Kendra Weenie, an award nominated author and inspirational speaker from Sweetgrass First Nation is being featured this year on International Women’s Day by the Government of Saskatchewan’s Status of Women Office.
March 8 marks International Women's Day and Weenie is one of three women being highlighted by the Status of Women Office as female leaders in the fields of advocacy, agriculture and sport in the province.
“International Women’s Day is a day to showcase the resilience and perseverance of women from across the world,” Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Office Laura Ross said. “This campaign provides an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the strong female leadership we have right here in our province.”
The theme for this year’s International Women's Day is “choose to challenge” which speaks to women who choose to challenge the status quo every day to make positive changes for themselves, other women and for their communities.
“Choose to challenge” was taken into account to highlight women of different ages and backgrounds who are change-makers in various fields of work in Saskatchewan.
To view a video featuring Kendra Weenie, visit the following youtube location:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTFY8x3Xrxc&list=PLnJrCcfEygaya4V2cW0A4dikaQH1ermC0&index=3
In the video Weenie shares her story about domestic violence, which she also shared in her book Surviving Domestic Violence:
“I tell people you don’t have to share, publicly share, what you went through, but that’s the number one thing that’s helped me,” Weenie said in the video. “Being open about what I went through, but at the same time making sure you are doing the healing work.”
The other women highlighted this year are:
- Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, a farmer, speaker, director and driving force in the Saskatchewan agriculture industry from Mossbank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE88YX6Nczk&list=PLnJrCcfEygaya4V2cW0A4dikaQH1ermC0&index=2
- Shelby Newkirk, an entrepreneur and internationally recognized para-swim athlete from Saskatoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO1lhW3R5-Y&list=PLnJrCcfEygaya4V2cW0A4dikaQH1ermC0&index=4
For more information on the Status of Women Office, visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/government-structure/boards-commissions-and-agencies/status-of-women-office.
