SIX Canberra women were this morning awarded Great Ydeas Small Grants by YWCA Canberra, to pursue creative projects that will have widespread benefit for the community.

The successful recipients were congratulated by former ACT Senator Kate Lundy at YWCA Canberra’s annual Round the World Breakfast event.

YWCA Canberra’s Great Ydeas Small Grants Program provides funds to local women and girls to pursue a professional development opportunity, pilot a project, business idea, or address a need in the community.

The program was launched in 2010 in celebration of the organisation’s 80th anniversary. Since then, more than 30 women have received grants of up to $2000 each.

YWCA Canberra’s Executive Director Frances Crimmins said the grants offer a unique opportunity for Canberra women and girls to demonstrate their leadership and innovation. 21 excellent applications were received this year.

“The ambition, innovation, and courage shown in many of the projects is a sign of the outstanding qualities embodied by women and girls in Canberra,” Frances said.

“This program is one of the ways that we help women follow their dreams, and make a direct investment in women in our local community.

“The process of choosing the winning recipients was very difficult, but we are pleased to announce these worthy winners today.

The winners are:

Hannah Massingham & Billi McCarthy-Price

WomenCANPlay is an inspiring web-based not-for-profit project that attempts to increase female sports participation by providing information on the opportunities available for sport participation, including up-to-date contact details; by connecting young women with a welcoming network of sportswomen; helping their participation through scholarship opportunities; and increasing the understanding of contributing factors to low sport participation through research.

Chiara Grassia

Girls Rock! Canberra is a school holiday program that aims to empower girls aged 8-17 through music, encouraging creativity, and fostering teamwork and leadership skills. Chiara will use the grant funding to travel to the USA in June-July to volunteer at two Girls Rock! camps, before returning to run the inaugural Girls Rock! Canberra at Ainslie Arts Centre in The Women Talk Work podcast will feature interviews with women in a range of jobs and at a range of levels, to get an insight into what the working lives of Australian women are really like. The interviews will explore what an average day/week involves, the interviewee’s highlights, frustrations and future aspirations, what success in this particular job looks like, and what makes work interesting and enjoyable – or not. Importantly, the interviews will also discuss why women have made certain choices regarding their work and how work fits within the broader context of their lives.

Clare Conroy

The Women Talk Work podcast will feature interviews with women in a range of jobs and at a range of levels, to get an insight into what the working lives of Australian women are really like. The interviews will explore what an average day/week involves, the interviewee’s highlights, frustrations and future aspirations, what success in this particular job looks like, and what makes work interesting and enjoyable – or not. Importantly, the interviews will also discuss why women have made certain choices regarding their work and how work fits within the broader context of their lives.

Lee Constable

SoapBox will be a radio program that provides a platform to local people to discuss their social justice passions. It will be produced and broadcast on local community radio station 2XXFM, and re-broadcast on national digital youth broadcaster SYN Nation. Soapbox will be a weekly interview presented live, of those who are involved in initiatives and projects which make the Canberra community more sustainable and equitable. It aims to inspire listeners to consider social equality and environmental sustainability, and will promote services and initiatives available within our community.

Rosanna Stevens

Rosanna is an accomplished young Canberra writer who wrote a popular essay on the social abnormalisation and normalisation of menstruation in 2014, published by The Lifted Brow. Now, with the support of publishers, Rosanna is embarking on research to turn the essay into a nonfiction book. The book will make commentary on how the world perceives, treats, shames and celebrates menstruation. Rosanna will travel to Cusco in Peru to participate in a five-day intensive about Peruvian and shamanic women’s knowledge around menstruation, providing an adventurous and multicultural tone to her writing.

[Photo Clare Conroy, Lee Constable, Billi McCarthy-Price, Rosanna Stevens, Hannah Massingham and Chiara Grassia]