Ara prepares to welcome women INVS Tarini crew

Ara prepares to welcome women INVS Tarini crew - Tuesday 12 noon

When news arrived that the all-women-crewed INSV Tarini was stopping in Christchurch, Ara was quick to respond with an invite to the City Campus Christchurch, hosted by staff from the Next Step Centre for Women and the International Services team.

The six-member crew, from the Indian Navy, will visit Ara next Tuesday 5 December from 12 noon to 1pm. The Christchurch visit is one of just four stopovers on a world voyage, and has generated invitations from the Mayor of Christchurch, the Indian High Commissioner and the Indian community of Christchurch, as well as Ara.

The journey is considered the first-ever attempt by an all-woman crew to circumnavigate the globe. The yacht left India on 10 September and will stop over in Fremantle, Australia; Lyttleton, New Zealand; Port Stanley, the Falklands; and Cape town, South Africa, before returning to India in April 2018.

“It is an incredible journey and an inspiration for women everywhere that the INVS Tarini crew has broken through stereotypes and used considerable skill and determination to undertake this mission. The Indian community here in Christchurch is very excited to meet them and that includes our Indian students here at Ara, as well as the rest of us as well!” International Director Beth Knowles said.

Gillian Rose, who leads the Next Step Centre for Women (NSCW) at Ara, will also officially welcome the crew. She will introduce the centre, drawing on its 25-plus years of experience in helping women to take the ‘next step’ in their lives through employment or study. Graduate stories have been collated and published in the book Brave Enough to Wear Red Stockings, which will be presented to the INVS Tarini crew.

“Our students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, but they share the desire to develop their confidence and live a life that is fulfilling and rewarding for them,” Gillian said. “That will look different to each woman, but whether it is taking the first step to a tertiary qualification or assessing their current skills to apply for a job, the stories of women who have achieved their dreams are inspiring and motivating. Our current students are very excited about meeting the INVS Tarini crew.”

Altrusa Scholarship Award winner and NSCW graduate Liz Dick will share her story at the event. The Altrusa scholarship of $1000 is awarded annually to a promising graduate of the centre’s programmes New Outlook for Women and Updating Skills. Thanks to the course she completed at NSCW, Liz has now applied to begin her Bachelor of Social Work next year. NSC graduate and runner-up scholarship winner Naumai Rakatau, who has also applied for social work, will also speak at the event.

NSCW offers short courses specifically for women in the areas of assertive communication and confidence, anger management, self-development, self-esteem and self-empowerment. The courses are held during school hours in a warm and supportive environment to make them as accessible as possible to women who want to develop their potential by setting personal, employment and study goals, and developing a plan to achieve these goals. The centre has helped thousands of women to take the next step in their lives.

Find out more about Next Step Centre for Women programmes.
Find out more about INVS Tarini

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