Celebrating International Women’s Day
Celebrating International Women’s Day: Leadership & Empowerment at Discovery-
This Saturday, 8th March 2025, we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD)- a global day recognizing the achievements of women, raising awareness about gender equality, and calling for a more inclusive world. The theme for IWD 2025 encourages us to reflect on progress, uplift one another and celebrate the powerful women leading the way.
At discovery, we are proud to be an organization driven by strong women leadership. Our Director, Chair of Trustees and President are all women, demonstrating the impact of women-led decision-making and innovation. Over 75% of our trustees and project coordinators are also women, showcasing the incredible strength and dedication of women volunteers shaping our projects and creating meaningful change.
Why Leadership Matters
Leadership is not just about holding a title- it’s about inspiring, mentoring and empowering others. In the word of volunteering, strong leadership ensures projects thrive, communities are supported, and individuals grow in confidence. At Discovery, we see this every day in the work of our project leaders, coordinators and trustees, who step up to drive change and foster inclusivity.
Despite progress, women continue to face challenges in leadership, from workplace inequalities to stereotypes. However, representation matters, and seeing women in leadership roles encourages the next generation to aspire lead and challenge barriers. When women lead, communities flourish. Our women leaders at Discovery prove that leadership is about collaboration, vision and resilience. They mentor new volunteers, ensure our projects create real impact, and advocate for a more equitable world.
How You Can Celebrate International Women’s Day
As a student volunteer, there are many ways to honour IWD and support women in leadership:
– Celebrate and acknowledge women leaders in your life- whether that’s a project coordinator, mentor or friend.
– Learn about gender equality and the challenges women face in leadership.
– Support women-led initiatives within Discovery and beyond.
– Encourage and uplift others- acknowledging that women from different groups have different experiences, taking care to include the voices of all women, especially those who voices are heard less often, such as disabled women, trans women and women from the Global Majority.
– Take on leadership roles yourself and be part of the movement for change!
We reached out to those in leadership here at Discovery and asked them some questions.
Eleanor Norton- Director at Discovery
“The third sector workforce is majority women, and this often means that we are likely to have significant responsibilities outside of work, especially for childcare and elder care. I also want people with health issues, disabilities or other challenges to be able to thrive in Discovery. For women to be able to thrive in the workplace, we need to build in lots of flexibility and career friendly policies as standard at all levels”
“The third (Voluntary) sector workforce is majority women, unsurprisingly men often occupy leadership positions. I hope our robust leadership programme for our volunteers sends a very clear message that leadership should be accessible to women, trans and non-binary people. We do our best to ensure that the gender split in our leadership is representative of our wider body of volunteers. Women, trans and non binary people are more likely to have lived experience of challenges, discrimination and barriers to opportunity. This means what when we are in leadership positions we can have a better understanding of how to make compassionate, person centred leadership a reality and a better understanding of some of the practical things that might need to be in place to make this happen allowing others to thrive and reach their full potential.”
“We are only a couple of generation into a UK where women can and do have leadership roles outside of the home. I would say always focus on the aspects of a job that you can do rather than the aspects that are new and more challenging, you can always learn and build skills.”
Sian Imprey- Chair of Trustees
“I am lucky enough to have worked for and with some amazing women leaders over the course of my career and it’s great to celebrate that.”
“Discovery has always had strong female leaders, and I think that is reflected positively in the organisational culture that we see today and that those who are involved with Discovery experience. It’s a thriving, inclusive and happy organisation and I hope the values that Discovery lives and breathes will stay with those students who are involved as they go through life.”
Kirsty Rowles- Discovery Volunteering Scheme Manager
“It’s important to acknowledge the identities which intersect with gender to create a truly inclusive environment and genuine progress. As Audre Lorde said, “I am not free whilst any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own”. Within Discovery, we strive to provide a space for all women to grow and develop, consciously considering the needs of disabled women, trans women and women from the Global Majority and challenging all forms of injustice where it occurs.”
Charlotte Cooke- President
“It is such an honour to be president of such an awesome organisation where women hold so many leadership roles. They are all absolute forces and honestly inspiring to work alongside.”
“I have so many incredible women in my life and I think any opportunity to celebrate them should be taken. People often take each other for granted so making the effort to celebrate them for the powerhouses they are is something I am really keen to do. Realistically though, my appreciation for my people will likely take the form of baked goods, I will probably bake them all cake.”
Happy International Women’s Day to all the incredible women in our community- your leadership, passion and commitment make a difference every day!
#IWD2025#AccelerateAction#WomenInLeadership#EmpowerChange