Why we’re embracing equity on International Women’s Day (and every day)

We took some time to chat with Ayesha Karim, our UK Youth Commissioner, and Lucy Cox, an Assistant Scout Leader and Deputy District Commissioner, to get their perspectives.

A day to remember and celebrate women’s achievements

8 March 2023 is International Women’s Day, a moment for us all to reflect on the incredible contribution of girls and women both in our movement, and in society.

Lucy, a volunteer for the last 7 years, is passionate about the importance of International Women’s Day. Lucy explains the constant need for us to remind ourselves of how women have been treated in the past, to ensure equality and respect in the present.

‘There’ve been so many women who put their lives on the line to give us equality, like the Suffragettes,’ says Lucy, ‘I just found out that my nan’s mum was a suffragette. I think of all they went through just to give us the right to vote. We need to celebrate what they’ve given us.’ 

Ayesha, who fits in volunteering around her university life, is equally engaged with International Women’s Day. She tells us the impact this day can have on girls. 

‘It’s a chance to celebrate women,’ Ayesha says, ‘It’s like a reminder or a reset. It’s about achievements and celebrations that otherwise might have slipped past you, bringing them to the forefront. It leaves an impression on a young girl’s mind that’s powerful. You need that to create powerful women in the future.’

A place for inspirational women and girls

Listening to Ayesha and Lucy, it’s exciting to hear them describe Scouts as a movement led by inspirational girls and women.

‘Achieving an award is a door that wouldn’t be open to me, if I hadn’t seen someone else go through it first.’ Ayesha says, outlining the importance of girls seeing women achieve incredible things. Ayesha’s own Section Leader achieved the Queen’s Scout Award, inspiring Ayesha to set the King’s Scout Award as a goal.

‘Most of the female role models in my life are either through Scouts, or coincidentally are Scouts. There’s a wild correlation there,’ says Ayesha. ‘Our Scout volunteers were massive role models to us, they felt like big sister figures at times. It was great to be able to go to them and have their advice.’ 

Lucy can’t help being impressed by the girls she’s met in Scouts. ‘I honestly think that girls who’ve been in Scouts show a whole different level of resilience and management of their emotions,’ she explains. In Lucy’s view, Scouts really is providing young people with skills for life.

Goals for Scouts on International Women’s Day

So, what can Scouts do to continue to support girls and women?

Both Ayesha and Lucy praise the volunteering done by women at Scouts. 

Ayesha's passionate about Scouts giving women the platform to use the skills they have, as ‘everyone has the skills to shine in any role, it’s just having the confidence.’

She's keen to see Scouts encourage even more women to volunteer and take on more visible leadership roles, as she knows some may need a little push or helping hand, as well as someone saying, ‘You’d be good for this’. 

Lucy firmly believes Scouts must maximise on the work women do, by getting case studies, demonstrating the range of activities undertaken by female Scouts, into the public consciousness.

Lucy emphasises that being a volunteer is flexible too, so fits around your free time. ‘If you want to do an hour a week, or one afternoon a month, it’s entirely up to you,’ she smiles.

The importance of International Women’s Day for everyone

There’s no doubt that girls gain a lot from having such strong female role models in Scouts, both Ayesha and Lucy attest to this. It’s important not to forget the impact days, such as International Women’s Day, have on boys and men too.

‘International Women’s Day, for men and boys, is a reminder of all the incredible things that women are doing,’ Ayesha explains. ‘It raises the question “What can I do to support the women in my life?” Most people achieve through the support of others.’

Lucy sees International Women’s Day as a reminder that opportunities should be open to everyone.

‘Everyone is capable of achieving anything they want to. If young women have a dream to do something, don’t hamper them because they’re a girl. Support them and encourage them to do it,’ she tells us.

A day to celebrate the achievements of girls and women

At Scouts, we’re proud to celebrate the amazing things the girls and women in our movement do. This is a time to put modesty to one side and make a big noise.

Lucy did wonderful things during the Covid lockdown. ‘I was shielding because I was waiting for heart surgery. That was when the virtual Scouts took off,’ Lucy explains, ‘We were one of the first groups in the country to offer a full online event.’

The online activity, organised by Lucy, peaked with 86,000 hits for one event, with people all over the World taking part. Lucy was awarded the Commissioner’s Commendation and the Chief Scout’s Commendation for her hard work.

Ayesha has always made outstanding achievements throughout her time at Scouts.

‘A big personal achievement would be improving my confidence through Scouts. I wasn’t a confident public speaker, but through the continuous experience of going to camps and meeting people from around the World, I’ve had more and more opportunities to speak,' she explained.

‘It’s led me to, somehow, do a speech at a reunion in front of 2,000 people. And I wasn’t shaking!’ Ayesha grins.

A useful reminder to us all

There are girls and women doing incredible things everywhere you look. It’s vital to remember, as the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day reminds us, we should be fostering equity between genders every day of the year, not just today. #EmbraceEquity