Organiser of Phenomenal Woman Conference totally happy

The organizer of the Phenomenal Woman Conference says she feels that she has achieved her goal to motivate, educate and inspire women in St Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Karen Hinds expressed her happiness at the conference’s success during a post-event press conference on Saturday at the Methodist Church Hall. She stated that she was “tickled pink” and has achieved much more than she anticipated.

“Hearing the feedback we heard at the end, women were coming up to me and saying…one woman said it was worth more than what she paid,” Hinds told SEARCHLIGHT.

Hinds highlighted spur of the moment occurrences and the women’s reactions to presentations made by the capable and eloquent speakers.

Lone male speaker Jamaican Neil Savariau, who lives in Florida, USA, noted that it was a great opportunity to be able to speak at a conference geared at inspiring women, particularly because he is the father of a 6-year-old girl.

“I would love for my daughter to grow up in a society where she’s got every chance to be happy and productive and it’s gotta start somewhere,” he said.

Another featured speaker, US-based Vincentian Roseanne Small-Morgan also gave her feedback on the event.

“I think it was well received. We had the opportunity to share our life experiences with each other and what brought us here,” the SEARCHLIGHT columnist said.

Among the 275 women in attendance were the 2013 Miss SVG contestants, who all agreed that it was an event worth attending.

“It was a Saturday well spent,” said Shara George, Miss Mustique Co. Ltd.

“I found it all to be very inspiring and I plan to take the lessons with me throughout the rest of my life.”

Miss Lotto, Hannah Hamilton, praised the conference for being very powerful and inspiring.

“I think it should be done every single year, giving females an opportunity to empower themselves,” she said. “We are all phenomenal women and we need to live like it”.

Brooke Legair, Miss Coreas Hazells told SEARCHLIGHT that she was pleasantly surprised by the activities at the conference.

“I feel restored, empowered…we are priceless; there isn’t a price in the world that can be placed on a young lady,” Legair stated.

Hinds, who resides in the United States and also has a column in the SEARCHLIGHT newspaper, pointed out that the planning committee has already began to think about the conference for next year. She further noted that many women were not able to attend the conference this year due to the lack of space to accommodate larger numbers.

As a result, Hinds and her committee plan to operate on two days next year: April 11 and April 12.

“Between then and now, we’re gonna have two online classes, stay in touch with our attendees…so that they can get additional tips…so they can begin to implement some of the things that they decided they would do today,” Hinds said.

A television special, as well as highlights of the conference’ is expected to air in the coming weeks for women who did not attend the event.

The Phenomenal Woman Conference was held at the Kingstown Methodist Church Hall on Saturday and also included speakers: 95-year-old Lessie Williams from Rose Hall, St Vincent; Allison Demers-Campagna from the USA and Jenifer J. Johnson from Barbados.(BK)