The theme of Women’s Worlds 2011 is “Inclusions, exclusions, and seclusions: Living in a globalized world”. Why? Where globalization and women are concerned, provocative questions abound:

• Does globalization include, exclude, and/or seclude women?
• As global hierarchies realign, how are gender roles and identities evolving?
• How are social identifications like power, privilege, citizenship, and nation affected?

Ours is an increasingly integrated world – one where boundaries are shifting under growing flows of capital, goods, power … and people. Who and where we are as individuals and communities becomes less clear within this contemporary, globalized context.

Around the world, women are grappling with changing political, cultural, economic, social, and environmental realities. And the effects of numerous crises – be they economic, ecological, or health-related – intensify obstacles to women’s equality.

Globalization has contributed to the destabilization and marginalization of women and communities. Yet certain consequences have yielded positive results for women. Globalization has meant enhanced communications and organizing – trans-national connectivity that must be deepened as women’s organizations and networks struggle to sustain themselves and maintain resilience in the face of forces that oppose women's equality.

Women’s Worlds 2011 will be a place for the exploration of these complex matters through reflection, learning, and sharing a variety of ideas and experiences – especially those of women most deeply affected.

2010 BC Rural Communities Summit Registration Open - Registration is now open for the 6th BC Rural Communities Summit, to be held March 16-18, 2010, in Port Hardy, BC.  This biennial event is hosted in 2010 by the District of Port Hardy, in partnership with the BC Rural Network and the Canadian Rural Partnership.

Entitled Transforming Rural Economies: Change and Innovation, the Rural
Summit will bring together community leaders and representatives of rural organizations from across the province, who come together to discuss ways to coordinate their efforts to improve networking, exchange information and build the capacity of rural communities in BC.

More than 25 workshops and presentations will provide new skills, explore the experiences, and share the lessons learned by rural and remote communities across BC. Topics include rural community economic development, integrated community sustainability planning, building aboriginal relationships, rural workforce development, tourism, leadership, healthy living and much more. Go to www.bcruralsummit.ca for a full list of Summit workshop titles and activities A limited number of travel bursaries are available on a first-come, first-served basis to rural residents and representatives of rural organizations who would otherwise not be able to  attend.