This year Damascus College lifted the lid on International Women’s Day. The day was an opportunity to have conversations around gender equity and inclusion.

Research shows that diversity makes a difference in education. This can be seen in learning outcomes, decision- making, pedagogy, pastoral care, workload and collaboration.

We recognise that inequality continues to exist in our world. So there is great benefit in students being aware that there is still work to do. Together we want our students to celebrate women's achievements and be able to call out inequality – not just on International Women’s Day but wherever and whenever it may arise.

The theme this year was Embrace Equity. We were invited to consider a different world:

‘Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquity.’

As a school we embraced the theme and provided several activities to raise the profile of gender equity and inclusion. These included:

• Staff breakfast and guest speaker - Audrey Brown
• Former Director of Catholic Education Ballarat, Principal of Catholic College Wodonga to share her experiences and wisdom as a leader and woman.
  Staff wore purple and green - purple was a colour that denoted justice and dignity, and now it is used to represent women. Green is a symbol of hope.
• Students were offered a purple pin to wear
• Students - lunchtime speaker – Hannah Cashmore.
• Hannah is a business owner and former student. This took the form of a Q&A.
• Activity cards were provided to each TA to engage students in conversation or write a story about a significant female in their lives, or in history
• Strike a pose for #EmbraceEquity - staff and students had the opportunity to have a photo taken in front of posters that had been created for the day in the embrace equity pose as promoted via the website.

Thinking Globally

Some thoughts from Sr Joan Chittister who has written many texts on women’s rights and contemporary feminist spirituality:

A fearless advocate for women’s rights, she has consistently confronted the patriarchal church on its sin of sexism and championed equality for women in all of society. A strong feminist, she has insisted that feminism is necessary to ensure the healthy spiritual development of both men and women. A visionary leader, she has shown the connections between justice for women, for world peace, and for the environment. As co-chair of the Global Initiative for Women, Sister Joan has traveled the globe to weaken reactionary forces and campaign tirelessly for increased religious access for women in all religions.

As theologian Chung Hyun Kyung noted, “Joan Chittister showed us how a woman with integrity could reconcile faith and feminism and thrive in one’s own religious tradition no matter how oppressive it is. She taught us how to own our power and act from that power for greater justice, peace, and democracy."