Calgary sees healthy turnout for women’s health event

By Holly Shifrah

(AJNews) – Since 1911, March 8 has been observed by millions internationally as International Women’s Day (IWD). The first IWD was marked by labour and suffrage protests, issues which remained an important focus for many of the holiday’s early decades. Since the United Nations officially recognized and began promoting IWD in 1977, it has evolved into a day to focus on any number of women’s issues. This year, Jamie Keltz, the Emerging Gen Coordinator for the Calgary Jewish Federation, and Yanina Rabinovich, the Arts and Culture Manager for the Calgary Jewish Community Centre (JCC) utilized the occasion to highlight women’s health issues with an educational event, ElevateHER, featuring presentations from: Amy Bondar, nutritional therapist and mind-body eating coach; Corinne Langford, physiotherapist and pelvic floor specialist; and Debra Carnat MSW, yoga and meditation practitioner. The event, which was held at the Calgary JCC, kicked off with Havdalah, followed by presentations on healthy eating and pelvic floor health, and was capped off with a guided meditation session. Participants were seated at beautifully set tables filled with hors d’oeuvres, fruit, desserts, and wine; details that elevated what could have been a simple lecture event into a gathering that felt more like a girls’ night out.

There was a nice crowd of women in attendance representing all sorts of ages and life stages. When asked if the turnout was as expected Jamie Keltz said “We were really happy with the turnout! Our goal was to keep the event intimate to foster connection and allow participants to engage directly with the speakers. It ended up being the perfect ‘Goldilocks’ size—just right.” That goal was certainly achieved as evidenced by the attendees willingness to not only engage in friendly conversations with each other, but also to enthusiastically ask questions of the speakers.

Keltz and Rabinovich both expressed excitement for organizing more women’s health events moving forward. Says Keltz on the topic “We received fantastic feedback from attendees, and there seems to be a genuine interest in continuing the conversation.” This is good news for Jewish women in Calgary, and women throughout the city and province. As Keltz pointed out, women’s health is “a topic that isn’t often at the forefront of community conversations.” The negative consequences of that reality are especially apparent when it comes to pelvic floor health, one of the evening’s topics. According to the Alberta Women’s Health Foundation (AWHF), around 23% of women are affected by pelvic floor disorders. But because of taboos surrounding discussing pelvic floor issues, many women don’t know what’s normal (a problem Corinne Langford emphasized in her presentation). The AWHF, in their report “Surveying the Silence” based on the results of a survey of over 2,200 Albertans, says that “many individuals do not seek help due to the taboo and stigmatizing nature” of pelvic floor disorders. This is particularly troubling given that most women who do receive treatment find treatment effective. That means any number of women are suffering unnecessarily as a direct result of discomfort talking openly about pelvic floor health. So events like ElevateHER not only shine a light on under-discussed topics for the direct participants, but may help shift the needle on what’s culturally acceptable to talk about generally; a change which can only be to the benefit of women throughout our communities.

Keltz and Rabinovich both expressed a sense of gratitude for the success of the event, with Keltz commenting specifically on the “enthusiasm and support from the community.” One hopes that sense of gratitude is returned not merely by the attendees for an enjoyable and educational evening; nor just by the presenters for the opportunity to share their wisdom with an enthusiastic audience; but also by women throughout the community who will surely benefit from the impact that destigmatizing and highlighting women’s health issues will have. Keltz and Rabinovich truly made the most of IWD by organizing an event designed to have a lasting positive impact on the women they serve, an impact that is sure to ripple outward.

 

Holly Shifrah is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.