Newly-launched group aims to foster emerging gender-diverse Francophone leaders

Project to run eight monthly leadership workshops tailored towards women and people who are non-binary

Newly-launched group aims to foster emerging gender-diverse Francophone leaders Published 3:35 pm Friday, July 17, 2026 The Leadership Pluriel.les Community recently launched its first workshop as part of a greater initiative to nurture emerging women and gender-diverse leaders within Yellowknife’s French-speaking community. The project includes eight monthly workshops, with the next one set to take place in September, tailored towards women and those who are non-binary.

La Federation Franco-Tenoise kickstarted this project with CDETNO and College Nordique Francophone. One of the goals is to create a collaborative, inclusive and welcoming space for people to network. Sandie Redon, the women and gender equality coordinator at La Federation Franco-Tenoise, led the program with Erika Cairo-Luce from College Nordique Francophone and Haudry Escandon and Marie-Chantale Ilouga from CDETNO.

“People don’t need to be fluent in French. It’s possible to come if you just want to speak in French about leadership and connect with people in the French community,” said Redon, adding that for future workshops, she hopes to see more people attend who don’t speak French as their first language. The two-hour session started on July 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Visitor Centre and focused on deconstructing the stereotypical definition of a leader, while highlighting the various forms of leadership already present in people’s daily lives.

Close to a dozen individuals participated in exercises and discussions to get to know one another as well as share their experiences, challenges, leadership development needs and future aspirations. Redon said being a leader is not just a professional occupation at an organization, but also “a way to be.” She said the workshop explored the broader definition of what this can look like in today’s context, for example, within a family or through volunteer work.

Redon helped produce a report last year on reinforcing leadership among Francophone women in the Canadian North that outlined several recommendations for the Northwest Territories. The Leadership Pluriel.les Community follows one recommendation regarding a need for networking opportunities among women and people who are non-binary. Before this project launched, Redon said people didn’t have a space where they can just discuss leadership.

The program will continue to adapt according to participants’ wishes and proposals. Redon said it’s necessary to hear from participants to ensure the workshops adequately address the community’s needs. “For me, it’s really important to work with my community,” she said.

The project is funded by the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Government of Canada through the Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne’s FrancoZone program.