Championing Girl Power - Moreton Hall

General

Championing Girl Power

With International Women’s Day a highlight of the Moreton Hall calendar, the M-PWR group were delighted to welcome International Human Rights Lawyer Rebecca Wright to our whole school assembly on Monday to open a week of activities. Inspired by the suffragettes who were the focus of her PhD thesis, Rebecca has demonstrated the importance of promoting women’s rights and spreading her girl power message working in countries including Qatar, Papua New Guinea, Lebanon, Syria, Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Fizzing with energy and passion, Rebecca made the International Women’s Day theme of inclusion her focus, and talked about her work in trying to ensure women’s voices are heard. She talked about the importance of education for girls, reminding us of how this precious right is currently denied to so many girls around the world, not least in Afghanistan. Rebecca’s own work has sometimes required her to conform to the expectation to cover her own gender and identity. Using her Year 3 daughter, Seren, as her model, Rebecca demonstrated the shocking reality of how immediately the identity and personality of a girl is concealed when a burka is put on.

Rebecca’s talk held everyone in the Musgrave from Year 3 to Upper Sixth spellbound and left us in no doubt of the part we all have to play in the M-PWR message of inclusion, girl power and promoting women’s rights. Amy (Lower 6) commented: ”The assembly was electric! Rebecca’s talk was fascinating, she was an impassioned speaker who highlighted the importance of International Women’s Day now more than ever. We are all so grateful she came in and to share her passion for human rights and to highlight the situation many women across the globe experience.”

At the end of the assembly, Ms Conde announced the winner of the M-PWR International Women’s Day design- a-postcard competition and Rebecca presented the award, a mug celebrating a wonderful selection of inspiring women, to Arabella (Remove) for her fabulous design.

The postcards are deigned to encourage pupils to write a special message and send it to an inspirational woman in their life. Postcards are available to purchase from Moreton Enterprises (£1). All proceeds will go to West Mercia Women’s Aid.