Celebrating Women Under the Stars

The Family Resource Centre (FRC) of the Department of Counselling Services celebrated International Women’s Day, and the 26th anniversary of Honouring Women Month in the Cayman Islands with an evening dedicated to empowerment, celebration, and networking held at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa on Saturday 8 March.

The vibrant sunset event, was an opportunity for women, and men, from various private sector industries and the civil service to share and recognise female achievements, and also to highlight the challenges of gender inequality, stereotyping and under-representation that many women experience in their professional lives.

Guest speakers at the event were Kayla Martin Senior Manager, Business Development at Cayman Registry - a division of Cayman Maritime, Rosa Harris, Director of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, and Tamsin Deasey, Director of Marketing, Communications and Admission Registration at UCCI.

Kayla Martin spoke passionately about her career journey in typically male-dominated industry of shipping and the opportunities that she has had to break barrier. Tamsin Deasey, shared an innovative video presentation using her AI avatar on how advances in AI can help women to expand their opportunities and creativity and urged women to embrace and explore new technologies. Rosa Harris also shared her journey and spoke about the importance of having supportive community and called on the audience to make room for every woman, saying: “I have always believed that one you’re in a place of influence you have to fill up the elevator and send more women up!”

The evening was also emceed by Rashana Hydes, mental health and wellness advocate and former Miss World Cayman Islands.

Guest were invited to participate in a silent auction to bid on items such as artworks by Jason Kennedy and local artist Anne-Marie Diaz, health care checks, wellness packages with all proceeds raised from the event going towards the Family Resource Centre’s Young Parent Services, which provide parenting, life, technology and employability skills to parents aged under 25.

The Family Resource Centre has a full schedule of Honouring Women Month events taking place throughout March, which can be found on their website, www.dcs.gov.ky/frc