By Lilit Simonyan and Rouzbeh Mircharkhchian (Sauvé Scholars 2010-11)

We were honoured to be two Sauvé Scholars invited to participate in the Governor General’s Women’s Conference “Together for Women’s Security” hosted by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada. The conference took place at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on September 9th and 10th.

Over one hundred women and men from all provinces and territories of the country gathered to discuss women’s security and eliminating violence against women. Since the conference took place within the first month of Sauvé Scholars Program, it helped us to shape our Individual Projects, both of which address women’s issues in our respective countries and regions.

This was an amazing opportunity for both of us to gain a better understanding of women’s problems in Canada and to think about possible solutions to these problems in Canada and in our own countries, Armenia and Iran. We learned from interacting with people who are actively working on gender equality and justice issues across the country, enjoyed an evening with wonderful Canadian artists and, of course, had the unique chance to communicate with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean.