Women in Boardsports Saas-Fee / 28th September – 2nd October

Women in BoardsportsSaas-Fee / 28th  September – 2nd October By Carmela Fougsted (yesyes:)-Fleury / Les Ettes & Daniela Meyer / Popcorn

More girls and women than ever are interested in boardsports, but are boardsports companies and media currently living up to their potential to positively affect young girls and women? Or are they continuing to sell trivializing, minimizing and objectified images of women, albeit lightly powdered with "empowering" rhetoric? Using surfing as an example, we'll explore how advertising can impact females, especially young girls, and discuss the consequences of commodifying boardsports for women as "fashion" versus "a healthy and empowering activity." We'll look at the difference (if there is one) between how women and young girls are marketed and marketed to and we will also discuss sponsorship as a means to enculturate future generations. Finally, we'll break into small groups to brainstorm ideas on how to transform our respective sports then share these ideas with each other as a unified group before finishing.

Women in Boardsports welcomes this year the following speakers:

Deb Friedman- Action sports Global Brand manager from Nike 6.0 -she was the Global Director of Women's Marketing at Burton for 3 years -she is a great & inspiring public speaker http://business.transworld.net/16031/features/caught-on-tape-deb-friedman/ Anne-Flore Marxer -will be telling us about the changes she's been doing within the Women Freeride Worldtour

Jacqueline Fierle works for Nike in Switzerland -will be presenting the facts and statistics behind the female buying trends

Mimi Knoop- pro skateboarder- she does it all: Originally from the east coast, Mimi is a lifelong skateboarder and multi-media artist. With 5 X Games medals under her belt, Mimi is one of the top female vert/bowl skateboarders in the world. Lilian Muscutt- works for Xsportsister.com,

Kate Apanui- Martha Beck certified Life Coach Kate Apanui is a Martha Beck certified Life coach. She’s passionate about working with women who are ready to shine and step into their power in a way that creates magic and change in the world.  Her work is guided by the belief that when we bring our truth to the surface, we become deeply powerful. Kate is a New Zealander, currently living in France with her husband, daughter and bulldog. Kate will be talking about the power of non-verbal communication, true leadership, and looking at what nature has to teach us. Verbal language represents only about 10% of what we communicate - the rest is non-verbal. Kate will be demonstrating and talking about the how to’s of leading your own experience, by using the mind and body as a whole.

Cori Schumacher - an international, professional surfer from Cardiff, California. She refuses sponsorship in general, intentionally bucking a trend entrenched in her sport in order to have the freedom to speak her mind on issues considered anathema to speak out about in surfing. She has written various articles addressing these issues that have been published in The Inertia and The Guardian. Since 2009, she has been serving as a female longboard representative to the ASP and she can be found in such films as: The Road, Multiple Personalities, Sol Sirens and Ten Year's of Women's Longboarding. Cori supports organizations such as the Rell Sunn Education Fund, Women For Women International and Surf For Life, a non-profit organization that seeks to connect surfers and non-surfers alike with community service activities that will affect change at an international level. She is also an advocate for various issues including gender disparity, heterosexism and homophobia in sport. Anna-Maria Rugarli – sustainability VF - runs all sustainability/ corporate responsability related topics at VF corporation

Christine Waeber - bluesign technologies Along with her husband Peter, Christine Waeber was involved in setting up bluesign technologies. She is working amongst others as communication manager for bluesign since the foundation of the company in the year 2000. Studies in Economics in Switzerland and France. Furthermore studies and teaching in performing arts (dance/musical), physiological motion and fitness sports. Christine Waeber is actively involved in all forms of healthy living (nutrition, biota, clothing, sports activities, homeopathy etc.) since decades. Amongst other sports she is passionate snowboarder since more than 17 years. Sophie Friedel – Skateistan & Gorilla works with Skateistan. Skateistan, NGO in  Afghanistan- she is responsible for employing afghan and international staff, writing of contracts and regulations as well as payroll procedures and training of all staff. Also works with Gorilla Foundation, encouraging youth to think actively about global balance, connectedness,healthyeating and resource distribution.

Thank you for your interest... And if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Daniela or Carmela, the organizers... daniela@popcorn.ch, Carmela Fleury <carmela@lesettes.com>