{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Chris McGuire","standfirst":"The theme this year for International Women\u2019s Day is #EmbraceEquity, which means more than just equal opportunities. ","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EWe took some time to chat with Ayesha Karim, our UK Youth Commissioner, and Lucy Cox, an Assistant Scout Leader and Deputy District Commissioner, to get their perspectives.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA day to remember and celebrate women\u2019s achievements\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E8 March 2023 is International Women\u2019s Day, a moment for us all to reflect on the incredible contribution of girls and women both in our movement, and in society.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELucy, a volunteer for the last 7 years, is passionate about the importance of International Women\u2019s Day. Lucy explains the constant need for us to remind ourselves of how women have been treated in the past, to ensure equality and respect in the present.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There\u2019ve been so many women who put their lives on the line to give us equality, like the Suffragettes,\u2019 says Lucy, \u2018I just found out that my nan\u2019s mum was a suffragette. I think of all they went through just to give us the right to vote. We need to celebrate what they\u2019ve given us.\u2019\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAyesha, who fits in volunteering around her university life, is equally engaged with International Women\u2019s Day.\u00A0She tells us the impact this day can have on girls.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"\u2018I think (International Women\u2019s Day) brings visibility to 50% of people in our society who are doing incredible things. Even something as small as an article about one or two people doing something amazing in their local community, you don\u2019t know who that could go on to inspire.\u2019","attribution":"Ayesha Karim","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s a chance to celebrate women,\u2019 Ayesha says, \u2018It\u2019s like a reminder or a reset. It\u2019s about achievements and celebrations that otherwise might have slipped past you, bringing them to the forefront. It leaves an impression on a young girl\u2019s mind that\u2019s powerful. You need that to create powerful women in the future.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/mnkjgoff/ayesha-karim.jpg","width":512,"height":512,"altText":"Ayesha is stood in front of trees. She is smiling and is wearing her hijab and Scouts necker. She looks relaxed and is wearing a blue Scouts top, with her hands behind her back.","caption":"Ayesha Karim","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA place for inspirational women and girls\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EListening to Ayesha and Lucy, it\u2019s exciting to hear them describe Scouts as a movement led by inspirational girls and women.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Achieving an award is a door that wouldn\u2019t be open to me, if I hadn\u2019t seen someone else go through it first.\u2019 Ayesha says, outlining the importance of girls seeing women achieve incredible things. Ayesha\u2019s own Section Leader achieved the Queen\u2019s Scout Award, inspiring Ayesha to set the King\u2019s Scout Award as a goal.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Most of the female role models in my life are either through Scouts, or coincidentally are Scouts. There\u2019s a wild correlation there,\u2019 says Ayesha. \u2018Our Scout volunteers were massive role models to us, they felt like big sister figures at times. It was great to be able to go to them and have their advice.\u2019\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"quoteText":"\u2018(Female Scouts) have lived by values, they know the values, they\u2019ll stand up for their values. They\u2019ll stand up for what they know is right. Scouts certainly makes a huge difference to girls and it\u2019s noticeable.\u2019","attribution":"Lucy Cox","gridType":"quote","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003ELucy can\u2019t help being impressed by the girls she\u2019s met in Scouts. \u2018I honestly think that girls who\u2019ve been in Scouts show a whole different level of resilience and management of their emotions,\u2019 she explains.\u00A0In Lucy\u2019s view, Scouts really is providing young people with skills for life.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20125/lucy-cox.jpg","width":960,"height":1066,"altText":"Lucy is smiling and pointing at the camera. She wears a helmet and life jacket.","caption":"Lucy Cox","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGoals for Scouts on International Women\u2019s Day\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, what can Scouts do to continue to support girls and women?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth Ayesha and Lucy praise the volunteering done by women at Scouts.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAyesha\u0027s passionate about Scouts giving women the platform to use the skills they have, as \u2018everyone has the skills to shine in any role, it\u2019s just having the confidence.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EShe\u0027s keen to see Scouts encourage even more women to volunteer and take on more visible leadership roles, as she knows some may need a little push or helping hand, as well as someone saying, \u2018You\u2019d be good for this\u2019.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELucy firmly believes Scouts must maximise on the work women do, by getting case studies, demonstrating the range of activities undertaken by female Scouts, into the public consciousness.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELucy emphasises that being a volunteer is flexible too, so fits around your free time. \u2018If you want to do an hour a week, or one afternoon a month, it\u2019s entirely up to you,\u2019 she smiles.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19211/squirrels-and-volunteers-holding-leaves.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"altText":"Three Squirrels in red jumpers hold up leaves to show two volunteers standing in front of them.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe importance of International Women\u2019s Day for everyone\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s no doubt that girls gain a lot from having such strong female role models in Scouts, both Ayesha and Lucy attest to this. It\u2019s important not to forget the impact days, such as International Women\u2019s Day, have on boys and men too.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018International Women\u2019s Day, for men and boys, is a reminder of all the incredible things that women are doing,\u2019 Ayesha explains. \u2018It raises the question \u201CWhat can I do to support the women in my life?\u201D Most people achieve through the support of others.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELucy sees International Women\u2019s Day as a reminder that opportunities should be open to everyone.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Everyone is capable of achieving anything they want to. If young women have a dream to do something, don\u2019t hamper them because they\u2019re a girl. Support them and encourage them to do it,\u2019 she tells us.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20012/two-girls-wearing-harnesses-and-crate-building-theyre-holding-onto-each-other-and-wearing-helmets.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"Two Scouts in orange helmets and harnesses hold on to each other while crate stacking.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA day to celebrate the achievements of girls and women\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt Scouts, we\u2019re proud to celebrate the amazing things the girls and women in our movement do. This is a time to put modesty to one side and make a big noise.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELucy did wonderful things during the Covid lockdown. \u2018I was shielding because I was waiting for heart surgery. That was when the virtual Scouts took off,\u2019 Lucy explains, \u2018We were one of the first groups in the country to offer a full online event.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe online activity, organised by Lucy, peaked with 86,000 hits for one event, with people all over the World taking part. Lucy was awarded the Commissioner\u2019s Commendation and the Chief Scout\u2019s Commendation for her hard work.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAyesha has always made outstanding achievements throughout her time at Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018A big personal achievement would be improving my confidence through Scouts. I wasn\u2019t a confident public speaker, but through the continuous experience of going to camps and meeting people from around the World, I\u2019ve had more and more opportunities to speak,\u0027 she explained.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s led me to, somehow, do a speech at a reunion in front of 2,000 people. And I wasn\u2019t shaking!\u2019 Ayesha grins.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA useful reminder to us all\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThere are girls and women doing incredible things everywhere you look. It\u2019s vital to remember, as the theme of this year\u2019s International Women\u2019s Day reminds us, we should be fostering equity between genders every day of the year, not just today. \u003Cstrong\u003E#EmbraceEquity\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18416/volunteers-with-ball.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"Three volunteers stand in a line, while the volunteer in the centre holds a football above their head.","caption":"","link":null},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWith thanks to Ayesha and Lucy for their time and dedication. \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDiscover more about \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/inclusion-and-diversity/including-everyone/girls-and-women-in-scouts/\u0022\u003Egirls and women in Scouts\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"08 March 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Learn more about International Women\u0027s Day","url":"http://www.internationalwomensday.com/","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Read about girls and women in Scouts","url":"/volunteers/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/girls-and-women/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Try our activities for International Women\u0027s Day","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities?name=IWD","newWindow":true}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":76349,"nodeName":"Why we\u2019re embracing equity on International Women\u2019s Day (and every day)","title":"Why we\u2019re embracing equity on International Women\u2019s Day (and every day)","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/20126/iwd-blog.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd27381420","caption":"IWD Blog","type":"jpg","size":11626949,"width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Why we\u2019re embracing equity on International Women\u2019s Day (and every day)","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"International Women\u2019s Day is time for us to reflect on the incredible contribution of girls and women in our movement, and in society.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC83NjM0OSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/march/embracing-equity-on-international-womens-day/"}