Olympes de la parole Project

“Olympes de la Parole”, now run in several countries, is based on a highly successful model launched by the French Association of University Women (AFFDU) in 2000. A speaking competition for high school students, it aims to encourage primary and secondary school girls to examine issues relevant to gender and women. The competition incites students to reflect upon the place of each person, male and female, in school and in society at large through the lens of equality between boys and girls.

Countries running the “Olympes de la Parole” competition:

• Canada organized by the University Women’s Club of Montreal (UWCM)
• France organized by the Association Française de Femmes Diplômées des Universités (AFFDU)
• Morocco
• Spain
• Switzerland organized by the Association Genevoise des Femmes Diplômées des Universités (AGFDU), the Geneva chapter of the Association Suisse des Femmes Diplômées des Universités (ASFDU)
• Tunisia

“Olympes de la Parole” was recognised by the Council of Europe as part of its “All Different, All Equal” programme to promote diversity and gender equality among European youth. Funding for the project in Morocco and Tunisia is provided by the Women’s Foundation for the Mediterranean and AFFDU provides the technical support. The strengthening of Euro-Mediterranean networks of women graduates is a major goal. University professors and secondary school directors and teachers see this initiative as an excellent way to encourage students to reflect on the place of each boy and girl in schools and in society.

• April 2019 : Press Release – The University Women’s Club of Montreal landmark project Les Olympes de la Parole has been nominated for the World Summit on the Information Society Prizes 2019 in the Category Action Line C10 

• March 2018: Press release – The University Women’s Club of Montreal Announces  the winners of the 1st les Olympes de la Parole Competition in Canada – English/French

The winning team of the first North American Edition of the Olympes de la Parole Competition along with organizers from the University Women’s Club of Montreal (UWCM)

On 12 March, the University Women’s Club of Montreal (UWCM) announced the winners of its first North American school competition called Olympes de la Parole. GWI congratulates these exceptional young women from Villa Maria College (lead photo) on their winning project: Using Raspberry Pi Technology to Disseminate Mental Health Information Amongst Nunavummiut Girls and Women. The competition is based on a highly successful model launched by the French Association of University Women (AFFDU) in 2000. A speaking competition for high school students, the Olympes de la Parole competition aims to encourage primary and secondary school girls to examine issues relevant to gender and women.  The Olympes de la Parole involves teamwork, critical thinking innovation and parental and community participation. This competition offers a unique opportunity for secondary school girls to engage in the global conversation on gender equality and learn how to influence policies that foster a gender equal society.

UWCM launched the first Canadian edition of this competition on 15 November 2017 by highlighting the relationship between the competition and the themes debated at the CSW62. The theme for this first Canadian edition of the competition was, how access to information technology can empower indigenous girls and women in Canada. GWI commends UWCM for spearheading this noteworthy, first North American, edition of the Olympes de la Parole in Canada. GWI invites all readers to watch the winning project video as well as 2nd and 3rd place project videos won by groups from Montreal private school, The Study, on the webpage and to read the UWCM press release here.

• May 2018- AFFDU celebrates a successful 18th edition of the Olympes de la Parole Competition (page 2)

Left: The 18th Olympes de la Parole Award. Right: The Primary, middle and Secondary School students participating in the 2018 Edition of the Competition and their professors.

The French Association of University Women (AFFDU) succesfully closed the 18th edition of the Olympes de le Parole competition that took place in Paris on 15-16 May 2018. On this occasion, Ginette Bazelaire, Evelyne d’Auzac, Eliane Didier, jury members, Raymonde Courtaud and several members of the AFFDU Paris Branch welcomed students and their professors from 12 elementary and secondary schools and 13 high schools. This 18th edition built on the success of the initial model launched by AFFDU in 2000. The Olympes de la Parole competition aims to encourage boys and girls alike to examine issues relevant to gender. Students are incited to reflect upon the perceived values each person, male and female, in school and in society through the lens of equality between boys and girls.  This competition offers a unique opportunity for primary, middle and secondary school girls and boys to engage in the global conversation on gender equality and learn how to influence policies that foster a gender equal society.

The candidates present a written file and illustrate the theme of the year by playing a skit before the jury. The theme of the 18th French edition of the Olympes de la Parole was centered around the following question, “With the multiplicity of supports (newspapers, magazines, internet, social networks) are medias always respectful of equality between girls and boys, women and men?”. The competition is organized by the French Association of Women University Graduates (AFFDU), with the support of the Ministry of National Education- State Secretariat and High Council for Gender Equality (HCE), the Ministry of Women’s Rights, the Gender Observatory and the Mairie de Paris.