An overwhelming response to the 2024 Blacktown City Council Women's Forum has delivered an enormous collection of strong ideas and connections that will help make the community more inclusive.
More than 200 women attended the forum, held this year at the larger venue of Bowman Hall. They heard from community leaders and discussed solutions to a range of issues on Monday 15 July.
Speakers included Council Women's Advisory Committee Chair Cr Julie Griffiths AM, Blacktown Police Area Command Detective Inspector Kylie Evans, SydWest Multicultural Services CEO Elfa Moraitakis and Australian Catholic University Blacktown Dean Dr Valentine Mukuria.
Previous recipients of the Blacktown City Woman of the Year award, Angela Van Dyke (2024) and Emie Roy (2023), also had speaking roles.
In feedback sessions, women worked together and suggested solutions to challenges they face in fields such as education, health, financial literacy and more.
All feedback ideas will form part of a forum report outlining recommendations and calls for action.
The report will be presented to the Mayor and Councillors, Council's executive team and federal and state MPs to guide strategic decision making.
Blacktown City Mayor Brad Bunting participated in the forum and was delighted by the huge response.
"The forum was fully booked and it is great to see women seizing the opportunity to work with us on providing greater opportunities," he said.
"We will use the feedback to better inform the delivery of Council services and advocate for other measures.
"We want women to have equitable access to opportunities. Helping women achieve their goals not only benefits them but society as a whole."
The forum helped make a donation to nominated charity Share the Dignity, which distributes sanitary products to women at risk of homelessness, domestic violence and poverty.
Participants were asked to bring sanitary products to donate and responded generously by donating more than 200 items.
