International Women’s Summit and YWCA World Council 2011
Over the past week, I have been inspired, moved, challenged and motivated while attending the World YWCA’s International Women’s Summit and World Council in Zurich.
There were so many highlights of the week that made an impact on me, both on a personal and professional level, that it is difficult to condense it all for this article – I could write an essay on my time at World Council!
I am honoured to have met and listened to the world’s most influential leaders who advocate for women’s rights globally, and I am humbled to have heard stories from individuals of their experiences of women’s and children’s struggles from across the world. I am also inspired by the many young women I met who are leaders in the world movement.
I am honoured to have met and listened to the world’s most influential leaders who advocate for women’s rights globally.
I am particularly proud to have Kirsty Kelly, who represents YWCA of Great Britain, re-elected onto the World YWCA Board - now as Vice President. Kirsty showed real confidence and leadership throughout the week and proved that young women have an important leadership role to play within YWCA.
I discovered that although the work we do in YWCA Scotland may vary from other YWCAs across the globe, we also have many similarities. This really resonated with me while discussing SRHR (Sexual & Reproductive Health & Rights). I explained that although Scotland has a good level of Sex Education compared to other countries, particularly those in the developing world, we still have high rates of STIs and teen pregnancies. I then expressed YWCA Scotland’s belief in developing confidence, self esteem and respect in girls from an early age; to provide them with the skills to make informed decisions with the information they are given. Many other women in the room from different countries agreed with this sentiment; although our experiences differed, confidence building was at the core of our work.
I discovered that although the work we do in YWCA Scotland may vary from other YWCAs across the globe, we also have many similarities.
On a global level, I was touched by the resolution from YWCA Korea and YWCA Japan that called on the World YWCA movement to join forces to help strengthen women’s and children’s rights in North Korea. I was also moved by YWCA of Palestine’s presentation calling on YWCAs to support the Olive Tree Campaign.
I am also proud that I volunteered to sit on the World Council Steering Committee as the European Region Representative. As part of this role I acted as an advocate for any member of World YWCA who had any pressing issues or concerns, and took part in additional meetings. I really enjoyed this role, which allowed me to help others during the World Council meetings and also influence preparations for the next World Council in 2015.
I have met so many wonderful people through this whole experience; my friends from the GB delegation, and many more inspiring women from around the world. I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity and I can’t wait to share everything that I have learned.
The week in Zurich has been truly unforgettable and I could never have imagined the impact it would have on me.
