Local Students Create New Female Empowerment Festival

Voices of the Community, a student-run organization, will be hosting Her Festival at Girsh Park on International Women’s Day: Sunday, March 8th, 2020 from 11 am to 5 pm. The event is free to attend and open to everybody.

The goal of Her Festival is to celebrate the women of Santa Barbara, and to inspire female youth in the community. This completely new event aims to empower the next generation of female leaders through promoting  confidence, equality, and inclusiveness. Sponsored by Procore and Appfolio, Her Festival is the much-needed celebration which will leave the girls and women of Santa Barbara feeling capable of following their dreams and changing their communities for the better. 

Our website, www.herfestivalsb.com, includes information for community members who want to get involved: 

Exhibit: Event registration for companies and nonprofits will open November 1st. Booth space is limited.

Sponsor: Give you company a presence at this event and show your support for local women. Learn about the benefits of becoming our sponsor and how you can support by visiting www.herfestivalsb.com/sponsor. 

Perform: We are now accepting submissions for performances on Her Festival’s main stage at https://www.herfestivalsb.com/perform
 Volunteer: Individuals can sign up to volunteer at our event at https://www.herfestivalsb.com/volunteer and receive more information and updates approaching the festival date. Student volunteers will receive community service credit. To involve your company as corporate volunteers, contact us at VoicesoftheCommunitySB@gmail.com

Festival Highlights will include:
Unique interactive booths where festival attendees can be creative and share their experiences and opinions 
Keynote speakers who are prominent members of the Santa Barbara and Goleta community
Booths run by companies, non-profits, and community organizations in the area. 
Representation from professional women in all fields.
Musical performances from bands, individual performers, and dance companies in the community. 
A variety of food trucks.
Drawings with prizes donated from local companies and artists.
Arts and Crafts zones, for people of all ages.

“Putting on this event has been a lot of work,” admits Mia Chou, one of Her Festival’s main organizers and a student at Dos Pueblos High School. “There’s so much involved in it, and so much that goes on behind the scenes. But it’s all worth it, because we have a message that needs to be spread. It’s a message to everyone: to our entire community of women and to all the girls in our generation. They need to know how strong they are, how much they can achieve, and how much they deserve to be celebrated. That’s why it’s called Her Festival, it’s a celebration that belongs to them.” 
About Voices of the Community

Voices of the Community (VOC) is a student-run organization based at Dos Pueblos High School. It is entirely made up of Santa Barbara youth. They are all passionate about changing the community for the better by ensuring that the voices of underrepresented groups are heard. Her Festival is VOC’s first project, and all efforts are being dedicated to the success of the event. VOC’s core belief is that the opinion and experience of every person from any background must be given value. Their  team is committed to celebrating each of those voices, starting in our own community.

Contact
For more information about Voices of the Community’s Her Festival, go to our website: www.herfestivalsb.com or email VoicesoftheCommunitySB@gmail.com. Follow updates and news by following @Herfestivalsb on Instagram and @HerFestival on Facebook.