On 12th August 2017, Ekta organised its very first event Nava Watan Naviyan Umeedan - a one-day capacity building seminar for Punjabi and Hindi speaking women in Wellington. The main objectives of the seminar were:

• Inspire the participants to take action to achieve some of their ambitions if not all

• Expose them to organizations to which they can turn to acquire more skills/knowledge and for help to take the steps to achieve their ambitions (e.g. Weltec, ANZ,)

The speakers lined up for the seminar were successful Punjabi/Indian women from all segments of the Indian society e.g. we have politicians, social activists, businesswomen, career women. All of them have personal stories which are inspirational. These included Dr Parmjeet Parmar, Constable Mandeep Kaur, Kamil Lakshman (Principal Lawyer, iDesi), Vanisa Dhiru (President, National Council of Women of New Zealand) and many more. 

The event was facilitated Manpreet Kaur who is best known as a Walkley-nominated, multi-award winning SBS broadcaster. Her work across all platforms of journalism - newspapers, radio, magazines, television and online – have earned her widespread respect and recognition in Australia and beyond. She joined SBS Punjabi program in 1993 and has made a significant contribution in areas of social justice, cultural cohesion and multiculturalism. Her work is not only helping to preserve the history of Indian arrival into Australia, but is aiding more recent migrants build their identity as Australian Indians, by showcasing their achievements, highlighting their issues and encouraging solutions to community issues. 

 

The seminar was attended by 40 women.