy Rebick. We also got the chance to bump elbows with our old friend Gerard Kennedy, following Question Period. Was it simply an excuse to spoof beauty pageants and play croquet in front of Queen's Park? In many ways, yes. But much more than that, it was our answer to the Old Boys Club, something we got a very intimate view of when we sat in parliament after the luncheon (where we were again introduced to the House by Andrea Horwath and Deb Matthews). The Old Boys Club operates on a daily basis: in the guys' locker room, strip clubs, and on the golf-course thereby keeping women out science classes, the boardroom, and the house of representatives. We've got a lot of beef with that most exclusive and elusive of clubs, but rather than 'man-up' and try to bust into the club-house, we think we should be busting down the barriers instead (did someone say curriculum?). Why learn to play golf, we ask, when croquet is so much more fun? So, that's exactly what we did (we were told by the grounds-keepers at QP that it was the strangest request they'd ever received), donning bluestockings and beauty-queen-type sashes that read "Miss Educated." Media coverage of this event helped us reach a wider audience than we had ever before up until this point.The New Girls Club was also a shout-out to the "Old Girls" the many brave and remarkable women who came before us, the reason we've all made it this far. These women knew a thing or two about sisterhood, affecting political change, and throwing a powerful party. If we do say so ourselves, this shindig was one party they'd have been proud of.THE FEMINIST READ-IN (JUNE 2006) What's a Read-In you ask? It was a day to both celebrate our foremothers and their achievements and to draw attention to the disservice our current education system does them; a day to show what we want to see in education -- feminist and queer-positive literature, and women's histories. It was the fabulous, feminist, education-focused, all-ages, geek-chic, refined but riotous, irreverent-to-the-bone Woodstock of our times. As it turns out, not much reading got done on the lawn of Queen's Park that day between the sometimes ruckus, sometimes gorgeous performances by musicians Jill Barber, Karyn Ellis, Elena Juatco, and the fine femmes of the Whoremoans, as well as the poetic brilliance of Tanis Rideout, Angela Rawlings, award-winning Emma Donaghue, and legendary dub pioneer Lillian Allen. We were also honoured by readings from the matriarch of matriarchs Judy Rebick, who even led us in a cheer from her days demanding choice on Parliament Hill. And, as if it couldn't get more fabulous, MPPs Deb Matthews, Kathleen Wynne, and the (then) Education Minister Sandra Pupatello herself came down to perform readings from their favourite feminist authors. The day also featured Revolutionary Face-Painting, a Stitch'n'Bitch knitting circle, and -- of course -- badminton and croquet on the lawn, cooled by lemonade in the shade. Miss G supporters from London to Ottawa made it to Toronto for the big day, and we were featured that week in NOW Toronto, the Toronto Star, and a number of online zines and blogs. "RETURN TO FEMINIST ISLAND" CHAPTERS CONFERENCE (AUGUST 2006) Members of Miss G's chapters got together near Peterborough, ON in the rustic beauty of nature to reconnect, bond, meet new friends, and to brainstorm, strategize, and reassess the project's approach. CHAPTERS CONFERENCE (NOVEMBER 2006) About 30 Project members attended the conference at which we delved further into reassessing the Project's approach and devised new strategies for not only working with the Ministry but also for continuing to foster our grassroots activist work and supporting locally-developed gender studies courses that were popping up all over the province. FEMINIST POWER COCKTAIL HOUR (NOVEMBER 2006)The Ottawa Miss G chapter put together a stylish shindig winning friends, funds, and media attention, Inspired by the glam annual event hosted by the Women's Future Fund. The theme of the event was the "f-word": what it means to you and how you live/negotiate it daily. Guests speakers included Jeremy Dias (Founder of Jer's Vision), Jaime Koebel (Metis woman artist & community activist), and Keisha Williams (Programming Coordinator/Workshop Facilitator of Agitate: A Visibly Network for Queer Women of Colour in Ottawa). DAY OF REMEMBRANCE (DECEMBER 2006) Queen's Park had aready become a prime Miss G travel destination, and on December 6, as part of our campaign to honour the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Montreal Massacre (the day Canadians remember all victims of gender-related violence), we stood in the galleries once again, this time solemnly. The idea: to remind the government that gender-violence continues and that the key to prevention of gender-violence means targeting our educational institutions. We wanted MPPs to not just 'remember' the Montreal Massacre and its continuing implications, but to honour those victims and the day by promising their support for the project. NDP representative Andrea Horwath and Cheri DiNovo, as well as and Liz Witmer (PC), reiterated their support and delivered strong tributes to the cause during question period. Then-Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne joined us in the gallery. She was joined by Sandra Pupatello, who introduced members of the project to the premier, Dalton McGuinty. Tickled as we were to have Dalton's ear (and secretly entertaining the thought of him just declaring Gender Studies for all, right then and there), we were even more excited by Kathleen's promise to meet with the steering committee to get this show really, seriously, institutionally on the road. "CREATING A REPRESENTATIVE EDUCATION" TEACHERS CONFERENCE (APRIL 2007)Presented by the Miss G Project and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), this conference was a day of discussion with a variety of educators and education professionals on representative education: what it is, why we need it, and how we can create the changes necessary to provide it. Speakers included Shannon Mills, who taught a locally developed Women's & Gender studies in Parry Sound, and Paula Bourne, chair of the Women's Studies department at OISE. The conference was a huge success and facilitated the discussion and sharing of tips and techniques for creating inclusive, dynamic and diverse classrooms.MISS G CONDEMNS UWO'S "RAPE SPOOF" (APRIL 2007)The Miss G Project mobilized its reach and networks when The Gazette, the daily campus newspaper at the University of Western Ontario published a super-offensive article as part of its annual Spoof Issue. The article depicted the London police chief (who is explicitly named) dragging a prominent campus feminist (depicted under an obvious pseudonym) into an alley to rape her to "teach [her] a lesson." The campaign received international media attention and got official apologies from the UWO administration, students council and The Gazette. In the process, Miss G and our allies got the word out that rape is never funny and that this article was simply the latest and most publicly violent example of the larger "chilly climate" for women at UWO. [READ MISS G'S INITIAL STATEMENTS HERE AND HERE]DYKE MARCH 2007 (JUNE 2007)The Miss G crew marched with pride in the Pride Toronto Dyke March.FEMINISM IN PUBLIC PLACES CAMPAIGN (SUMMER/FALL 2007)The motivation behind The Miss G Project has always been about getting feminism out of the dark halls and ivory towers of academia and into other places where it's really needed. High school is one of those places, because education without feminism is like a tool-box without a monkey-wrench (something's clearly missing, and you'll never dismantle the master's house without it). But education doesn't only happen in classrooms - it happens everywhere we are socialized and form our ideas and identities. So we started scheming to get access to Gender Studies in all kinds of places in the community. We want feminism everywhere we can get it - community centres, youth clubs, libraries, YM/WCAs. In short, your back-yard (figuratively... and literally). If you've ever stumbled upon a place in your community and thought "this is okay, but some feminism would make it better," we wanted to hear about it. Our vision: arranging community Gender Studies classes taught by experienced profs, high school teachers and activists in all the places you live and learn. We dream big, but unfortunately this campaign didn't take off the way we'd hoped it would. However it still holds a warm and fuzzy place in our hearts, so if you're interested in getting feminism in public places and want our help, contact us right now! HIGH SCHOOL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (SUMMER 2007)Miss G hired three truly fabulous youth interns to help out with the Project, learn the ins and outs of feminist activism and how the Project works, and hang with us at our Toronto office for the summer. NO MORE MISS NICE G CAMPAIGN (FEBRUARY 2008) Read Sarah's low-down of this ultra-successful Valentine's Day postcard and phone-in campaign at section15.FEMINIST POWER COCKTAIL HOUR 2 (MARCH 2008)The Ottawa Miss G chapter reprised this event with another fine evening of fundraising and postcard signing. The event also featured musical performances by Tanya Janca, Gianna Lauren, Kim Sunstrum and Marie-Josee Houle. STORIES BEHIND THE STATS: STUDENTS TALK SAFETY AND EQUITY IN EDUCATION" - HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SUMMIT (APRIL 2008)The Miss G Project, the YWCA and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) brought high-school aged young women and trans-identified youth from across the province to participate in a discussion with then-Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne on the subject of safety and equity in education. The group was kept small (about 20 students) and media was not invited to attend so that students could feel comfortable honestly and opening sharing with each other (in the morning) and then with the Minister (in the afternoon). This forum was a powerful setting for students to discuss the public education system, to critique it from a gender/race/sexuality/ability/class-conscious perspective, to collect ideas for improvement, and to consider what works and why. The object was then to create a space for dialogue between the main decision-maker at the top of the education system and students who are the main stakeholders in that system. AN EVENING WITH JESSICA VALENTI (JUNE 2008)Miss G hosted Feministing.com founder Jessica Valenti for an evening of cocktails and feminism. Valenti read from her book He's a Stud, She's a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know. The evening also featured a riveting panel discussion featuring women's health organizer Sarah Wolf, Canadian feminist superstar Jessica Yee and members of the Miss G Project.MISS G'S BOOK CLUB (FALL 2009)For a few months, the Miss G crew set to play Oprah and hit the books by picking a book a month that we consider a "feminist must-read." Selections included Judy Rebick's Transforming Power: From the Personal to the Political, Andrea Smith's Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide, Jessica Valenti's The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity is Hurting Young Women, and Angela Davis's Autobiography. We'd hoped to facilitate online discussions on these and more great reads, but this didn't really take off. (If you'd like to help us resurrect this project, get in touch with us!)GIRLS CHAT ROOM CONFERENCE (OCTOBER 2009) Presented by The Miss G Project and the YWCA, this conference provided about 200 young girls in grades 7 and 8 space to discuss relationship violence. The day was split into two parts with the first part featuring speakers talking about violence in relationships. For the second part of the day students broke off into small working groups facilitated by YWCA and Miss G members where girls could discuss the issues and share personal stories.MISS G JOINS THE COALITION TO OPPOSE QUEBEC'S BILL 94 (MAY 2010) If passed, Bill 94 would deny women who wear the niqab (or face veil) access to fundamental public services such as health care, day care, legal clinics, and education. As a feminist organization dedicated to equity in education, we are particularly concerned that Bill 94 aims to bar niqab- wearing women from accessing publicly-funded schools, colleges and universities -- as students and employees. To us, equity in education is not congruent with the denial of public education to some women because the government has decided it is going to play an intrusive and coercive real-life game of What Not to Wear in our personal wardrobes. [READ THE FULL STATEMENT]

PHOTO GALLERY

LADIES LUNCHEON
LADIES LUNCHEON
LADIES LUNCHEON
LADIES LUNCHEON
THE FEMINIST READ-IN
THE FEMINIST READ-IN
Infosession at UWO
DYKE MARCH
AN EVE WITH JESSICA VALENTI
HIGH SCHOOL WORKSHOP
V-DAY CAMPAIGN POSTCARD
A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 5 YEARS

THE STEERING COMMITTEE THE STEERING COMMITTEE

About
Sarah Ghabrial
Sheetal Rawal
Dilani Mohan
Lara Shkordoff

About

Since its inception, The Miss G Project has been directed by a collective of co-founders that has come to be known as the Steering Committee. Though we all perform different functions in the group based on our individual skills, interests and backgrounds, we have found the most success using anti-oppressive principles of collective decision-making. Click the names or photos above to learn more about each member of the Steering Committee.

There are also many, many people who play or have played crucial leadership and supporting roles in the success of The Miss G Project, particularly in locally-based activisms through Miss G Chapters at schools and in communities across Ontario.

Sarah Ghabrial

SARAH GHABRIAL sarah_themissgproject.org

Coming soon

Sheetal Rawal

SHEETAL RAWAL sheetal_themissgproject.org

Sheetal is a co-founder of the Miss G Project. After dabbling in graduate studies in English and Women's Studies by completing a Master's degree in English Literature at the University of Toronto, Sheetal is building her revolutionary toolbox by giving the legal world a try. Having earned a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School, Sheetal will be articling at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in the fall. Sheetal draws from queer anti-racist feminist thought in developing her activist methodology, and is hopeful that one day every time she moves, she will make an anti-oppressive woman's movement.

Dilani Mohan

DILANI MOHAN dilani_themissgproject.org

Dilani is a co-founder and coordinator of finances for The Miss G Project. She holds degrees in business, common law, and civil law, but her academic interests focus on nationalisms, self-determination, immigration, and human rights generally from a critical race and feminist perspective. A Tamil-Canadian, Dilani was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka but has also lived in Zambia and France. Dilani also advocates for the rights of Sri Lanka's Tamils and other displaced persons. She is fluent in both Tamil and French and is a former karate brown-belt holder and a Bharathanatya dancer.

Lara Shkordoff

LARA SHKORDOFF lara_themissgproject.org

Lara is a co-founder of the Miss G Project. She holds a degree in Information and Media Studies from the University of Western Ontario and is currently studying law in the United States. She hails from Newcastle, ON and enjoys bike riding, listening to 112, and watching New York Undercover marathons. She approaches feminism from a Sheetal/Ghabes/Dilani/Laurel perspective, believes strongly in the power of community, and in connecting the local with the global. Lara asks a lot of questions and can often be found eating other people's food.

Laurel Mitchell

LAUREL MITCHELL laurel_themissgproject.org

Laurel is a writer and activist who has been a Steering Committee member of the Miss G Project since 2005. She holds a B.A. in Literature and an M.A. from the Centre for the Study of Theory & Criticism at the University of Western Ontario. Her Master's research focused on queer women's representation in visual culture including film, television, fashion, and activist media. Drawing on a background in publishing and graphic design, Laurel manages communications for the Miss G Project including website design and maintenance. She lives in Toronto, where she is sustained by Canadian literature, pop music, sex-positive/anti-racist feminist and queer theory, and her family and community.

SUPPORTERS SUPPORTERSPeople and organizations we love and who love us back: Apathy is BoringAQSAZineAssociation for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) Confederation of Canadian Unions Egale CanadaDisabled Women's Network Canada (DAWN)Huron University CollegeLiterature for Life FoundationOntario English Catholic Teachers Association Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation Center for Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) , Center for Women's Studies in EducationNo One Is Illegal TorontoRebELLEs Shameless MagazineToronto Newsgirls Boxing ClubToronto Urban Alliance on Race RelationsToronto Women's BookstoreTrent University Women's Centre University of Western Ontario Women's Caucus Violence Against Women Services Elgin County, St. Thomas Women's Future FundWomen's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)YWCACONTACT US about link exchange.

ABOUT THE PROJECT
WHY GENDER STUDIES
THE STORY OF MISS G
PAST CAMPAIGNS
THE STEERING COMMITTEE
SUPPORTERS

GET INVOLVED

WRITE TO YOUR MPP WRITE TO YOUR MPPMPPs (Members of Provincial Parliament) are your representatives in government, and keeping them aware of what's important to you is one of the basics of democratic political engagement. Rumour has it that one letter is worth a thousand opinions, because most people don't write to their political representatives.In 2008, The Ministry of Education announced that Gender Studies would be included in the new Ontario Secondary School Social Sciences curriculum. The course has been developed, piloted and revised and was slated to hit classrooms for back to school 2011. However, since late 2010, the Social Sciences curriculum has been stalled in the Ministry's editing process, meaning that Gender Studies was not offered in September 2011 as originally promised and now will not be offered until 2013 at the earliest.You can help make sure Gender Studies makes it to classrooms by writing to your MPP to let her or him know why Gender Studies in high schools still urgently matters! You haven't written or called in so long - s/he misses you and would love to hear from you! FIND YOUR MPP'S CONTACT INFOOR SEARCH USING POSTAL CODEWhile you're at it, please let Really Important Mover and Shaker, the Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Women's Issues Laurel Broten know that you're a big fan of the Miss G Project and getting Gender Studies into Ontario high schools:The Honourable Laurel Broten Minister of EducationMinistry of EducationMowat Block, 22nd Flr, 900 Bay StToronto, ON M7A 1L21-800-387-5514 (TTY 1-800-263-2892)lbroten.mpp.co_liberal.ola.org

TEACHERS RESOURCES

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IN THE MEANTIME, RESOURCES CAN STILL BE FOUND ON OUR OLD WEBSITE AT

http://www.themissgproject.org/teachers/

BRING MISS G TO YOU BRING MISS G TO YOUThe Miss G team is available to give workshops and presentations to secondary and post-secondary classes, campus or after-school groups, and at conferences, community gatherings and other events. Consider this an open invitation: an invitation for you to invite us over! Together with our allies we have presented workshops on: gender and the media gender and education (within and beyond the classroom) feminism and activism/feminist activism gender and hip hop masculinity and feminism gender and religious communities women and the law We can also accommodate other presentation requests so feel free to ask us about any ideas that may be rolling around in your head. CONTACT US to make arrangements!

PROVINCIAL ELECTION PROVINCIAL ELECTION - OCTOBER 6, 2011It's that time again! The time of year when engaged members of the public turn their thoughts to voting. That's right - it's provincial election season.As always, Miss G cares about many issues in this election. But we are especially concerned with education policy and safety, equity, and accessibility for all students. This includes assuring the implementation of a Gender Studies course into the Ontario high school curriculum.We want to encourage all our partners and supporters to vote, vote, vote! Vote with your hearts and your smarts. To make that a bit easier here are some handy links.THE MAJOR PARTIES ON EDUCATION:LIB: http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/NewsBlog/NewsDetails.aspx?id=Education+Is+WorkingNDP: http://ontariondp.com/en/tag/educationPC: http://www.ontariopc.com/issues/education/THE MAJOR PARTIES' PLATFORMS: LIB: http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/OurPlan/Platform.aspxNDP: http://ontariondp.com/en/policyPC: http://www.ontariopc.com/issues/YWCA'S QUESTIONS ON WOMEN'S ISSUES + RESPONSES FROM THE PARTIEShttp://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2011/03/c8651.htmlHOW TO VOTE - FROM ELECTIONS ONTARIOhttp://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/how-to-vote.aspxIf you're in a riding where you believe that strategic voting can help make the world a better place, check out this article on the most competitive ridings: http://rabble.ca/news/2011/09/ontario-election-most-competitive-ridings.Also, for those of us who are under 18 or don't have Canadian citizen status, voting is not the only way to get involved and be heard. You can make a huge difference by raising awareness on issues that matter and encouraging friends and family to educate themselves ahead of the polls.Remember, with this election shaping up to be super close, your vote will have an impact on many important issues (including the future of the provincial Gender Studies course!).

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