Moraga Mayor Ken Chew participates on the panel Photo courtesy Saint Mary's College

Men and women from far and near, from Moraga to Portugal, came together on Monday for the Wo/men's Leadership Forum in honor of International Women's Day. True to this year's theme, building bridges, women and men, young and old, community and campus, came together to participate in workshops such as The Rhythm of Leadership, during which time Yamaha Fellow Musician Eduardo Lopes from the University of Evora collaborated with SMC staff members Sharon Sobotta and Tammy Appling-Cabading to get participants to think outside of the box about leadership, balance and group awareness; Changing the World with a Tabla and Changing the World with your story. The day also featured a lunchtime panel on male students who are allies to women and a popular session called Following Your Inner Compass, during which Moraga Mayor Ken Chew shared his story about how his life journey led him from Malaysia to Moraga. To bring the day to a close, the Women's Interfaith Circle of Service collaborated with the Women's Resource Center to offer an Intergenerational Bridges of Peace Ceremony. "The event was open to the Public and it will be in the future as well," says Sobotta, "We intend to keep it as a tradition of building bridges between men and women from all backgrounds year after year with the continuing title Wo/men's Forum. For information about how to get involved next year, contact Sharon Sobotta, Director of the Women's Resource Center, at 925-631-4171.