Redefining Inclusion on International Women's Day
Inclusion was the main theme of this year鈥檚 International Women鈥檚 Day (IWD), with 榴莲社区 fostering initiatives to celebrate achievements and actively promote a culture of inclusivity and equality.
Our popular annual IWD breakfast saw alumna and internationally recognised youth policy advisor Phoebe Britten join current 榴莲社区 students for insightful conversations and performances.
Stories of inspiration
Across other areas of the school, students reflected on significant females in their lives. We asked them to share their stories below:
International Women's Day Breakfast
Our annual International Women's Day Breakfast for Years 10 - 12 parents and students included guest speaker, alumna Ms Phoebe Britten (2022). Phoebe was recently selected as a finalist by the Australian Financial Review and GradConnection as one of and is a Board Director to Voices of Influence, an all-women led enterprise dedicated to amplifying the voices of youth in human rights discourse, both in Australia and the global stage.
On the 2024 IWD theme of 'Inspiring Inclusion' Phoebe emphasised, "Inclusion is not merely about diversity - it's about embracing and practising a kind of feminism that recognises, celebrates and amplifies the unique perspectives and experiences that each person holds. It's about working together to make culturally-safe spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging, where differences are embraced as strengths and where all of our voices are meaningfully heard and included."
Musical performances by senior students Lily Munro and Elana Sydenham and moving speeches by Year 12 students Lana Pavy and Asiah Woodward .
On creating a more inclusive future, Asiah encouraged the room to "demonstrate how we would like to be treated. We need to speak to each other kindly, acknowledge each other's strengths and help during the failures. We need to cheer each other on the side lines and speak up when things are out of line. If we expect other people to speak out for us, then we need to show them exactly how to do so. We need to become our own leaders and raise the bar of equality to a new level."
Lana (pictured below) shared with the room her passion for feminism, "Feminism is not about isolating women as superior, it's not about putting down other genders or having a so-called 'anti-male' verdict. Feminism is about uplifting women to have equal opportunities, to stand up for ourselves, to do what we want because we can, to be included. Feminism, to me, is about empowerment and it starts with women, with the women in this room, with the women and young girls in this school."
