What is Envisâge?
[ɑ̃vizˈaʒ]
envisage + âge =
to imagine a future possibility French for ‘age’​
The Envisâge 2020 International Conference On Ageism Towards Womxn is a live, online event that will feature a diverse panel of speakers who will share their experiences, perspectives, and resources for the wide range of ageism issues affecting womxn.
History
Founded in 2020, graduate students Alexandre Gosselin and Kat Huang envisaged a future global community that recognizes and dismantles intersectional bias against womxn based on their age. Womxn around the world face challenges of workplace age discrimination, elder abuse, menopause stigma, and many others. Instead of simply imagining this more inclusive future, Alexandre and Kat decided to take action to provide opportunities to connect, learn, share, and confront gender bias ageism. As dedicated advocates for intersectional gender equity, they launched the Envisâge 2020 international conference on ageism towards womxn which aims to join the anti-ageist movement in bringing these issues into the mainstream through guest speakers, panel events, and resource sharing.
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Envisâge is part of the BØWIE Gender+ Projects Incubator, located in Geneva, Switzerland. BØWIE selects and facilitates the development of projects focused on changing our narratives on gender+ issues. Through creativity, passion, and fearlessness, the BØWIE community finds bold and innovative solutions to create a more truly inclusive society. Learn more about BØWIE by visiting bowieincubator.com.
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Mission & Goals
Our mission is to bring these discussions into the mainstream, empower womxn, and provide tools for all of us to take action in building a more inclusive, safe, and appreciative future for womxn of all ages.
Our goals include:
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Connecting individuals through conversations on gender equality and age bias
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Empowering womxn to share their stories and experiences with age bias
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Building allyship and educating individuals, organizations, and businesses about issues of gender+ ageism against womxn
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Providing individuals, organizations, and businesses with resources and tools for tackling gender+ ageism against womxn in other environments
Meet the Envisâge Team
Kat (she-her-hers)
Founder
Kat is a dual Master's student in Sustainable Human Development at Tsinghua University (China) and the University of Geneva (Switzerland). Her current research pertains to environmental education and literacy among youth in rural China, but her interests also lie in women's empowerment in handicraft industries and eco-tourism. Through her work in the U.S., Peru, and China, Kat has learned about age discrimination towards womxn from her colleagues, friends, and relatives' own stories. Kat decided to co-found Envisâge to amplify the voices of those who remain relatively peripheral in feminist agendas around the world and to find ways to educate herself and others in how to combat ageism towards womxn in all facets of society.
Alexandre (he-him-his)
Founder
Alexandre is a dual Master's student in Sustainable Human Development at Tsinghua University (China) and the University of Geneva (Switzerland). Over his studies, he focuses on the usage of cash and vouchers assistance (CVA) in humanitarian contexts. Over the last couple of years, Alexandre lived, worked, and travelled in a plurality of Asian and European countries. These cross-cultural experiences allowed him to reaffirm his activism for peace, gender equality and social inclusion. Alexandre decided to co-create Envisâge to sensibilize his multiple communities on the notion of ''intersectionality.''* Indeed, he believes that discussions and projects surrounding gender+ equality should be inclusive of womxn of every background.
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*Intersectionality is the situation of people undergoing multiple forms of stratification, domination, or discrimination in society. For example, an older woman will experience discrimination as to her identity as a woman AND her status as an older adult.