The competition
In a few words
Voices of Olympia Canada (VOOC) is a Canadian registered charity dedicated to empowering girls and developing their leadership through global citizenship learning and community engagement.
Through its annual juried school competition and related activities, VOOC provides High School girls with a space to learn, reflect, build argument, and make their voices heard on major issues affecting women and girls worlwide.
Grounded in human rights, gender equality, and social justice, our approach encourages girls to put their acquired knowledge to work and act as agents of change, connecting global issues to the realities local communities and contributing to a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable society.
Knowledge is not an end in itself; it is the starting point for responsible action.
Goal
The Voices of Olympia Canada School Competition promotes an understanding of the intersectionality of the challenges facing women and girls. It enables participants to exercise critical thinking and ethical judgement and transform their knowledge into actions that can catalyze positive change.
By bringing the major issues discussed at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) into a Canadian context, the competition invites participants to draw on evidence to understand a contemporary issue, while considering its impact on the realities and needs of local communities.
Supported by mentors and working collaboratively in teams, participants develop their ability to:
Analyze and understand a global issue within a Canadian context by researching and evaluating different sources of information and perspectives;
Identify the realities and needs of affected communities to ground their analysis in a concrete context;
Design realistic solutions with the potential to drive positive change and present the rationale for their proposals in a structured, evidence-informed research paper;
Move from reflection to action by developing a project or initiative capable of making a positive impact in their community;
Communicate and advocate for their ideas with rigour, creativity, and conviction before diverse audiences.
Theme
The Voices of Olympia Canada school competition transposes into Canadian context, the priority theme that is discussed at the UN Commission on the Status of women (UN-CSW) session, which is held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, during the month of March each year. In addition, each competition theme aligns with the Sustainable Goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030, primarily:
Objective 1: No poverty
Objectif 3: Good health and well being
Objective 4: Quality Education
Objective 5: Gender Equality
Objective 13: Climate action
These themes are compatible with broad Canadian initiatives, mainly:
Canada’s policy on Gender equality,
Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy,
Canada’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security,
Canada’s Climate Plan.
Project milestone
Fall: Official launch of the competition
Fall - Winter: Selected participants work on their projects
Early spring : Evaluation by the Jury Late
Spring: Award Ceremony
*Exact dates to be determined after consulting with participants.
Scholarships
Scholarships are awarded to the best four projects:
1st Prize: $ 2 500
2nd Prize: $ 2 000
3rd Prize : $ 1 500
4th Prize: $ 1 000
Each participant is honoured with a certificate attesting to the community hours involved in the competition.