Sofia attends National Council of Women Conference

The National Council of Women (NCW) was established in 1895, pre-dating the infamous Suffragettes, but 2013 has been their first year of opening this competition. In an attempt to further integrate the concerns of women into social media, the NCW has opened a Facebook page, a Twitter account and the Speak Out Competition which aims towards ‘Giving Young Women and Girls a Voice’. Furthermore this is the title of their 2013 annual Conference in October and it is what they have managed to achieve through this competition. To celebrate my victory I had been invited to this year’s conference where I met many friendly and forward-looking woman who eagerly accepted the challenge of campaigning for women’s rights. 

In the competition itself, the question that I had to answer was: ‘If you could influence the Government to take action on one issue to improve the lives of women and girls, what would it be?’. It seemed like the playing-field was left wide open. I felt that after studying Government and Politics in my first year at AS, I would be able to articulate concerns which were close to my heart. I submitted a proposal on ‘Woman in positions of power’ because the only woman politician that I had seen prominently displayed in different media outlets was Theresa May. There is a shortage of female role-models, those who young women and girls could truly look up to. As the former President of the NCW, Sheila Eaton, said at the Conference: ‘Not all girls want to be WAGs’ but these are the women who are most often seen on the front pages of magazines. With a panel of eminent judges, and an organization which had weathered time I felt that even if I did not win I would at least have my pleas heard. Fortunately not only was my proposal read, both through the judging stages and at the Conference, but it is now on its way to Government, as NCW have a long history of lobbying Westminster. Doors to other opportunities are now beginning to open for me.

In the near future I will be visiting the House of Lords and be part of the audience in Question Time during Parliament week. Also, one of the judges and a famous space-scientist, Maggie Aderin-Procock, will now be giving a talk at our school. I am grateful, not only to my teachers and the NCW, but for the ability to be able to express myself and in this way be part of the movement to make a change for the better.

 Sofia, Year 13