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International Women’s Day returns to Sunderland

Hope Street Xchange in Sunderland is once again proud to support International Women’s Day by hosting its own event on Friday 8th March.

This year the event will highlight the fantastic work being done across the region to support women through education and into work. This inspiring and empowering occasion will focus on the help available to those who may face obstacles, such as coming from disadvantaged backgrounds or facing complex barriers, and celebrate their achievements. The audience will hear from many inspiring speakers who will speak on behalf of charities, their workplace or simply tell their own personal journey from difficulty to success.

With its recent growth in recognition you’d be forgiven for thinking International Women’s Day was a manifestation of modern feminism but it is far from it. In the early 20th century a group of 100 women from 17 countries met in Copenhagen at the Conference of Working Women to pass a motion for an International Working Women’s Day.

The movement focussed on the conditions that dictated women’s lives including working hours, pay, childcare and child labour. There was a call for women to be able to ‘live, not simply exist’ and thus, International Women’s Day was born. Held annually on March 8th, it is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality.

In the North East we have some fantastic celebrations happening across the region to show our support and continued commitment to gender equality and support for parity in the workplace.

Hope Street Xchange is working with Smart Works, a charity recently patronised by Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and The Red Box Project. By collecting donations of clothes, shoes, accessories and sanitary items, the hope is that the day will not only prove inspiring and empowering for those attending but also extend that feeling to women and girls across the region who are supported by these wonderful charities.

Some of the fantastic speakers lined up for the day so far include:

• Rebecca Robinson, Commercial Facilities Manager, University of Sunderland
• Katherine Briggs, Lead Enterprise Consultant, Finchale Group
• Lauren Robinson, Journalism Graduate, Fashion Blogger and founder of the first Beauty Bank in Sunderland
• Ingrid Tchamabe, Director, Divinepearl’s Events
• Dr Rebecca Owens, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Sunderland
• Bella Marie Training Academy
• Uplift Associates
• The Red Box Project

The Hope Street Xchange event is open to people from all backgrounds and walks of life who want to share in a celebration of women and do some good to help others this International Women’s Day.

International Women’s Day at Hope Street Xchange takes place on Friday 8th March from 8.30am – 1pm.

Click here to register your free place.

*This event is proudly sponsored by Elior UK who are generously providing refreshments, come along to sample their delicious food and drinks.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by University of Sunderland .