Promotion des Estriennes pour initier une nouvelle équité sociale (P.E.P.I.N.E.S.)

Published purpose

Through this 33-month project of systemic change, Promotion des Estriennes pour initier une nouvelle équité sociale (P.E.P.I.N.E.S) will help advance women’s access to leadership and decision-making roles. In particular, the project will help shift municipal councils’ culture and operations to improve working conditions for elected officials and encourage the participation of women and members of visible minorities in municipal councils. To do so, P.E.P.I.N.E.S. will establish a network of current and former elected municipal officials and people interested in municipal politics. It will develop tools and implement activities to create changes in mindsets and decision-making bodies. The project will also include a component to raise awareness of discrimination issues experienced by elected officials. An external evaluation will assess and evaluate the project’s impact on systemic change. An additional grant has been awarded and will facilitate collaboration with a research group at the Université de Sherbrooke to undertake a study examining the factors that foster the development of trust-based relationships and sustained dialogue between municipal governments and the populations they serve.