In the 50 year history of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, one thing we have always been interested in … is, well, history! Especially, the Council has been interested in women’s and diverse people’s place in history.
French-language project presenter Faith Brine told Alexia all about the origins of the Acadian flag.
It took until this year, our 50th anniversary year, to realize we should be sponsoring a prize for the annual Provincial Heritage Fair, to encourage youth to share our interest in under-represented themes, especially gender equality and PEI’s hidden heritage!
Last week, Council member Alexia Riche and Program Coordinator Michelle Jay acted as special prize judges at the Heritage Fair. (Council member Felicia Carey wanted very much to join them but was prevented at the last minute.) It was a fun morning hearing from PEI’s enthusiastic, heritage-loving youth. As special prize judges, Alexia and Michelle got to hear many enthusiastic youth’s presentations of what they learned for their heritage fair projects. Alexia is bilingual and loved hearing presentations in both French and English.
All participants in the 2025 Heritage Fair who focused their projects on hidden heritage or gender equality received a certificate of recognition and some stickers and pins.
One of the main reasons we got engaged with the Heritage Fair this year is our involvement in recent years with co-developing the Black Women’s History Project curriculum resources for use in PEI schools. This project was initiated by our past-Chairperson Debbie Langston, our first and only Black chair. Anyone with an interest in PEI history can also benefit from learning more about the hidden heritage of Black women here in Prince Edward Island.
Nicole Bootsma’s Heritage Fair project on Women’s Suffrage in Canada received our special prize for a project focused on hidden heritage.
Syrianna De Sousa’s Heritage Fair project on the impact of Ethel Catherwood for women in the Olympics won our special prize for a project focused on gender equality.
