So this blog is two-fold; first, musings on One Billion Rising and this year's theme of Gardening, secondly the opportunity for YOU to get involved and appear in a video I'm putting together for this year's campaign - details on the video below... One Billion Rising"One Billion Rising is the biggest mass action to end violence against women (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence) in human history. The campaign, which launched on Valentine’s Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS." The campaign runs from 14th Feburary to International Women's Day on 8th March. This year the theme links to mother earth and how we cannot protect girls/womxn from all forms of violence without also protecting the planet and its resources which are essential for all life. This theme sees the destruction of mother earth as a parallel to gender-based violence. It links to gardening - where the act of gardening is a rebellion, because:
Violence against womxn and girls takes place in different guises, in different places, and at different times, all over the world and throughout history. This campaign is really important to me. So many womxn have experienced violence in my own circles, let alone the wider world. The impact this has on an individual can be huge, not only at the time, but for years, and even a lifetime later. It takes a lot of courage to get through an act of violence, let alone talk about it, process it and rise above it. But so many do, at their own pace. I take my hat off to all of them. These often silenced (and self-silenced) voices are the ones we need to hear. We need to learn. We need to do better. I say 'we' because this is not about victim and perpetrator. This is about community. Society. Us all. From the tiniest seeds we plant (think gender stereotyped toys, expectations, messages from the media) with our children and our society, bigger attitudes and biases grow. The root of violence towards womxn, a lot of the time, comes down to attitudes, which come down to beliefs. Children learn by watching, by listening, and by copying. As adults we role-model what is ok and what is not ok. Every time a child sees a man speak for a womxn, every time a child sees a womxn apologise for herself, every time a child sees an adult speaking or behaving in a transphobic, homophobic, or sexist manner, that child learns that 'those people' see womxn 'that way' ... based on these sorts of experiences, children will decide whether they are one of 'those people'. And this could be female-identifying children, who start to see themselves 'that way' and become wary of 'those people', thus hiding who they are, and trying to squeeze themselves into a box they don't fit into. This is where the copying comes in - if children behave like 'those people' and are not called out on it, they learn that it's ok behave in this way. If female-identifying children start limiting themselves and becoming passive, and then this is rewarded, they will learn that this is the way to be. It's our role as adults to model what we want for womxn, and for future generations. It's men's role to show respect, to stand up for womxn and to promote equality. It's womxn's job to model all the different ways we can be womxn; to show the possibilities, to show the diverse examples of womxn - and also to be kind to other womxn. What a toxic world we paint for children when as womxn we put other womxn down instead of lifting each other up. The same applies for the planet too; if we cannot nurture the earth which provides for us in the most basic of forms, how can we nurture ourselves and each other? It comes down to respect. Respecting those who provide for us. Respecting fellow humans. Respecting ourselves. Therefore teaching this to our children so it can survive us into the generations that follow. We need to ask ourselves: what are our words - and our actions - teaching the children around us about the world, others, and themselves? Video Opportunity
All that’s required is:
Please send the video to me either by email zocowellness@gmail.com or facebook / instagram messenger @ZoCoWellness Don’t forget to fill out the consent form here: https://forms.gle/anr8LcRsvXAdjdzj7 Submissions must be received by 21st February 2021. Finally - share the love! Invite anyone you think may be interested to take part. I'll include as many people as I can! Follow all aspects of the campaign using these hashtags and the One Billion Rising website...https://www.onebillionrising.org/ #1billionrising, #riseinsolidarity, #RiseResistUnite #RiseGardenResist #RisingGardens #RisingWorld
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author - Zoe Copeland, MFHTWith a background in education, sports coaching and mental health, Zoe began to explore more holistic avenues of helping people with a particular focus on where the mind and body meet. Zoe began her bodywork training in Sports Massage and has since studied other massage theories and techniques, as well as Reiki, to provide a holistic approach to each treatment. With specific training in women's health, trauma and scars, she has developed an intuitive practice which leaves you feeling a positive change in your body and mind after every appointment. Archives
October 2022
Categories |