Tuesday, 29 November 2022
Zonta International hosted a one-day online summit to share how as a society we can come together and say NO to violence against women and girls. Attendees heard live guest speakers, participate in an interactive workshop and leave with life-changing actions they can take. Together, we can make the world safer for women and girls now and in future generations.
Keynote Speaker: Meera Vijayann
9 – 10 AM CST
Meera Vijayann is a writer and essayist focusing on health and gender issues. Her writing is shaped by the decade she spent as a development professional and journalist examining sexual violence in India and has appeared in Catapult, Entropy, Electric Literature, and the Guardian, among others. Her essay about how immigration laws separated her from her family won the Medium Writer’s Challenge Finalist Prize in 2021. Her TED talk on finding a voice against gender violence encouraged millions of survivors of sexual abuse around the world to speak up. Since then, she has also talked at the National Assembly of Wales, the United Nations Foundation, and on college campuses in the US and Canada. She is currently working on her debut novel as a Hugo House Fellow in Seattle.
Taking Your Zonta Says NO Action to the Next Level (Session 1)
1 – 2:30 PM CST
This workshop will feature the following four clubs:
- Zonta Club of Accra, Ghana
- Zonta clubs in Bulgaria
- Zonta Club of Essex County, USA
- Zonta Club of Montevideo, Uruguay
Young Voices for Change
4 – 5 PM CST
This panel discussion with recipients of our education awards will feature:
Lena Kalandjian
USA, 2022 Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Awardee
Lena Kalandjian co-founded and acted as co-president of the Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise club at her high school. She oversaw nine officers and more than 100 members from grades 3-12 who organized violence prevention initiatives through creative and original youth-led approaches, collaborated with community organizers to participate in the Sandy Hook Promise’s national call-to-action programs, organized community-wide events, trained more than 2,500 students on Sandy Hook Promise’s Know the Signs violence prevention programs, and produced a podcast episode about how to foster a more inclusive school community.
Lena also served in multiple roles, including the executive president, in her student government. A Sandy Hook Promise National Youth Advisory Board member, Lena was one of 10 students selected to represent and sustain more than 3,400 SAVE Promise clubs. Lena was also part of the Broward League of Women Voters, an intern for a Florida state representative, and a congressional youth cabinet member for a U.S. representative.
Now a first-year student and Chancellor’s Scholar at Vanderbilt University, Lena is majoring in human and organizational development while pursuing minors in Chinese language and culture and business. As a member of various business organizations at Vanderbilt, Lena plans to explore how she can continue making social impacts through her passion for business, non-profit work, and social enterprise.
Liliana Savage Pinto
Mexico, 2021 Women in Technology Scholar
Liliana is a civic tech researcher specializing in designing medical and assistive technology for governments and citizens in the Global South. She has conducted interview and survey studies to understand how governments, NGOs and citizens collaborate to build technology (e.g., 3D printed asssitive hands). She then uses this knowledge to design innovative tech and solutions that empower citizens and governments to better collaborate and build their desired societies.
Taking Your Zonta Says NO Action to the Next Level (Session 2)
8 – 9:30 PM CST
This workshop will feature the following clubs:
- Zonta Club of Ilocos Norte, Philippines
- Saint Michael’s College of Laguna Golden Z and Z Clubs, Philippines
- Zonta Club of Tauranga, New Zealand
*Not including fees.
All proceeds, less fees, go to the Zonta Foundation for Women International Service Fund to support global initiatives to address gender-based violence. Members who participate will have this donation count toward their Every Member Every November Zonta Foundation for Women giving total.
Join us in saying NO 