NUS Women’s Campaign Conference was held last month in Leeds. This is only a short post, but I wanted to articulate my thoughts regarding how the lessons learnt at Women’s Conference can be applied to National Conference.
There is no static stage in life that can predict when someone will embrace feminism, nor when a student is likely to engage with the women’s movement. Every delegate was at a different stage of discovering their own politics, values and beliefs. More experienced activists (the hacks) can sometimes forget that they themselves have been on a journey to their current stage, with their politics and thoughts moulded accordingly by their life experiences.
We forget, to our detriment, that there are students who are yet to discover and question the plethora of issues out there. On a personal level, at this conference I learned about the issue of women sex workers. While I was previously aware of this issue, my knowledge was seriously lacking. At National Conference, we need to ensure this space for discovery, not only encouraging the spread of knowledge, but by actively facilitating the education of delegates.
Respect is key to a successful Conference. All policy submitted to Women’s Conference was passed, with numerous parts debated and discussed. Those speaking against what seem liked non-contentious motions were given the appropriate forum in which to speak. There was no booing, hissing or tutting, nor shouting of ‘shame’ when a delegate got up to speak, a culture I have had the misfortune to observe at previous National Conferences. Rather than an environment of ‘sit down and shut up’, the general approach to Women’s Conference was to optimistically consider what each delegate had to contribute to the debate.
I hope that for old and new delegates alike, we can create the same empowering and friendly atmosphere at National Conference.
Conference should be an environment of mutual respect and tolerance, and as a community we need to focus on facilitating an atmosphere where questions and debate are encouraged.
There is no static stage in life that can predict when someone will embrace feminism, nor when a student is likely to engage with the women’s movement. Every delegate was at a different stage of discovering their own politics, values and beliefs. More experienced activists (the hacks) can sometimes forget that they themselves have been on a journey to their current stage, with their politics and thoughts moulded accordingly by their life experiences.
We forget, to our detriment, that there are students who are yet to discover and question the plethora of issues out there. On a personal level, at this conference I learned about the issue of women sex workers. While I was previously aware of this issue, my knowledge was seriously lacking. At National Conference, we need to ensure this space for discovery, not only encouraging the spread of knowledge, but by actively facilitating the education of delegates.
Respect is key to a successful Conference. All policy submitted to Women’s Conference was passed, with numerous parts debated and discussed. Those speaking against what seem liked non-contentious motions were given the appropriate forum in which to speak. There was no booing, hissing or tutting, nor shouting of ‘shame’ when a delegate got up to speak, a culture I have had the misfortune to observe at previous National Conferences. Rather than an environment of ‘sit down and shut up’, the general approach to Women’s Conference was to optimistically consider what each delegate had to contribute to the debate.
I hope that for old and new delegates alike, we can create the same empowering and friendly atmosphere at National Conference.
Conference should be an environment of mutual respect and tolerance, and as a community we need to focus on facilitating an atmosphere where questions and debate are encouraged.
No comments:
Post a Comment