UPDATE: September 2020:
The Jean Collective will be holding its long delayed panel discussion Thursday, September 24 at 7 p.m.
https://twitter.com/JeanCollective/status/1303862831188709377
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Sunday, March 8 is International Women's Day, and a group in Sarnia-Lambton is working to get more females elected across the county.
The Jean Collective, founded earlier this year, is an education and training initiative aimed at increasing female representation in local politics through a series of monthly meetings.
Founder Helen Cole said the challenge is that many women feel they don't have enough knowledge or experience to consider election to office.
Cole said they're hoping to change that perception by giving women confidence.
"One of the things we think is that women didn't receive enough support during the last, especially, municipal election, so we hope we can make some changes in that way, plus provide some education and support," she said. "We are underrepresented, but we also feel that there is a very important by-product that could come out of this, and that is education of how the system works."
Cole said in Canada, women make up over 50 per cent of the population but hold only 18 per cent of mayoral positions and 28 per cent of councillor seats -- these percentages are even lower in Sarnia-Lambton.
Cole said women bring a lot to the table.
"We collaborate and generally we make people feel valued, and our emphasis is most often on networks and leadership sharing."
Cole served almost nine years on St. Thomas City Council before moving to Sarnia. She said it's an experience like no other.
"How can I describe it? There is nothing like the local connection you get from the people that have elected you."
Helen Cole (left) and Jean Macdougall at Cole's wedding in 1998.
The group is named after the late Jean Macdougall, a Port Stanley resident Cole met during her first year on St. Thomas City Council. Cole said Macdougall had an amazing influence on her life, and that she's proud to try and carry that influence forward.
For more information about The Jean Collective, click here.
