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Extra funding will allow us to have a bigger and better South West Gender Equality S...
South West Gender Equality Summit
Plymouth
Aim
Plymouth University's Feminist Society is aiming to raise money in order to host the first Gender Equality Summit in the South West!
Project aim
Plymouth University's Feminist Society is aiming to raise money in order to host the first Gender Equality Summit in the South West!
About the project
The South West Gender Equality Summit is a one day event which will be held on April 18th at Plymouth University hosted by Plymouth University Feminist Society. We are a newly formed society, established in November 2014, advocating gender equality. We believe in intersectional feminism ( and aim to be accessible and inclusive to all and welcome everyone regardless of gender identity. We decided to host this event to fulfill the following aims:
- To engage people in discussion of issues surrounding gender equality in a safe space.
- To raise awareness of ongoing local and national campaigns and run workshops on running successful campaigns.
- To connect gender equality groups and individuals from accross the South West in order to share ideas, build relationships and join forces. This can allow better campaigning and activism in the future. We hope to bring together the student and non-student community by opening this event to both.
- To grow, promote and network our society. We recognise that at Plymouth University many students feel that feminism does not represent them. By hosting this event we can raise awareness and understanding of what our society is about - advocating equality of everyone. Oppression can effect people from any gender, race, religion or background, and we aim to be inclusive of all of these.
Why Do We Need Your Help?
As a new society we have a very small budget, and it would not be possible to host such an event without your help. We need money to fund:
- Secure Speakers - All speakers are generously donating their time to provide workshops for free. We need help to pay for travel costs from London and around the South West.
- Promotion - We need help to contribute to the cost of printing leaflets and posters which will help to raise awareness about this event.
- Programs - Funds raised will contribute to the printing of programs and tickets on the day, so people know what is going on.
- Refreshments - We will be providing tea, coffee and biscuits on arrival and throughout the day. This will allow participants to mingle and network.
We are so appreciative of anything you are able to pledge. Every pound towards our goal counts and can help to make this event possible. We hope that this is the beginning of exciting things to come for the South West!
Who Will Be Attending?
The South West Gender Equality Summit is open to anyone who wants to attend. We have confirmed many exciting speakers and workshops, and are working hard to secure even more. The following workshops and seminars will be taking place at the South West Gender Equality Summit:
The day will start with a panel of politicians: Molly Scott Cato (Green Party MEP), Alison Seabeck (Labour MP) and Graham Reed (Lib Dem PPC) on engaging women in Politics as leaders and voters.
Ellis Taylor from Exeter Feminists will be giving a workshop on Feminism 101
Hannah Downing will be talking about the Nus I
NUS Womens Officer Susuanna Abutum will be speaking about NUS findings and campaigns.
Two speakers from Sex Worker Open University will be delivering a seminar on the current situation of sex workers in the UK and the impact of different legal model on their lives.
Rich Skipper - UPSU Welfare Officer will be speaking about Know the Line Campaign about sexual harassment.
Abbie Pike - Fem Soc Health and Safety Officer will be running a workshop on identity and positivity
Jenny Fletcher - Fem Soc member will be speaking about sexualisation of women in comics
Dena Rafati - Labour Society member will be giving a workshop about the wage gap
Jessica Horner on behalf of student voice - a workshop on running an effective campaign on and off campus
What Are The Rewards
You will receive the following for donating to our project:
- £5 - Your name will be printed in the event program as a thank you and acknowledgement for making the day possible.
- £10 - Your name will be printed in the program and you will receive a personalised thank you card from Plymouth University Feminist Society.
- £20 - Your name in the program, a personalised thank you card and a copy of a zine created by Feminist Society members.
- £30 - Your name in the program, a personalised thank you card, a copy of the society zine and a free ticket to the South West Gender Equality Summit
- £50 - Your name in the program, a personalised thank you card, a copy of the society zine, a free ticket to the event and free lunch with our speakers.
The Organisers
Plymouth University Feminist Society was established in November 2014. We are are a small group of dedicated students who meet several times a month to engage in activites surrounding feminism and gender equality. The society is open to everyone, regardless of gender identity. So far we have held discussions, taken part in reclaim the night, held fundraising events, made a zine, and hosted film nights. We would like to continue to grow our society and have exciting plans for the upcoming months. We hope that even more students, staff and fellow Plymouth feminists will join in!
Jessica Horner - Feminist Society Chair
"I'm a final year history student and chair of the feminist society. I got involved in feminism through being UPSU Women's rep 2 years ago, which involved attending NUS liberation and activism training and NUS lad culture summit. These events were great but being based in London meant they weren't the easiest to access, so I wanted to work with the society to host an event bringing these discussions to the SW."
Jack Witek - Elected Secretary for Next Academic Year
"By day I'm an environmental science student progressing through a four year degree, by night, when I should really be getting some sleep, I'm society Secretary. My general interests are long walks on the coast, sci-fi and fantasy fiction, and critical left analysis in an exponentially accelerating plurality of possible worlds."
Sarah Letsinger - Feminist Society Treasurer
"I am a postgraduate marine biology student. I have been a feminist for as long as I can remember. I was treasurer of the feminist society as Newcastle University where I did my undergrad and recently gave a workshop at the North East Feminist Gathering on involving women in science outside the workplace. In my free time I make environmentally friendly cosmetics, bake gluten free treats and sometimes work as a SCUBA instructor."
Lucy Dalton - Feminist Society Secretary
"I am currently in my final year at Plymouth University studying for an MEng Civil and Coastal Engineering degree, and cannot wait to start my career as a professional engineer in July! I'm lucky enough to have been brought up believing that my gender should not affect my ambition to excel in a male-dominated field, and am passionate about encouraging other girls to feel at home in STEM industries and in business. I hope that this event will open up discussions about the importance of both promoting gender equality within fields that are traditionally difficult for women to enter and acknowledging how much work we all still have to do to achieve that balance."
Jessica Small - Femsoc Committee Member and UPSU Women's Forum Chair
"I’m a second year Psychology Student at Plymouth University. As Women's Forum Chair, I have already run a couple of events within the community such as the Reclaim the Night march last year, and I have also helped raise money for Women’s Aid & Refuge through the promotion of the Wall of Silence campaign. I am really excited for this conference as this is our first real chance as a society to get out there and raise awareness for gender equality!"
Find Out More About This Project!
Check out the following links if you want to learn more about us as a society or about the event:
Twitter: @Plymunifeminist
Facebook: Feminist Society or South West Gender Equality Like or share to get your friends and family involved.
Facebook Event: Keep Up to Date with the Event
Contact Us: [email protected]
This project successfully funded on 6th April 2015