As a workplace that is made up of a majority of women, we like to celebrate our people every day! Yet, in the spirit of International Women’s Day, we spent the morning with the ladies at one of Activ’s disability accommodation homes to hear from them about what the day means to them, important women to them, and how this year’s theme around investing in women has impacted their lives.
Tanya – Activ customer
Who is an important woman in your life and why? My Aunty Lynette. She looks after and takes care of me and advocates on my behalf as well as for all of our family and we certainly have a big family. When my Aunty Lynette spends time with me she makes the time sooooo special.
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day? To ensure I have a voice as a woman as I don’t communicate verbally. My Aunty and my supports are my voice.
Pamela – Support Worker
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
International Women’s Day is very important to celebrate because it’s a day to recognise how far women’s rights and gender equality have come, and what still needs to be done.
It’s a day to celebrate women and to look at the barriers women face. We celebrate how far as women we have come from and reflect at the achievements of women, though there is still a long way to go to achieve women’s human rights and its intersection with other factors such as violence, discrimination, or marginalisation, which place women in complex situation of vulnerability. A big thank you to Activ for recognising this special day.
Who is the most important woman in your life?
The most important woman in my life is my mother, she taught me how to be a woman who can work hard for what I want to achieve. A woman who taught me to stand up for my rights as a woman. She taught me to respect people despite their background. She is my all-time strong back, without her the world is not the same for me. She has taught me to be a woman of confidence, bold, to encourage others, and to put a smile on others despite my circumstances.
My mother invested in me and until today it has impacted my life in a very positive way and it’s going to continue. She went extra miles to make sure I am well educated, though she was not so well educated herself, she strives to make a difference in my life. She is a woman who inspired not only me, but empowered the community of women around her.
Brooke – Chief Operating Officer
This year’s IWD theme is around Investing in Women. Can you think of a time someone really invested in you that impacted your career/life?
I am very fortunate to have a really great group of women in my life who are all highly experienced leaders across the community services sector. I have also had some great mentors along the way who have provided guidance at certain points in my career that I have been eternally grateful for.
I have made a conscious effort to stay connected to strong women leaders across the sector and I draw on their experiences to drive my own thinking and direction. As a female leader, we must reach out and help those women around us to grow, nurture their development and build each other’s confidence. We as women are usually our own worst enemies when it comes to self-confidence, so back yourselves and each other to be the best versions of yourselves!
Nathalie – Support Worker
Who is an important woman in your life and why?
My mum and my two aunts are the important women in my life since they have moulded me to who I am today. I am always proud for them, I wouldn’t be who I am today if not because of them: a woman who is not scared of whatever challenges this life has.
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
It is the day when we give importance to every woman globally and, in this way, women all over the world will be empowered and be proud of themselves.
Can you recall a time where someone has invested in you in your life and how it impacted you?
One example of this is when my family allowed me to fly to a foreign country and take the path that I wanted. With that, I felt that they trusted me, and as a woman, and I felt empowered to do the best that I can.
Paula – Team Leader
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
To ensure all women are invested in, to have a voice, human rights, that women are valued and invested in to be more successful. We all are from different ethnicities we all have the same struggles and to recognise how far we have come in equality and recognition.