This week 165 girls from 16 girls’ schools across Sydney took part in a Ted X style showcase, presenting on hard-hitting topics such as domestic violence, the media’s portrayal of women and the gender pay gap. Passionate about the education of young women, Channel 9’s Erin Molan opened the showcase at Ascham School and spoke with the girls about her own experiences.
Erin’s speech was inspiring and motivational, encouraging the girls to find their true interests, stand up for their beliefs and pick their battles when fighting for women’s rights in a male-dominated work environment.
The participants were all members of the Student Alliance Networking Group. Organised by the Alliance, the group aims to connect Year 9-11 girls from member schools across Sydney and provide an empowering forum for young women wishing to make a difference in their schools, communities and the world.
The showcase is the culmination of a year of group work and takes the format of 11 groups each presenting a highly relevant topic and video in a short Ted X style format.
Here are the topics presented:
- Challenges facing women in developing countries
- Media portrayal of women
- Contribution and impact of women on society
- Changing male attitudes towards women
- Objectification of women
- Domestic violence
- Education of women and girls: How educating women leads to changing global perspectives
- Women in the workforce: Promoting women’s skills
- Employment opportunities for women and the continued gender pay gap
- Maternal health/Female Genital Mutilation
- Progression and attitudes towards women over time
Congratulations to all the girls in the Student Alliance Networking Group for another successful year of new experience, honing your teamwork and collaboration skills and diving into tough issues facing women both in Australia and internationally.