Women: empowered!

What a fantastic day of empowering women!  Both the exhibition and the play were a great success.  Hundreds of people helped raised hundreds of pounds and dozens of volunteers need to be thanked for help making such an inspiring day possible. 

The exhibition saw approximately a couple of hundred people through the doors of the Great Hall throughout the day with over 20 different stalls.  Furthermore almost £200 was raised for Devon Rape Crisis Services – their first official fundraising event.  And this is of course a running total – we hope to add to that in the very near future.  In the evening we filled the Freddie Mercury Room for a rehearsed reading of the play ‘Seven’ and raised over £100 for victims of domestic violence in Devon with no recourse to public funds.  An inspiring discussion after the play has led to the possibility of Exeter University students forming their own ‘Seven’ group to help continue the fundraising and awareness effort.   If you would be interested in being part of this group, please email gender-equality@hotmail.co.uk with your name and email address. 

All that’s left to say is a personal thank you to all the wonderful volunteers and enjoy the photos!

Thank you to… 

University Staff: Will Page, Emma Payne, Sara Bennett, Helen Booker, Orlando Murrish 

University services: Estate Patrol, Campus Services, Events Exeter, Print Services, Rob Court, Alex Mattingly 

Student volunteers: Harriet Wicks, Lucy Patterson, Lindsay Lyon, Michael Cope, Gemma Mehmed, Rob Sturgeon, Faye Walker, Mira Moore, Carlus Hudson, Phil Smith, Charlotte Whipp 

Local volunteers: Sandhya Dave, Sonia Rashid, Kim Chenoweth, Cllr. Moira McDonald, Mary Lidgate, Jake Ceileachair

Everyone else: All the exhibitors, play performers, visitors, poetry competition entrants

Above: Devon Rape Crisis Services

 Above: Devon and Cornwall Police

 Above: Exeter Liberal Democrat Students

 Above: Gender Equality Society

Above: LGBTQ 

Above: SAFE (Stop Abuse For Everyone)

Next year's Gender Equality Representative announced!

A massive congratulations to Deanna Quirke for winning the election to become the the next Gender Equality Representative for University of Exeter Students' Guild 2012-2013.  I will be handing over to Deanna in June when her role officially starts. Deanna is a wondrfully enthusiastic headstrong woman who will do a fantastic job promoting gender equality at Exeter University.  I hope many of you will be able to meet her in the next few coming months!

Check out Deanna's manifesto of what she plans to do here: http://www.exeterguild.org/elections/manifesto/925/

One day to go until Empowering Women Day!

There’s only one more day to go until the Empowering Women Day at Exeter University!

A hard-working team of volunteers have been very busy preparing a wonderful day for you all.  Almost 2000 leaflets have been distributed all over campus and town including door-to-do, notices have been put up on online forums, A0 posters up on campus, emails sent out, Facebook event sign ups, announcements made at other events, shops putting our fliers up in their windows.  Stalls are being set up for the exhibition, staging’s going up for the play, performers are on their way …  all that’s left now is for you to come along and enjoy the events!

Please sign up to the events on Facebook!

Empowering Women Day exhibition: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/291795777558645/

Empowering Women Day ‘Seven’ play: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/149808505142505/

Exhibition stalls and workshops include:

-          Devon Rape Crisis Services

-          Devon and Cornwall Police

-          Labour Students

-          Liberal Democrat Society

-          SAFE (Stop Abuse For Everyone)

-          Yoga workshops with Sonia Rashid (come in loose clothing)

-          Ubuntu Counselling Services

-          County Chiro with Rachael Dunn

-          Meet your local councillors

-          LGBTQ+

-          Gender Equality Society

-          Jumble sale (bring your jumble to sell on the day)!

-          Send a card to a girl or women you love in your life

-          Poets’ corner (read out your favourite empowering poem or listen to our competition winners)

-          Musicians’ corner (perform a piece or join in an impromptu playalong – bring your own instruments or try one of the ones provided)!

-          Shiatsu workshop with Sandhya Dave

-          Reproductive Health stall

-          Pick up leaflets which could save your life about female cancers

-          Buy one of our ‘muff-in-cakes’!

-          Soapbox invite (open for all to use the microphone to talk to women about women)

-          Global Indigo

-          Tell us what you love about women

-          Learn about why feminism is still a necessary force in 2012 all over the globe

 

Then at 7.30pm we have the fantastic play ‘Seven’ being performed to help enthuse and empower all those women who feel the odds are stacked against them.  £5 entry on the door.

Here are some of our favourite moments from the organisational stages...

Empowering Women Day at Exeter University

If you are exhibiting at the exhibition or performing in the play or would like to help publicise this event, please get in touch with me at gender-equality@hotmail.co.uk so I can arrange to get publicity out to you in leaflet or poster form as you prefer.  You may want to distribute it to those you think may be interested or put it up in a place where people might read it.

A special thank you must go out to Harriet Wicks for designing and producing such a fantastic flier!

International Women's Day ... or month!

This month - March, for those of you haven't caught up yet(!) is of particular importance to those concerned with gender equality at it hosts International Women's Day on 8th March. However, since International Women's Day is about celebrating women's role in the world and raising awareness of their situations across the globe, one day of course is not enough to fit in the vast amount of wonderful things there are to say about women and to note all their fantastic contributions to life! So there is a tradition of generally using the whole of March to host a variety of events that look at women in the past, present and future.

Here is a programme of all the events that are being put on in Exeter throughout March in the spirit of International Women's Day. This list includes various events organised by both uni and non-uni groups and it is not exhaustive either. I have emboldened the events that relate specifically to gender equality society however and hope to see many of you there!

Time and date	Place	Event
Saturday 3rd March, 11am-3pm	St. Sidwell’s Centre	Health and Wellbeing (Devon United Women)
Wednesday 7th March, 7pm	TBC	Sexual violence prevention strategies workshop with Devon Rape Crisis Services, Devon and Cornwall Police, students and Guild staff
Thursday 8th March, 10am-4pm	The Lemon Grove	Vintage Fair and Clothes Swap for International Women's Day (Oxfam)
Thursday 8th March, 11am-3pm	St. Sidwell’s Centre	Past – present – future (DUW)
Thursday 8th, Friday 9th, Saturday 10th March	Bikeshed theatre	“Tin Girls” play (DUW)
Saturday 10th March, 11am-5pm	Thistle Hotel	“Crikey mother, it’s vintage” vintage stalls and workshops to raise money for Women’s Land Army
Saturday 10th March, 2.30pm-4.30pm; 6.30pm-8.30pm	Black Box room at the Phoenix Centre	Rehearsed play reading of “7” (DUW)
Monday 12th March, 4pm-7pm	St. Sidewell’s Centre	Swap clothes and eat cake (DUW)
Wednesday 14th March, 3pm-4pm	Long Lounge at Exeter University	Meeting to discuss planning Reclaim the Night March with Labour students (Gender Equality Society included)
Wednesday 14th March, 7.30pm-10pm	Coffee Express at Exeter University, Ram Pub	“LGBTQ in the feminist movement – Part 2” talk and discussion followed by drinks in the Ram (Gender Equality Society)
Friday 16th March, 6pm-8pm	Exeter Central Library	Challenging Inequalities
Saturday 17th March, 6pm-9pm	Back Box room at the Phoenix Centre	Film “Caramel”
Monday 19th March, 11am-2pm	Mint Church	Celebrating motherhood (DUW)
Tuesday 20th March, 11am-1pm	Olive Tree Office	Human rights and women (DUW)
Friday 23rd March, 6pm-9pm	X Centre	“Arwa Amba” film and quiz
Saturday 24th March, 11am-3pm	Exeter Corn Exchange	“Bazaar” stall and performances (DUW)
Tuesday 27th March, 12pm-6pm	Great Hall at Exeter University	Empowering Women Day exhibition (Gender Equality Society and Guild)
Tuesday 27th March, 7pm-9pm	Freddy Mercury Room, Cornwall House   at Exeter University	Rehearsed play reading of “7” and discussion (Gender Equality Society and DUW)

Be the 2012-2013 Gender Equality Representative! University Guild nominations for election are now open!

If you would like to run for a position in the University of Exeter Students’ Guild and represent around 15,000 students, then nominate yourself today here: http://www.exeterguild.org/organisation/haveyoursay/elections/

Posts include:

-          RAG officers and posts (chair, secretary etc.)

-          Community Action officers

-          Guild representatives (race, disability, gender etc.)

-          Guild officers (elections, environment etc.)

-          Societies executives (e.g. campaigns societies, societies officer)

-          Guild councillors

-          NUS delegates

 

The post I currently hold and was elected to is the Gender Equality Representative post.  This is a key post within the Guild since you are responsible for ensuring equality of all the sexes you represent from women to trans people to men to intergender people to queer people, regardless of age, race, educational level etc.

Here is the full job description!

Gender Equality Rep

The Gender Equality Rep is responsible for making sure that students of any gender are equally represented by the Guild.

Unit:	Student Representatives
Accountable to:	Guild Council, General Meeting, Referendum, Equality and Diversity Committee
Term of Office:	12 months; commencing June
Time commitment	2 to 3 hours per week including meetings and office hours
Job Description holder	Vice President Welfare and Community
Purpose of the Role: The Gender Equality Representative is responsible for ensuring that the Students' Guild remains gender neutral in all of its activities and to represent students that feel that the University's activities are not providing equality for any gender.
Duties and Responsibilities: ·         To encourage and assist the Guild in promoting a fair and safe society across all campuses and activities. ·         To lead and/or assist with campaigning on relevant gender equality issues with the Equality and Diversity Officer. ·         To raise issues with regards to gender equality at Guild and University meetings as necessary, liaising with students to find out more about these issues. ·         To attend the AGM with proxy votes or give proxy to a Sabbatical Officer.
Duties as a Guild Representative: ·         To find out what their constituents think, to represent these views and to act to ensure the success of the Guild; ·         To find out the views of their constituent group. ·         To represent these views. ·         To campaign. ·         To fulfil any democratic mandates. ·         To ensure the successful running of their responsibilities as defined in their job description. ·         To work to ensure the success of the Guild.

Remember this is a voluntary position, and unlike being a sabbatical officer, the role is carried out alongside your studies.  Fortunately getting elected for this post is a LOT less scary than campaigning for a sabbatical role!  If you want any help, tips or advice, please email me at gender-equality@hotmail.co.uk and to whoever wins, I look forward to doing the handover with you in June!  Best of luck!

Empowering Women Day exhibition at the Great Hall on 27th March … your chance to get involved!

On Tuesday 27^th March 2012 from 12pm-6pm, Exeter University Guild will be hosting an ‘Empowering Women Day’ exhibition at the Great Hall on Streatham Campus, University of Exeter.  This will be a day devoted to showcasing all the groups, services and organisations both inside and outside the university in the Exeter community that are available to women.  Women students and members of the public will be able to come to learn about all the opportunities available to them and discover a world of all things womanly from how to use a speculum for self-examination of the cervix to looking at consultation papers in the government to what a she-pee is!  This is going to be a very large event and will need lots of wonderful volunteers to help out both in organisation in the run up to the event and coordinators for on the day.  If you would like to involved, please email gender-equality@hotmail.co.uk.  In particular we are after: volunteers to work on media relations, volunteers who can help design publicity materials, volunteers to marshal on the day, bakers for our ‘muff-in-cakes’, decorators and generally helpful, good-willed people!  The event is open to both men and women but obviously the focus will be on empowering women.  I hope as many of you will come along to support and enjoy the event even if you do not wish to get involved behind the scenes.  Alternatively you can email  gender-equality@hotmail.co.uk if you would like to host a stall at the event and I will send you the relevant form to fill out to confirm your attendance.