Student blogger Madison Burnstein checked out the She Moves: A Conference in Motion last week. Here's what she had to say about it.
Last week, I had to opportunity to attend the She Moves conference hosted by Move U, a tri-campus initiative at the University of Toronto that aims to inspire students to take a break from their books and get physically active. Let me tell you, it was a blast - and I'm not just talking about the awesome swag bag each participant received.
The annual conference gives students a chance to connect and engage with inspirational women for an evening of physical activity, wellness and discussion. Participants sign up for one of the teams and move through a range of fun, health-focused activities throughout the evening.
In my group, I went from barre, to BIG HIIT, to basketball and concluded with a mobility session. The variety made the conference super enjoyable. Each team was identifiable through different colored shirts, that way you knew you were always in the right spot. I thought this was a brilliant idea.
Overall, I would say my favorite event was the barre part of the circuit. For someone who is not much of a dancer at all, it took a lot to get me out of my comfort zone with this one. But, I’m really glad I did it, because it was super fun. I went into this conference by myself and I loved that all of the girls who attended the conference were all so friendly and willing to have a conversation about anything and everything. It was amazing to have a bunch of girls come together to celebrate the power of women through such a fun event.
At the end of the evening, there was a panel discussion led by Yvette Raposo and Gabriela Estrada.
Raposo, a champion combat fighter, award-winning speaker and Canada’s first female professional ring announcer, shared her journey from fitness to boxing to public speaking, saying it’s been as diverse and exciting as a boxing match itself.
Estrada, who is finishing up her master's degree at KPE, spoke about risk-taking and imposter syndrome, based on her experience of navigating the world of education and the workforce as a woman in sport. Estrada is currently the program director of Fast and Female, a Canadian charity on a mission to keep girls in sport, and the founder of Girls and Women in Motion, a grassroots organization that runs programs and events for girls and women in Scarborough.
Altogether, I thought this was an amazing event and a perfect way to end the week in which we celebrated women all over the world. The only thing that would have made it better would be if I had invited all my girlfriends to register for the conference. Next year!