2016 Delegates

Delegates - 2016  

 Victoria Keene 

I will be speaking at the ADVANCE event ‘The real meaning of empowerment-how best to ensure implementation of the SDGs’ at CSW, and I am  so grateful to have been given the opportunity to speak about the SDG 16 and justice - an issue I feel passionately about. Too often women around the world face injustice, whether this be due to the failings of a justice system, tradition and social stigma surrounding women trying to receive justice or even the lack of sanitary products for many girls around the world, which leads to an end of their education. It’s imperative that the SDG 16 is implemented effectively and comprehensively internationally, as all women and girls deserve equal access to justice regardless of their situation and location.  

I am currently studying History, English Literature, French and Politics, and I am planning on studying for a history degree next year. I am so grateful and excited to be attending CSW60, and I’m looking forward to attending events and meeting inspiring women and men from all over the world. I hope that I will be able to transfer the skills and knowledge I gain back into my life at home, and to continue to talk about justice, empowerment and equality beyond my time at CSW. 

  

Miranda Saul 

 I am taking part in the NAWO Redefining Feminism event at CSW. My focus is on how transgender people fit in to feminism and intersectional feminism as a tool for truly finding gender equality. In my opinion, transgender people really highlight the changes that feminism need as they challenge our perception on what it is to be a woman and what people mean when they say “gender equality”. This is why redefining feminism is a very important topic. As society changes, our perceptions on certain issues change and we need to be able to express our thoughts on these issues by revising the way they are portrayed in our fight for equality. I wanted to make an impact with my speech and so I start with the shocking statistic that every 29 hours a transgender person is killed simply for existing. The only reason these people are targeted is because they are not seen as normal and very often, things that are ‘not normal’ are seen to be threatening to people. By raising awareness of transgender people and allowing them to become a normality, these people would not be losing their lives.  

At the moment, I am studying Biology, Chemistry, Spanish and English Literature A-Level at Stroud High School in the UK, with the aspiration to study medicine at university and eventually become a cardiac surgeon. I hope that I will be able to not only learn and be inspired by CSW but be able to influence people or at least challenge some opinions by my talk. I am looking forward to listening to  some eye-opening talks and I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to speak at CSW and I know it is an experience I will never forget.  

 Abigail Osmond 

I will be participating in the displaced women event at CSW60. In my speech I look at the issues faced by migrant women and girls and the sustainable development goals relating to them. In my opinion, the SDG'S offer a lot of hope to a hopeless situation. What needs to happen now is for governments of nations to be intentional about acting upon them. Goal 5.2 states that the aim is to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres and this would link directly to the violence and oppression that women and girls face during conflict and in the aftermath of it. I thoroughly enjoyed writing my speech as this is an issue that I am very passionate about however, it did highlight to me the desperation of the situations that many women and girls find themselves in around the world. For many their option is facing violence at home or fleeing and facing violence. Something must be done about this. 

I am currently studying my A levels at Stroud High School, UK, and am taking English Literature, Politics, theatre studies and music. I am so looking forward to travelling to New York and taking part in CSW and I know that I will come away from it feeling like I have learnt a great deal and hopefully will have much more awareness about the problems our world faces and what we can do to overcome them. 

 Sophie Durn 

During CSW60, I will be participating in the NAWO Thinking beyond the Possible: Inspiring Future Female World Leaders event. In my speech, I discuss the definition of a leader and reference current examples of female leaders within the world, and how they have affected the social movement of leadership that is increasing amongst young women. In my opinion, I think that this is a critical topic within society at this time, as it will be crucial in supporting the fight towards a greater equality in the world. Whilst I reinforce the notion that we should inspire the future generation to stand up for themselves and take leadership, I also highlight how education is a key factor within this issue as it gives women the power to be able to stand up for themselves as well as others in their community. As well as this, I propose the question of whether we should simply refer to leaders rather than female/male leaders as this leads it open to a segregated interpretation. I found researching this presentation incredibly interesting as I believe it is very fundamental to the campaign of equality, and I hope that this short summary leads to you thinking about the role of young women leaders.  

I am currently studying my A-Levels at Stroud High School in the UK, and am taking English Literature, Geography, Politics and Photography. I believe that CSW is a key driver towards further awareness and success and am very grateful for NAWO and the JMutale Foundation for accrediting me and allowing me to have the opportunity to speak alongside others who have the same passion for equality as myself.  

 Catherine Walters 

The event that I am speaking at is the Pacific Rim Institute of Developmental Education (PRIDE) event on 'Training in implementation: the role of civil society in making the SDGs work'. My speech is specifically about how civil society can work together to implement the SDGs. Although I went into this process knowing nothing about the topic, I have learnt so many interesting things, and it has given me the chance to research many charities, NGOs and other civil society groups that do incredible work around the world, from educating disadvantaged children to helping women who are experiencing domestic violence. It is so important that it is not just the government that has to put the SDGs into action, and that civil society works as a collective to make them effective.  

I'm currently doing 4 AS Levels- Politics, French, English Literature and Geography at Stroud High in the UK, with the hope of doing a degree in Politics. I am really looking forward to attending CSW60 and meeting interesting and inspiring people from all around the world.This is an amazing opportunity, and one that I am very grateful for, and hopefully the skills and experiences I gain will stay with me for a long time. 

 Ella O'Doherty 

 At CSW60, I am taking part in the event ‘The real meaning of empowerment-how best to ensure implementation of the SDGs’, run by ADVANCE. I will be speaking about how self knowledge and SDG 4 are key to the empowerment of women and girls across the globe. I am incredibly grateful to be able to speak about a topic which I feel so passionate about. In my opinion, self-knowledge and education go hand in hand, and with 66 million girls worldwide out of education, it is no wonder that power is not shifting fast enough. Alice Walker said, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any”; and without this self-knowledge, how can women know just how powerful they are. We need to tackle the many factors stopping girls from attending school, including poverty, lack of toilet facilities, armed conflict and access issues. Not only would improvements to education improve these individuals lives, but also their families, communities, and even national and international societies. Boys and girls of all ages need to be taught, and understand, that their gender does not define the paths they can take. 

I am currently studying A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry, English Literature and Maths at Stroud High School, UK, and hope to go on to do something related to Biology at University. I am very appreciative of NAWO and ADVANCE for accrediting me so that I can take part in CSW60. I am really looking forward to meeting and learning from men and women from all over the world, and am sure that this experience will be invaluable. 

  

Imogen Ford 

I will be taking part in the ADVANCE event ‘The real meaning of empowerment – how best to ensure implementation of the SDGs at CSW60. In my speech I am looking specifically at the impact and value of women entrepreneurs to the Sustainable Development Goals 1, 5 and 8. I am passionate about the implementation of equal opportunities concerning education and the knowledge and integration of more women into the world of business, as these are such important topics today. The number of women who do not have sufficient access to education in this world is astonishing, and a figure which needs to be changed. It is paramount that this topic is discussed more in order for us to work together and move forward to create a more sustainable world. Whilst I consider the drawbacks for many women entrepreneurs in my speech, I am also emphasising the importance of perseverance and strength for these women, as future generations will, as a result of hopeful improvements, have a more stable and equitable society. 

This year I am studying French, Spanish, Politics and English Literature at Stroud High School in the UK, and in the near future I aspire to carry on my studies at university to study French and Spanish - with the ambition to incorporate both my passion for languages and human rights in a career. I am sure that I will return from CSW feeling more inspired and motivated than ever, as these issues of women’s rights are such an important topic which need more time in the spotlight. I am honoured to have this amazing opportunity to be a part of CSW60, as it is a huge step in improving the status of women worldwide. 

  

Amelia Evans  

As part of the NAWO Women and Water event at CSW, I will be speaking about the relationship between SDG 5, gender equality, and 6, the insurance of sanitation and water for all. Lack of sanitation and water hinders the socioeconomic opportunities women receive and thus prevents the empowerment of women and girls whilst aiding to gender inequality within societies. Moreover, the health of women and girls is jeopardised due to lack of clean water and sanitation facilities, as is their safety and protection as they risk walking long distances after nightfall just to reach toilet facilities. Prior to my research I was not aware of the clear links between the two relevant Sustainable Development Goals, and through my presentation I wish to inform others as to how the implementation of water and sanitation for all is essential for the achievement of gender equality. 

I am currently preparing to take my A Level examinations at Stroud High School, UK. I am studying History, Politics and Philosophy and Ethics, and have been offered at place at Cambridge to read History in the autumn. I am very much looking forward to attend CSW60 and am very grateful that I have the opportunity to participate in such an influential session; the knowledge I gain as a result will be invaluable insight into an issue that affects everyone in all societies and cultures. 

  

Hattie Beck 

I am studying my A levels at Stroud High School, where I take French, Politics, History and English Literature. I am very passionate about women’s issues around the world so am really looking forward to being able to present my own opinions at CSW and I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to do so.  

I will be talking at a NAWO event on displaced women and girls, focusing mainly on the effect and risks of displacement on young girls. I will be talking about how it takes away their right to education and often leaves girls without the valuable resources and knowledge gained from school that can potentially save lives. I will be talking about the horrendous threat of sexual violence towards girls that is still so prevalent in modern conflict zones and also the atrocity of child marriage which is on the rise, due to the perception of parents that forcing their daughters into marriages with older men will reduce the risk of sexual violence, when in fact it only places them in situations of domestic and sexual abuse and severely breached their human rights.  

  

Holly Abbott  

I’ll be attending the CSW60 event and as part of the Corruption Panel, I’m going to be discussing the impacts of corrupt practice and how it’s different for men and women. This topic has been really eye-opening, as it’s difficult to comprehend how one corrupt practice can alter the entire lives of vulnerable people, and how difficult it is to break the cycle that people get trapped in as a result of corruption. One element of this that I found really interesting is the relationship between corruption and poverty; people in poverty are more in need and therefore are more likely to support corrupt practices, not out of malicious intent but for means of survival. The main problem with controlling and eliminating corrupt practices is that they operate underground in most cases, and they can’t be directly impacted by much social policy or legislation because they are not legitimate institutions. Therefore, in order to prevent corruption, we need to prevent circumstances in which people need to support corruption, such as poverty. 

I am currently in Year 13 studying A-Levels in Politics, Sociology and History at Stroud High School in the UK. Although the prospect of speaking in front of 50+ people on an issue that I feel fairly uneducated in, given the experiences and research of the people I’m talking to, is quite daunting, I’m confident that the experience of CSW will be incredibly eye-opening, and will serve as an inspiration for everyone attending on what the next steps are to bring about gender equality.