Name: Alexandra Ashburner-Hill
Grade: Year 12
Age: 18 Years
School: Goulburn Valley Grammar School
Hometown and State: Murchison, Victoria
LIFTING US UP – How can women and girls empower each other and their communities in times of uncertainty and change?
It is in the little actions that I see true leadership.
During COVID-19 what needs to be done has been both blurred and clear. In this period, so tumultuous and difficult, the clarities- that we need to wear masks, keep our distance, stay home- are only so limited. Aside from these, we can feel helpless. What am I, one single person, going to do that could possibly have an impact, when so many are suffering? What could I possibly do to help those around me, my community, to show leadership when I have little standing in this world?
It was hard to recognise that I already have that ability. Throughout this time, I have seen leadership everywhere, from my fellows, from myself. Young women who, without truly understanding the weight of their actions, show leadership as though it was second nature. Lifting us up through the messages I have received, from the calls to those who need that support- even those who agree to keep their cameras on during Zoom when no one else does. These are subtle, everyday things that are so easily overlooked, yet making the implicit explicit, and through this leading our rural communities to more open communication and caring.
In a time so isolating, so lonely, such little acts hint at the leadership of the young women around us. Listening, using empathy, giving advice- knowing that sometimes all one needs is somebody to listen to them, to feel heard in a period where everything is so loud and quiet at the same time. Those in power at the moment, key recognisable figures- there seems to be so much on their plate, such impossible decisions, like one person’s burden couldn’t possibly matter. With the attention on keeping Australia afloat, it’s the unexpected who have risen up, who make it their own responsibility to nurture those around them and their community. It’s the young women of Australia who checked in with everyone, who empathised and helped all that they could- it was the young women who recognised what needed to be done, even on such a small, personal scale.
This period provided an unexpected chance for our leadership to be nurtured in an environment where it was needed more than ever. Simple details embody the leadership that has been displayed during this time of hardship- doing selfless, thoughtful acts that become as easy as breathing, becoming more conscious of those around us, young leaders who have honed the skill of resilience, empowering each other through our actions; keeping the momentum to make the world a better place. Although we are isolated, I have never felt less alone. The nurturing leadership of those around me, leading me to just keep going and getting through these days, have made a helpless situation seem possible.
Sometimes, as a young woman without any allocated leadership roles, I don’t even know where to begin, especially in a period where so much is needed.
But we have been doing it, all throughout this period. From the first days, I have seen the young women around me emerging and leading their communities with grace, caring, consideration and all of the skills that a good leader possesses. There is the beauty of understanding what needs to be done, how we can help those in our communities, even when this is not always clear cut. With so much leadership all around us, when we just open our eyes – I have never felt so prepared to deal with what is to come.