1. Young Women's World Forum 2010Some people who knew me both before and after this week in October 2010 would probably say that week changed me life - I definitely think so. It was an event organised by WAGGGS to celebrate the centenary and brought together young women from nearly 100 countries to talk about the Millennium Development Goals. I was inspired by the other participants and volunteers, by the atmosphere, by the discussions, and by the guest speakers (see number 2). I was also set the challenge to go away and start a project - that's how Speak Out, Reach Out, Camp Out started. I believe we need inspiration, information and empowerment joined together to enable us to seize our rights.
2. Leymah Gbowee
We watched 'Pray the Devil Back To Hell' on the first night and Leymah Gbowee came to speak in person on the 3rd day. I wrote down several quotes on my developing project plan - "Small Steps, Big Impact, Lifetime Legacy" has stuck with me ever since. Leymah is a fantastic public speaker, and has inspired me on several other occasions since that first speech I heard. If she could face down a civil war to achieve peace for her country, that doing my best to fight injustices in the UK no longer seems such a scary prospect.
3. Experiencing ViolenceI've been bullied, spat at, groped, shouted at, and assaulted for various reasons, most of which relate to gender and sexuality, and I've suffered periods of serious anxiety and depression as a result. I don't want future generations to perpetuate this violence, so I want to do everything I can to help people to understand that we all have rights - including the right to a life free from violence.
4. Being told I 'should have been born a boy'
My time at secondary school was dominated by bullying and never feeling like I fit in. I was regularly told that I 'should have been born a boy' because of the way I acted, things I liked, and way I'd have liked to dressed if there wasn't a gendered school uniform. I didn't need to be born a boy, other people need to rethink their definition of what a 'girl' is.
5. Bishop Stephen Cottrell
My secondary school was attached to the Cathedral in Peterborough. I didn't once hear anybody tell me it was OK to be anything other than straight, other than in one of (then Canon) Stephen Cottrell's assemblies. I joined the Cathedral youth group that met in the Canon's house and I actually associated that church with being welcoming and inclusive for a long time. He was very encouraging of women within the church and a great advocate of women bishops.
Equal marriage and immigration rights admittedly wasn't something I'd contemplated at length before I met my partner. Even in same-sex relationships previously, I hadn't thought about marrying the person I was with. Falling in love with an American means that inequalities of the legal nitty-gritty of both countries become a sudden reality. We want to be together, but politicians with their own agendas are in control of when/how that happens. Having spent most of the duration of our relationship trying to understand various laws we've found a route - but many others don't have the options they should.
7. Hundreds of Youth Leaders
Through the opportunities that Girlguiding and WAGGGS has given me I have met hundreds of inspiring young women and men who are leading change in their communities the world over. I see them using the little space, little resources, and little voice they have to grow, make their voice heard and change lives.They remind me that none of us are alone in this journey to get equal rights. They are all heading to the same destination even if we are taking different paths.
8. Two Young Men
After the last day of the Global Youth Forum in Bali we headed out to one of the many nightclubs on the island. That was where I met a transgender activist from Uganda. I may have had a few too many strawberry daiquiris (it was hot and the ice cooled me down) to remember his name, but the stories he told of what they were overcoming in Uganda, and of the work he was doing to establish a safe house and support members of the LGBT community, really hit home. I had a friend, Harry, in the UK the year before who had committed suicide as a result of struggling with transitioning and the transphobia he faced. Harry had inspired me with some of the vlogs he created and the discussion of transphobia we had in person and on social media. I saw him as tremendously strong and his death left me numb and questioning my own ability to overcome the mental health problems that all too often result from any kind of discrimination. Meeting this Ugandan activist gave me faith, positivity, a belief that we can ultimately overcome this discrimination to achieve equality. It's a journey, not a battle. We will get to equality in the end. It's not a battle to be lost.
9. Girlguiding
While it's easy to point to big events as turning points and inspirations, underlying these is how I got to to that point (i.e. to the Young Women's World Forum). I've been in Girlguiding since I was 5, and I've probably always been a geek. I love learning, and I remember as a Brownie taking home my handbook and actually reading it, doing all the activities I could do independantly of the unit and taking back the filled out pages, presenting them to my Brown Owl the next week. In the process I devoured and took to heart the ethos of Girlguiding and that is still with me. I should be kind and helpful, lend a hand, be a sister to all guides. I completed my Footpath, Road, Highway, and Go challenges before my 10th birthday, moved straight up to Guides and was back helping younger girls soon after my 11th. When you give an 11 year old the responsibility of running games and helping girls with crafts, I think it's logical that 10 years later they're capable of running side events at the UN and helping other young women prepare advocacy materials. We're back to the small steps, but a programme that built up my skills - especially in leadership - and has rewarded and recognised the various challenges I completed along the way has made me confident that I can be successful in whatever I put my mind to. Even if I'm not successful straight away, I've gained the skills to learn from my mistakes and take a different approach from Girlguiding.10. You
I started Speak Out, Reach Out, Camp Out with little idea of how it would develop or who would be interested. But over the years I've seen the followers of the blog and social media grow and hundreds (if not thousands now) of people take part in the Reach Out and Camp Out activities. That includes you. I'm not talking to thin air, the audience is growing week by week, month by month, year by year. You inspire me to keep going, keep blogging, and keep coming up with activities so that together we can achieve equality and a better world for all.
Thanks You.
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