College welcomes the Hon. Senator Kristina Keneally for the 2018 International Women's Day address


23rd March 2018

As part of HSIE Week the Domremy College community celebrated International Women's Day with a focus on the achievement of Australian Women. International Women’s Day was first celebrated in 1911 and today is a global day that celebrates the social, cultural and political achievements of women across the world. International Women's Day is celebrated in Australia on March 8, 2018. This year’s theme is #pressforprogress which is aimed to provide a unified direction to guide world-wide positive action for gender parity. The #pressforprogress theme encourages us all to maintain a gender equality mindset by challenging stereotypes and celebrating the achievements of women.

The Domremy Humanities Committee, led by the Humanities Prefect, Madeleine, planned a range of activities to encourage action and celebrations. On Wednesday March 7 the College Assembly had an International Women’s Day focus. The keynote speaker for International Women’s Day College address was the Honourable Senator Kristina Keneally. Senator Keneally holds the prestigious title of the FIRST female to be elected to serve as the 42nd Premier of NSW in 2009. Today, Senator Keneally represents NSW in the Senate for the Labor Party. Senator Keneally is a pioneering contemporary Australian woman in the field of politics and continues to work tirelessly on social justice action within the Australian community.

Senator Keneally was very generous in her time and met with members from the College student leadership team to offer advice on leadership and answer student questions. The Humanities Committee also organised a Bake Sale to raise funds for women who were experiencing disadvantage. A purple ribbon is the internationally recognised symbol for support of International Women’s Day. On March 8, (International Women’s Day), Domremy College was a sea of purple ribbons as girls wore ribbons around their wrists or in their hair.

Students across Years 7-12 were encouraged to reflect and think about the characteristics of individual inspirational women in their own lives. Students were given the opportunity to answer a questionnaire. Some interesting results are as follows. When students were asked to nominate who inspires and supports them to reach for the stars, overwhelmingly students nominated a family member or friend. When students were asked to nominate the major quality of this inspirational woman, the three most nominated qualities were that this woman was courageous, demonstrated resilience and was encouraging. Overall the International Women’s Day celebrations were very successful in raising student awareness and celebrating the wonderful women who enrich our daily lives.

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