Three Years On...

Outside UNHQ in 2011

Time Flies!

I set up this project in October 2010 after an inspiration week at the Young Women's World Forum. I then set up this blog proper when I set off to New York as part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts delegation to the 55th UN Commission on the Status of Women. My first day at the UN as part of that delegation was exactly three years ago today - and that week was a catalyst for my advocacy and adventures since.

The 22nd February is also important in Guiding and Scouting circles as it marks the founders' shared birthdays and is known as Thinking Day. And so it seems apt to make some important changes to this project on such a day.

The Big News

So the big news today is that this project has changed its name. I've changed it to be about the intended outcome, rather than the actions undertaken. 'Speak Out', 'Reach Out' and 'Camp Out' will still be the names of the three strands of activities with their respective logos (and badges) but the overall project, from now on, will be known as 'Out For Equality'. 

With the Post-2015 International Development Agenda building pace, and the previous commitment to the MDGs becoming clouded, it felt like the right time for a change. Regardless of what we call the big movement for positive global change, this campaign seeks to ensure the gender equality is right at the heart of it. I also don't want this campaign to get lost in the interntional context with it's terminology and processes and big big meetings. To achieve gender equality, we need to think about the little things, the everyday things, and everything in between that and the UN.

I also want to make sure that when we're talking about gender equality, we're talking about it in a true sense. It's not gender equality if we ignore issues of intersectionality - it's got to be equality for gender minorities (not just women and men), its got to be there for all sexual orientations (not just heterosexuals) and its got to be there regardless of disabilites, ethnicity, economics or age. That's why it's 'Out For Equality' - we're setting out on the road to equality, but it's important to be out about who I am to be that reminder that we need equality for all. 

Change And The Same

What I blog about won't really change and I will continue to develop activites within the three strands. It's the structure around it that needed to change to fit what I'm doing. The same issues are still at the heart of it.

It's a new logo, a new name, and a clearer, straightforward aim for everybody to see.