HeForShe at UofG

Take a stand for gender equality.
Featuring the Rt. Hon Adrienne Clarkson, Canada’s 26th Governor General 

The virtual event will celebrate gender equality initiatives of the U of G campus community and a keynote presentation from Canada’s 26th Governor General the Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson. 

Madame Clarkson will discuss her story of resilience through her various life experiences, education and career to demonstrate that resilience is about developing the mental, spiritual and emotional muscles to deal with all that life throws at you.  

“Resilience is all about having the ability to form and re-form your own particular sets of talents and abilities to meet new challenges. And meeting new challenges throughout your life is what resilience is all about!​​" - The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson

Attendees will hear a keynote address from Madame Clarkson as well as recognition of the HeForShe Resilience award, Ally Award and Impact Award which celebrates the gender equality initiatives of a business within the Guelph/Wellington area.

About the HeForShe initiative
HeForShe is a solidarity campaign for the advancement of gender equality, initiated by UN. Its goal is to achieve equality by encouraging all genders to partake as agents of change and take action against negative stereotypes and behaviours. HeForShe is not only an invitation for men, but for people of all gender identities to stand in solidarity with marginalized genders to create a bold, visible and united force for gender equality.  

The UofG HeForShe movement supports $12,500 in scholarships that recognize students who embody the vision of the HeForShe movement and transcend what it means to be a resilient leader. The HeForShe Resilience Award celebrates a female engineering and business student at UofG who has shown tremendous resilience through adversity. The HeForShe Ally Award recognizes students who have demonstrated, through their actions, that they are an ally and committed to gender equality.

About Rt. Hon Adrienne Clarkson: 
The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson arrived in Canada from Hong Kong with her family in 1942 and made the astonishing journey from penniless child refugee to accomplished broadcaster, journalist, and distinguished public servant in a multi-faceted lifetime. Madame Clarkson was Canada’s 26th Governor General from 1999-2005. When she left Rideau Hall, she co-founded the Institute for Canadian Citizenship which helps new citizens to feel involved and included in Canadian life. The ICC hosts annual 6 Degrees events — a global forum on citizenship, immigration, inclusion, and diversity in the 21st century – across many cities including Toronto, Mexico City, Berlin, Montreal and Calgary. 

Madame Clarkson is the bestselling author of the 2014 CBC Massey Lectures Belonging: The Paradox of Citizenship; Room for All of Us: Surprising Stories of Loss and Transformation; Heart Matters: A Memoir; and Extraordinary Canadians: Norman Bethune a biography of Dr. Norman Bethune.