Name: Lilia Tennant
Grade: Year 11
Age: 16 Years
School: Goulburn Valley Grammar School
Hometown and State: Tatura, Victoria
LIFTING US UP – How can women and girls empower each other and their communities in times of uncertainty and change?
Times of unpredictability often see women and girls thrust to the front line. On first observation, this can be inferred to be due to the domination women have in caring and support service fields, yet many women today have been provided with the tools for leadership their entire lives; specifically, empathy, communication, skills to connect with people and the ability to adapt to and thrive in new circumstances. Inspired by evolving female role models emerging across the globe and nurtured by the support women already naturally provide to one another, women use their leadership qualities to form a united front against uncertainties experienced in society. It is a unity of purpose that can effectively inject hope into communities in unprecedented times.
Many people struggle to grapple with times of change and instability, resulting in individuals experiencing a deterioration in their mental health. A crucial technique women can use to aid those experiencing mental dishevelment in times of uncertainty focuses on engaging with empathy to provide mental health support and helping people to understand and accommodate change. By reaching out and communicating with people, women and girls can encourage optimism, fostering a growth mindset: a mindset that incorporates an adaptability for change. Growth mindsets can be developed through encouraging people to face challenges bravely and emphasise positive self-motivation. By embracing this approach, people open their mind to mistakes and alternative outcomes, which collectively increase the flexibility of people within a community and their ability to accept any changes occurring. This can help to greatly relieve anxiety about the uncertainties women and community members could experience, and empower individuals to reach a new potential, even under constantly evolving circumstances. Furthermore, teaching people how to adopt a growth mindset is an enormously sustainable solution; it not only provides immediate support to community members but gives people the emotional and mental tools to support themselves in the future during times of uncertainty.
A further way women and girls can empower each other and their community in uncertain times, is by using the particular circumstances in periods of change to their advantage and in turn develop more personalised and effective methods of connecting. As evident in the COVID-19 period, many regular ways of self-empowerment, such as therapy, meeting with friends and interacting with leadership opportunities within one’s community, have been impossible to undertake. Women have therefore derived ways to continue reaching out to community members, usually on a larger scale, to provide further help to people who may be struggling. This involves utilising the technologies now at our disposal; not only technological devices like phones and laptops, but human technologies like writing, art and shared interests that can be pursued to connect people so they do not feel isolated. Through checking in on people, girls can remain connected to each other and their networks, helping communities to face challenges as a united front; an effective method of empowering individuals by showing them they are not alone.
Times of change, while difficult to endure, can result in communities uniting. Women and girls can use their strengths to care for those around them and empower their peers and community, unifying people and giving them the support they need to persevere and succeed.
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/growth-mindset