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The Gender Dialogues 2015 is an

inaugural conference series for Australian
school students in Victoria and the
Northern Territory. Designed to be fun,
engaging, informative and interactive
educational events, The Gender
Dialogues 2015 event series will create
conversations around gender literacy to
empower the next generation.
Chalk Circle is running this event series
with funding it received from an international
grant from the Obama Administration in
Washington D.C through the U.S Consulate
Melbourne. This grant, Initiative to support
Women and Girls in the Asia Pacific,
was awarded to fund support programs
for Australian schools. These evidencebase public health programs aim to raise
awareness around gender literacy, build
confidence amongst young people, advance
opportunity and to encourage greater
participation in community efforts
to promote gender equality.
In line with this initiative, the objectives of
this event series are to support Australian
schools in:
Opening a healthy, safe and evidence-based
discussion about gender literacy
Provoking critical thinking amongst students
on how issues of gender affect their everyday lives, and;
Giving students tools to feel empowered
when facing gender-role related issues
in their every day lives
Chalk Circle has devised this event series to
create accessible, inclusive, and informative
conversation forums that focus on engaging

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students with a relatable introduction

to gender literacy. To deliver this goal,
the Gender Dialogues 2015 will showcase
and facilitate:
An entertaining and informative Game Show
hosted by an Australian TV celebrity
- soon to be announced!
An interactive Gender Literacy workshop
An engaging expert panel discussion
hosted by renowned Australian journalist
Tracy Spicer (featured in the viral TedX
talk on women in the media)
A keynote speaker soon to be announced!
Chalk Circle has taken measures to ensure
the topics explored throughout the event
series will be approached in a sensitive
and appropriate manner with which the
students will engage. The event series
program is modelled on the Victorian
Government-funded evidence-based
Respectful Relationships Curriculum, as
well as the Australian Government-funded
National Safe Schools Framework. Chalk
Circles Research and Program Development
team of professionals has developed an
evidence based Notice, Feel, Think, Do
program model devised to create inclusive
and safe conversations that focus on
engaging students with an introduction to
gender literacy.
We look forward to coordinating with
Victorian and Northern Territory schools
for this flagship event series, and welcome
any enquiries which may be directed to
the Program Director Mebh Loughnane
at ceo@chalkcircle.org
For more information or to register for this
event, please visit chalkcircle.org/events

CHALK CIRCLE HAS DEVISED

THIS EVENT SERIES
TO C R E AT E A CC E S S I B L E ,
I N C L U S I V E , A N D I N F O R M AT I V E
C O N V E R S AT I O N F O R U M S
T H AT F O C U S O N E N G A G I N G
STUDENTS WITH A
R E L ATA B L E I N T R O D U C T I O N
TO GENDER LITERACY.

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Event details

Ticketing Information

Below you will find the more specific details of our event.

Ticketing prices include full day registration, a show bag, as well as morning tea and lunch.
This event is for Victorian school students in Years 7-10 only.

Event Title

The Gender Dialogues 2015

Date

Tuesday 1st September 2015

Audience

Victorian School Students in Years 7-10

Registration opens

9:30 AM

Start and end time

10 AM - 2PM

Organisers

Chalk Circle The Gender Literacy Foundation

Supporters

Consulate General of the United States of America

Victorian Womens Trust
RMIT University Bachelor of Arts (International Studies) Program

Individual Registration

$15 per individual registration for students

Package 1

Two leaders from each Year Level from Years 7-10

$75 for 8 Students
+ 1 complimentary Teacher

Package 2

Group of School Leader Representatives

$180 for 20 Students
+ 1 complimentary Teacher

Package 3

Class Excursion
$250 for 1 Class of Students (max 30 students)
+ 2 complimentary Teachers

Scholarships

We are pleased to announce that we have been provided with a grant

by the U.S Consulate Melbourne to subsidise a quota of scholarship
tickets to ensure students dont miss out.
Given enhanced transportation costs, support for schools and students
outside Melbourne Metropolitan area can be provided.
Some support for schools and students facing budgetary barriers is
also available on application.

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Event content

Expert panel discussion

Our event contains four main parts explained in detail below.

This component is designed to help students feel inspired by role models and recognise
parallels between their own daily experiences of gender socialisation and that of the role
models experiences and advice.

Entertaining and informative gameshow

This introduction activity will be hosted by an Australian TV Celebrity Journalist who will
present evidence-based information regarding gender, gender socialisation and gender inequality
by employing theatrical techniques to capture the attention of the audience and support them in:
Understanding the difference between sex as biologically determined fact and gender as
socially determined occurrence
Recognising gender roles and stereotypes
Workshops
Students will have the opportunity to break out into interactive workshops to explore issues more
deeply. These workshops are designed to engage students on a more personal and to guide them
with more in-depth reflection and analysis. The purpose of this activity is to encourage students
to explore gender socialisation in their own personal worlds and begin to develop a gender lens.

This panel discussion will be hosted by renowned Australian journalist, Tracey Spicer,
who recently spoke in a TedX talk on women in the media. The panel will feature carefully
chosen speakers for an interactive discussion so that students can engage with issues
they identify with.
This panel will feature speakers from a myriad of backgrounds: academic, celebrity,
activist, authors, comedians and journalists. These speakers are soon to be announced!
Keynote speaker
The end of the conference will finish with a keynote speaker to inspire and encourage
students to use their new gender lens in a way that is meaningful to them. This is to help
students feel empowered in their future engagement with every-day issues related to
gender literacy.

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Mission Statement

C H A L K C I R C L E I S A N I N D E PE N D E N T O RG A N I S AT I O N
T H AT C R E AT E S C O N V E R S AT I O N S A R O U N D G E N D E R
L I T E R AC Y TO E M P OW E R T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N .
Purpose

What is gender literacy?

Founded by volunteers in 2014, we

engage the community with credible,
relatable and empowering information
regarding gender literacy and equality.
Our priority populations are young people
and people from traditionally marginalised
demographics. To engage these groups
we run educational programs and events
designed to balance critical engagement
with fun, safe and interactive conversations.

Interdisciplinary work has established

a clear evidence-base regarding gender.
While it has been established that there
are sex differences in being male and
being female; gender socialisation
explains many of the actual and perceived
differences between the gender binary
of men and women. In examining credible
international measures, this information
paints an undisputed picture as to the
outcomes of this socialisation. It shows
that, in every nation on Earth, women
do not have equal resources to men,
nor do they share equal outcomes or
have access to equal opportunities.
Gender literacy, therefore, is the acquisition
and understanding of this information.
A high level of gender literacy is achieved
when skills and attitudes are developed
and aligned. It is both that simple, and
that complex. Gender literacy does not
dictate what to do with this information
once it is known and understood. Like
learning how to write, it does not ask
that what is written are particular words,
in a particular order. It does not specify
the vehicle for change like different schools
of feminism may. Instead it works from
a premise that positive change can and
will happen by the broader community
becoming more gender literate, and
by individuals being encouraged and

Why Chalk Circle?

Chalk Circle, as both an organisation name
and concept, acknowledges that people
often feel compelled to operate as though
a faint chalk line is drawn around them,
restricting them to specific gender roles
and responses. This chalk outline also
references the serious and sometimes
violent outcomes that can occur when
resources are unequally distributed and
gender roles are rigid (VicHealth, 2007).
Chalk Circle articulates the opportunity to
create awareness around gender roles
and work through educative models and
structures to erase restrictions due to
gender. Importantly, Chalk Circle presents
an opportunity to rub out a past of gender
inequality; and draw a future in which all
people, especially those from traditionally
marginalised demographics, are equal.

supported to use this gender literacy

in a way that is relevant, accessible,
meaningful and change-making to erase
rigid gender roles and inequalities.
Organisation Values
At Chalk Circle we take our values
seriously. For every deliberation, decision
and action we make, we ensure our
choice is framed by, and accountable to,
our organisation values: Our organisational
values are listed below:

ACCESSIBILITY
B R AV E RY
EMPOWERMENT
KINDNESS
PA S S I O N
RESPECT
WISDOM GENDER
EQUALITY
INTEGRITY

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Contact
Whether you are a teacher, a student,
or a parent of a student, if you have
any questions please feel free to make
enquiries about our education programs
or events.
You can contact Mebh Loughnane,
our Program Director via the details
provided below.

THIS EVENT IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY CHALK

C I RC L E , T H E G E N D E R L I T E R AC Y F O U N DAT I O N ;
S P O N S O R E D BY T H E U . S C O N S U L AT E M E L B O U R N E ;
AND SUPPORTED BY RMIT UNIVERSIT YS BACHELOR
O F I N T E R N AT I O N A L ST U D I ES P R O G R A M A N D T H E
VICTORIAN WOMENS TRUST.

Phone 0421 173 496

Email ceo@chalkcircle.org
Register for the event
Visit our events page on our website
and follow the links to register.
Website chalkcircle.org/events
Website
To learn more about Chalk Circle or to join
our growing community visit our website or
connect with us via Facebook and Twitter.
Website chalkcircle.org
Facebook /chalkcircle.glf
Twitter @chalk_circle

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