In celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child, the High Commission of Canada has maintained it’s tradition of naming one young woman as the High Commissioner for the Day.
On Wednesday October 11, Ms. Tatiana Norton, a 20-year-old Civil Engineering student at the University of Guyana, had the opportunity to experience a day as the High Commissioner of Canada. Ms. Norton emerged as the winner out of tens of brilliant young women who submitted video presentations for the coveted title. She delivered a strong and well thought out submission on the topic: ‘Girls are ready for a decade of acceleration forward. Which of the following areas do you personally believe should be a priority as we move forward? Women’s health, education, gender based violence or equal pay and access to opportunities?’
For her day as the High Commissioner, Mr. Norton had a packed agenda of meetings, including with the management team at the High Commission, a networking lunch, a courtesy call with the United Nations Guyana, a donation on behalf of the High Commission and then she ended the day with a trade engagement with the Canada Guyana Chamber of Commerce. She was able to see the wide range of responsibilities and activities that a High Commissioner would undertake on a given day and get an insight into the work that the High Commission is doing in Guyana.
High Commissioner Berman took some time to sit with Ms. Norton to discuss her aspirations and learn more about the areas that she was passionate about. He also shared his journey towards becoming the High Commissioner and his advice on developing your potential and taking risks.
One of the other highlights of Ms. Norton’s day was the networking lunch held in her honour that included University of Guyana Vice Chancellor, Dr. Paloma Mohamed-Martins, UN Resident Coordinator, Yeşim Oruç and British High Commissioner, Jane Miller. Both the United Nations and the British High Commission also hosted girls as UN Resident Coordinator for the Day and British High Commissioner for the Day respectively, so the conversations were insightful with the women exchanging advice and guidance on career development, sharing about the challenges they’ve experienced and opportunities available for girls.
Later in the day, Ms. Norton had a very informative tour of the UN House where she learnt more about the United Nations and its various programmes and how Canada partners with the UN worldwide and in Guyana.
At the end of her engagements Ms. Norton expressed that the experience afforded her one of the most impactful days of her life and she feels even more motivated and inspired as young woman.
Over the coming year the High Commission will continue to engage Ms. Norton for various activities and initiatives and provide a platform for her to be empowered.
Canada recognises the importance of creating space for girls to flourish, to demonstrate their potential and to have their voices heard. The High Commission will continue to use its platform to afford girls the opportunity to see themselves in any role they desire.
The High Commission of Canada would like to applaud all of the brilliant young women who made submissions for the contest and is pleased to be an active partner in the continued effort to empower women and girls!
BACKGROUND
On October 11, 2011, Canada initiated the call for the establishment of an International Day of the Girl at the United Nations to raise awareness about the unique challenges that girls face and to urge all to take action. The United Nations then declared October 11, 2012 as the world’s first International Day of the Girl.
Since 2016, the High Commission of Canada in Guyana has hosted the High Commissioner for the Day Contest every year (except 2020 due to Covid-19) in observance of the Day of the Girl.
In addition to winning the High Commissioner for the Day Contest, Ms. Norton was a part of this year’s regional and national debating competitions where she qualified for the 8th Youth Parliament. She was also a part of the Ministry of Human Service and Social Security’s 2022-2023 Young Influencers Programme and she enjoys graphic designing and being outdoors during her spare time.
