Two young women reporters in Cornwall took part in a series of films exploring the theme of “breaking the bias” for this year’s International women’s day on March 8.
International Women’s Day is a global event that aims to celebrate women’s achievements. This year’s theme is designed to raise awareness of gender bias and promote equality.
To help spread this message, two young women who were part of Y7, the children and young people’s event that celebrated Cornwall’s G7 summit last year, have interviewed some of Cornwall’s remarkable women, and footage from those interviews will be shared on Cornwall Council’s social media channels to mark the day.
Enid, aged 16, and Ella, aged 15, asked Cornwall Council’s Assistant Director of Public health Ruth Goldstein, Cornwall’s Head of Fire and Rescue Service Kath Billing, Chairman of Cornwall Council, Pauline Giles, and Melissa Thorpe, Head of Cornwall’s Spaceport, about their experiences of bias and how they overcame them.
Enid said: “It was great to learn from all these women that being yourself and believing in yourself is the most important thing when it comes to choosing your career path. We were really interested to learn what we could from these women, so that the next generation can be inspired and also achieve great things.”
Ella added: “I was fascinated to hear about what people were most proud of achieving in their lives so far and the ups and downs they experienced along the way. Cornwall is lucky to have a lot of women in leadership roles, not only in the Council but across other sectors too and I know a lot of my friends and family will be interested to learn what we can from these women, who are such great role models”
Cornwall’s first female Council Leader, Linda Taylor hailed the stories as inspirational. She said “We can all be proud that there are a significant number of women in leadership roles across Cornwall for the next generations to follow – but many of us only have to look to our own family members, friends and women out and about in our communities to be inspired at what women in Cornwall can achieve.”
Chairman of Cornwall Council, Pauline Giles, said: “International Women’s Day is something I feel very passionately about. I was so happy to be involved and it was a privilege to meet the two young women involved in showcasing these experiences. There are many very inspirational women in Cornwall, and I hope everyone can learn something from hearing these stories.”
You can find out more by visiting the International Women’s Day website, and learning about this year’s theme.
