Girl Power @ GIBS
Premiere at GIBS: Girls’ Day on March 8, International Women’s Day: Under the motto girls’ empowerment, the school representatives organized a “somewhat different big break” in the schoolyard. Three rousing speakers, Una Saric, science teacher Lisa Bardel and Emily Meixner, made the girls aware of social injustices, but also of their great potential. The event was also used as a fundraiser to collect monetary donations and hygiene items for women in Ukraine.
The inspiring event was rounded off by Emma Eger and Valerie Senger, who sang the day’s message to the crowd: Girls can do anything!
Listen to what our students have to say on Radio Steiermark:
https://radiothek.orf.at/stm/20220308/STGMS/1646712708938
https://radiothek.orf.at/stm/20220308/STGMS/1646723432922
Women’s Day
The first time I learned about women’s day was probably around the beginning of elementary school. In Bosnia, where my family comes from, today’s date the 8th of March is a widely celebrated day. Mothers, sisters, female friends, sometimes colleagues all receive roses and well-wishes. On one occasion my dad came up to me and brought my mom and me a rose. I was wondering why was I getting a rose. Why me? What did I do? What for do we have this special day once in a year?
I believe it is because of three main reasons:
Firstly, our sisters in developing countries are still trapped in an old belief system where they often do not access to eduction and are exposed to unimaginamble discrimination and violence. The second reason is that even on our well developed, highly privledged societies, the societal stigma around women remains strong. We might be equal to men on paper, however multiple complex factors either make it impossible to achieve their aspirations or they do ot even try. Perhaps because that i something boys and men do. I believe that it is very important to also look at positive achievements, rather than only point out negative facts.
In the past couple of decades, finally immense progress towards gender equity has been made and awareness for the issue has been established. Now it is the time to take action and to choose long-term peace over comfort, to go the extra step no matter how intimidating it might seem at first. This brings me to my final reason on why I assign great importance to women’s day. The women of our world need to be celebrated more. No matter how often they were forgotten and discredited in history, we must remember that always at least 50% of every achievement comes from a woman in some way. Be that as a scientist who was dismissed, a thinker or politician who was silenced, or a caring mother or wife who made it her life priority to do good in serving her loved ones. Girls, it is us here at an educational institution who can make the change happen. It is us here where we can choose to study hard and choose whichever career fulfils us. It is us here where we become independent, where we can use our youth not only to have fun, but to become well-established individuals, who know what they want, and especially what they don’t want. Let’s never again shy away from a challenge because we think that we can’t do it because we are a girl. Let’s never be quiet again when we are treated ineptly. I am so glad that at GIBS, we have plenty of female role models, examples and leaders who show me personally. : oh hell yeah you can. Education is where history can begin and where it can end.
Let’s choose wisely.
Thank you!
Una Saric, student representative
