Upcoming Events
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Projects & Events
On May 22, 2025, we gathered together at Mount Saint Vincent University for an unforgettable day of empowerment, learning, and inspiration. This signature event has empowered and inspired thousands of Nova Scotian girls aged 13-18 for more than a decade.
This year’s theme, Better Together, focused on empowering girls through fostering collaboration, community, and cooperation. We believe that through community engagement, we can create lasting change and inspire a new generation of leaders. We excitedly welcomed Larissa Crawford, a published Indigenous, anti-racism, and climate justice researcher, policy advisor, and founder of Future Ancestors Services as our keynote speaker. Alongside the keynote, students participated in 15 workshops and interactive sessions led by accomplished facilitators and professionals from diverse fields.
Check out the program below:
Girls Conference 2025: Better Together Program
A Herstory of Consent Activism Across Canadian University Campuses
In partnership with the Women’s Studies Student Society
March 26, 2025
12:00pm – 1:30pm
MSVU Seton Faculty Lounge (SAC 402/409)
Women & Gender Studies Graduate Student Conference: Transnational Feminism
March 10, 2025
12:00pm – 4:30pm
Seton 407/409
Indigenous Feminisms & Sexualities
Presenters: Liza Hines, Miranda Rizsanyi, Justice Thompson-Snow
Moderated by Dr. Bernadette Russo
April 3, 2025
12:00pm – 1:00pm
McCain 201B & via Teams
A Gendered Politics of Location and Labour
Presenters: Dr. Ian Tian and Adebola Osegboun
February 26th, 2025
12:00pm-1:00pm
McCain 201B and Teams
Dr. Ian Tian
Project: Pleasure Production: Surviving Love and Labour in China’s Fast Fashion. Dr. Tian will be presenting his work on his current book project.
Dr. Ian Liujia Tian is an Assistant Professor of Global Equity Studies in the Department of Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Their research focuses broadly on the political economy of gender and sexuality in transnational contexts. They situate their research in queer Marxism, queer/trans of color critique, transnational feminism, and Asian Canadian/Asian studies.
Adebola Osegboun, AMI Fellow
Project: Problematizing the Institutionalization of Women Empowerment in Nigeria: The Role of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in Sustainable Development. Adebola will be presenting her work on her Master’s thesis.
Adebola Esther Osegboun is the 2024 Fellow of the Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender and Social Justice at Mount Saint Vincent University. She is also a master’s student in Women and Gender Studies and a recipient of Dr. Ramona Lumpkin and Dr. William Blackburn Scholarship, Women & Gender Studies Graduate Scholarship, and Julie Ann Carroll Memorial Graduate Studies Scholarship Awards. She was born and raised in Nigeria, a country where social injustice, gender inequality and women’s rights violation remain pervasive. She holds both master’s and bachelor’s degrees in political science. Her research and teaching background in political science coupled with her volunteering experience with NGOs that focus on women empowerment initiatives informed her interest women and gender studies. Adebola’s research centres around feminist critique of Nigeria’s public policies and how this affects women participation and representation in electoral politics.
Prenatal Education
Presenters: Dr. Shannan Grant and Megan Gray, PhD Candidate
January 22nd, 2025
1:30pm-2:30pm
McCain 201B and Teams
Project: Prenatal education provide learners with knowledge and skills to support healthy pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in virtual prenatal education has been observed. In Nova Scotia this trend pre-dated the pandemic, with prenatal education classes being replaced with an online education in 2014-18, and has received mixed reviews from the public. Megan and Shannan will present an overview of the work they have done to explore this phenomenon, through interdisciplinary and inter-professional collaboration and education.
Megan Gray, PhD Candidate
Megan is a Registered Dietitian, MSc AHN graduate from Mount Saint Vincent University, and current PhD in Health student at Dalhousie University. Through Megan’s academic journey she developed an interest in Women’s health, specifically pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum. She is passionate about advancing research and promoting evidence-based practices to support maternal and infant health.
Dr. Shannan Grant
Shannan Grant, RD, MSc, PhD, is a Registered Dietitian, Associate Professor, and Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University. She is an Affiliate Scientist at IWK Health, and Co-Founder/ Co-Chair of the Women’s Health Communication Community of Practice, which you will learn more about at this talk. For more, see her AMI bio here: Dr. Shannan Grant Biography
Social Media & Social Justice
Presenters: Alicia Guo MA Communications student and Dr. Tegan Zimmerman
November 27th, 2024
1:30pm-2:30pm
McCain 201B and Teams
Our Talk and Teas are an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to share either forthcoming research (e.g., a conference presentation) or post-research reports (e.g., a newly published article or book chapter) in the areas of women, gender, and social justice.
A conversation on each session’s theme will follow. Everyone is welcome to attend.
To learn more, check out our research page at Alexa McDonough Institute Research Group.
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Commemoration
December 6th, 2024
12:00pm-1:30pm
Art Gallery, MSVU
The Alexa McDonough Institute commemorated the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women with a critical conversation led by Dawn Ferris, Autumn House, and moderated by Meredith Ralston, Chair of Women’s Studies.
In memory of the 14 young women murdered at Polytechnique Montréal (1989).
Fall Women Writers Series
Presenters: Sue Goyette, Anna Quon, Claire Horn, and Sue Murtagh, as we well as original work by Asiah Sparks.
November 21st, 2024
7:00-8:30pm
MacDonald Reading Room, MSVU Library
This free, open to the public event was sponsored by the Alexa McDonough Institute, Mount Writing Centre, and MSVU Library.
Youth Poetry Competition
Guest Judges: Clare Goulet and Damini Awoyiga
Clare Goulet
Clare Goulet’s writing has appeared in The Fiddlehead, Grain, Room, & others. Her most recent book is Graphis scripta: writing lichen (2024).
Damini Awoyiga
Damini Awoyiga is a high school student. She is an activist, spoken word poet, and the former Halifax’s Youth Poet Laureate (2023-2024).
This competition was open to girls aged 9-17 and focuses on the theme “Girls’ Vision for the Future.” It is an excellent opportunity for young poets to express their hopes and dreams while competing for a chance to win prizes and have their work published.
Submission Details: 1 submission per person, maximum 40 lines
Submission Deadline: October 31st, 2024
Prizes: 1st Prize: $100, 2nd Prize: $50, 3rd Prize: $25
Opportunity: Winners are invited to read their poems at the Girls Conference on May 22, 2025, and the winning poem will be published in the AMI’s Working Papers in Atlantis.