We would like to thank our community for supporting International Women’s Day and attending our special celebration. The theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress‘ which is aimed at tackling economic disempowerment. The campaign theme also includes ‘Inspire Inclusion’ and emphasises the importance of diversity and empowerment in all aspects of society.
We were privileged to welcome Heidi Yates as our guest speaker. Heidi is a Merici parent and member of the Merici College Community Council. Heidi is a human rights lawyer and activist whose work has improved the lives of vulnerable people across the community.
Over 20 years, she has advocated for better outcomes for women, elder Australians, people living with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and survivors of violence.
Heidi graduated from the ANU College of Law in 2004 and has worked at places including Legal Aid ACT, the Women’s Legal Centre and the ACT Human Rights Commission, currently serving as the Victims of Crime Commissioner. The Commissioner’s role includes being head of agency for Victim Support ACT, a frontline service which provides thousands of Canberrans with support, rights advocacy and financial help each year. Heidi’s work was recognised in her selection as Lawyer of the Year at the 2022 ACT Women Lawyers Awards, ANU’s 2022 Alumna of the Year and an ACT finalist in the 2023 Australian of the Year Awards.
Our thanks and appreciation are extended to our College Captains, Sofia White and Lily Nutt; Narragunnawali Captain, Hannah Burr;,Spirituality Captain, Caelan Edghill; and Social Justice Captain, Lily Sluis for their continued support of Merici College and all we do.
We would also like to thank Heather Lloyd and our pianists Victoria Brown and Hannah David-Hoole for entertaining us this evening with their exceptional musical skills.
And special thanks and appreciation are extended to our Hospitality students and Hospitality staff Damien King, Virginia McLeod and Amy Hazelwood for preparing and serving delicious canapes this evening.
Reflection – Lily Sluis, Social Justice Captain
‘This year’s Women’s Day theme is Invest in Women. It states the priority is to end gender-based violence through adequate funding, implementing effective policies, and providing support
services to address violence against women and girls. 2024’s theme unequivocally upholds the ambition to end gender-based violence by 2030.
Less than 0.2% of government aid is directed to the prevention of violence against women and girls. However, 39% of women in Australia have experienced violence since the age of 15, and
another 23% of women have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15. With these figures, the UN predicts it will take another 286 years to reach gender equality in public life.
When I was asked to speak at this event I was told to reflect on the theme this year to comment on what type of woman I want to be. However, through highlighting these stark statistics, I found myself reflecting on what woman I want my great-granddaughter to be.
In 286 years, I do not want my great-granddaughter to be a statistic. I want her to be a woman with the freedom to be who she wants to be, rather than being restricted from working certain jobs in almost 50% of countries. I want her to have an equal share of power and decision-making at all levels, and not worry that on average only 25% of parliaments are seated
by women. I want her to look back to 2024 and feel empowered she is in a world where she is not paid 14% less than her male coworkers.
I want my great-granddaughter to live in constant parity, security, and safety because her mother, great-grandmother, and myself who came before her could not. I want her to live in a world where she is ALWAYS treated as somebody’s equal rather than a man’s inferior.
I do not want my great-granddaughter to be a woman who stands up for women’s rights, as I hope she will live in a world where those rights are human rights. And I hope that she does not wait for March 8th to reflect on history’s deeply entrenched patriarchal society. I hope she feels empowered to
have conversations like these every day.
So let us all celebrate today, not as a sad reflection on Women and girl’s current societal reality.
Let us celebrate it as an encouragement to uphold and continuously work towards achieving equality in our society so that my great-granddaughter doesn’t have to.
All facts and statistics are sourced from the Australian government, united nations, or OurWatch.”
Reflection – Renee Taylor, Assistant Principal Teaching and Learning:
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
As Lily mentioned, the theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress‘ which is aimed at tackling economic disempowerment. The campaign theme also includes ‘Inspire Inclusion’ and emphasises the importance of diversity and empowerment in all aspects of society.
At Merici College we invest in young women every day, because we know that they are of value and importance to our world. We know that when young women are given equal opportunities to learn, earn and lead, that whole communities thrive.
When we look around in many societies, clubs, governments, board rooms, when women aren’t present, we must ask: “if not, why not?”
When women are discriminated against for their gender or biological sex, we must call out poor practice.
When the treatment of women is not equitable, we must take action. And we must do this each and every time.
At Merici College we try to empower our young girls to have confidence in their abilities and that they can take their place in the world with courage and with the knowledge that they are more than enough.
We must continue to challenge and change institutions, structures and attitudes that make it harder for women to be taken seriously or for us to be included at all. A 2023 Plan International Survey found that 17% of people believe gender equality is no longer an issue in Australia and that change for equality for women had gone too far. Almost one in four people believe that much of what is called domestic violence is a normal reaction to day-to-day stress and frustration. But when 75 women were killed in Australia in 2023 at the hands of their current or ex-partner, we know that this is a very real and serious issue. When I read this I know that we still have a long way to go.
Change is needed at a community level – with families, educators and community leaders modelling positive attitudes and challenging rigid ideas about gender in homes, educational institutions and neighbourhoods. Shifting how children understand stereotypes from an early age can have long-term impacts by changing how boys and girls view themselves and opening up more choices later in life.
Merici College is committed to contining our work in helping shift and change attitudes and actions into the future.
Full image gallery here: https://merici.news/view-galleries/international-women%E2%80%99s-day-soi…
