Monday 8th March 2021 marks International Women’s Day #IWD2021.
This year’s theme is ‘Choose to Challenge‘.
“A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change. So let’s all choose to challenge.”
As gender bias is something that can be challenged by everyone, this year we encourage you to actively choose to challenge. A global pandemic cannot dampen our spirits in working together to challenge gender bias and collectively strive for gender equality.
We wanted to share a list of just some of the events happening over the next couple of days to celebrate IWD 2021.
There are a plethora of events around the world and across the UK being hosted virtually therefore access is unlimited. Please take a look at the extensive list posted by IWD here.
Some of our favourite events that sound inspiring, empowering and interesting we will share below and will be trying to attend ourselves. All of the events are FREE so we should definitely take advantage where time allows us to! In chronological order, see below:
- From Challenge Becomes Change: Thurs 4th March 10am-5pm. Over the course of the day they will explore: Why we’re still having to talk about women and girls in STEM and what’s holding us back from making progress, ways to change the stories we tell when they don’t represent us, how we can affect a genuine change in mindsets and move away from the default-male workplace, how to build the skills that allow women to access meaningful, well paid work as we move from recession to recovery and what we can learn from leadership in a crisis and apply it to our day-to-day lives.
- Manchester City Council Live Twitter Webinar: Sat 6th March 12:00pm. Highlighting the great work that goes on each year, we’ll also showcase some of the recipients of this year’s IWD funding – the online activities that you’ve organised to celebrate the role of women in our communities.
- Pro-Manchester Event: Mon 8th March 10-11:30am. With the aim to raise awareness against bias and take action for equality, pro-manchester have invited RADA Business to deliver a 1.5 hour masterclass focusing on Speaking up with confidence.
- Change Begins With Choice: Mon 8th March 10am-6pm. This event will be celebrating the inspiring stories and interviews with some incredible, amazing women & challenging the format of their IWD event, a special guest being an inspiring young man and his mum.
- Leading the Race for Equality: Mon 8th March 12:50pm. Hosted by the University of Chester for their Diversity Festival. This online event will bring together the first black woman to serve in a British Cabinet, Liverpool’s first black female MP, female business, education and charity leaders, staff and students.
- IWD Live Webinar: Mon 8th March 6-8pm. A panel of some of the UK’s most successful female business leaders will share their career stories and will involve inspiring talks from female business leaders. They will share how they managed to get to the successful position they are now and guide you through how they tackled any barriers within the workforce.
- Celebrating Women in Business and Industry: Mon 8th March 6pm. A powerful panel discussion with some of the finest women in Health and Safety, CSR and Humanity. It will explore some of the challenges within industries today, as well as some of the inspirations and advice that many women have faced at one time or another.
- The March for Women and Children’s Rights: Mon 8th March 6-7pm. In this talk, Carol Harris will look at some of the milestones which gave basic freedoms to women and to children, exploring how campaigners like our founder, Thomas Coram, argued against prevailing views that children were invisible and expendable.
- Afghanaid – Afghanistan’s Trailblazing Women: Mon 8th March 6-7pm. This talk will feature women who are challenging the status quo and paving the way for a more equal future in Afghanistan.
- Free to Be Me: Refugee Stories: Mon 8th March 7-8pm. Join publisher Helen Sandler in conversation with Jane Traies, and hear from members of the Lesbian Immigration Support Group about their experiences.
We are aware of the wealth of events taking place this year due to increased accessibility of all events being virtual, but it would be good to attend one or two to really celebrate this year. If you are wanting to celebrate IWD in your own organisation, you can get some ideas here.
We would love to hear about any other events you are aware of that we could share and attend!
Happy International Women’s Day.
