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EACH FOR EQUAL: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2020

May 6th, 2020

At Mindfully Wired, we’re all about inclusivity, equality, and celebrating talent. This year we were thrilled to see that the theme of International Women’s Day 2020 is #EachforEqual: the five core principles that lead to a gender-equal world resonate with all of us both personally and professionally.

In honour of IWD2020, each member of our #KeenMarine team identify their favourite ways that MWC challenges stereotypes, fights bias, broadens perceptions, improves situations, and celebrates women’s achievements.

CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES

Fiona, Assistant to the Director:

It is so inspiring to be part of the female dominant team at MWC. Our Director and both our Policy and Creative Teams are headed up by women, demonstrating that females are leaders in their own right and challenging social stereotypes. I feel so privileged to be part of the MWC family, where everyone is equal and valued whatever their gender and wherever they come from.

We love our meetings and ‘hiveminds’: times when we put our diverse skill sets and ideas together to problem-solve or produce something beautiful. Biscuits almost always present!

Noa, Creative Communications Officer:

Like many, I grew up with images of male scientists and female artists. I was thrilled joining MWC and watching our team grow and spill over those boundaries: every single member of our team loves weaving creativity through their science or policy work and many have (seriously impressive) academic or professional backgrounds in science. Working in such an inclusive and empowering organisation has shown me the joy in broken stereotypes, whether that’s working with inspiring women at the RSPB on the #AlbatrossStories project, promoting sustainable seafood with our female-led communications team at Seafood Cornwall, or just generally enjoying a positive and collaborative atmosphere in the workplace with my colleagues!

FIGHT BIAS

Bec, Senior Project Officer:

Mindfully Wired is powered by a team of passionate, accomplished people who are ALL dedicated to using creative communications to elevate and celebrate sustainable fisheries and a thriving marine environment. I am proud to work for this small, values-based company that recognises the collective power in bringing together a team of the most qualified people for the job. I am also proud of the fact that for the majority of this special team, the most qualified people happen to identify as female.

The atmosphere at the MWC workplace is one of support, positivity, and collaboration. Here, Katrina (Director) and Harriet (Creative Projects Manager) sport the same outfit at work - now dubbed the MWC ‘uniform’. — The atmosphere at the MWC workplace is one of support, positivity, and collaboration. Here, Katrina (Director) and Harriet (Creative Projects Manager) sport the same outfit at work – now dubbed the MWC ‘uniform’.

Harriet, Creative Projects Manager:

Working in an organisation with wonderful women gives me the inspiration to help other women and girls fight bias and achieve their dreams. Recently, I interviewed a female fisher for the Fathom podcast, who told me that she has loved showing girls that you don’t have to be a big burly man to have a career at sea! It’s great to be able to give role models like these a platform to inspire girls to follow in their footsteps.

BROADEN PERCEPTIONS

Charlie, Communications Intern:

Working with strong female role models gives me the confidence and self-belief that I can aspire for more and achieve great things. Seeing fellow female co-workers do fantastic, high-level work every day is inspirational and does a lot of good for broadening perceptions and breaking down barriers that still exist for women in society.

Paul, Events Coordinator:

The women I work with inspire me daily with their creativity, insight and drive. MWC is a shining example that gender is irrelevant to ability; my colleagues tackle challenges wherever they appear with aplomb. I’m responsible for organising and facilitating events (like the upcoming Scottish Fishing Conference) so I’m lucky to work closely with clients, including many inspiring women achieving excellence for their organisations.

Jacob, Policy and Communications Officer:

Flitting between MWC and the Thames Estuary Partnership has lent me a fantastic insight into two highly motivated female-led workplaces. These organisations are paving the way to making science and communication more accessible for all. I also work with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries, which has been chaired by two female MPs, both deeply dedicated to the fisheries sector. Being part of all these organisations is a real privilege.

‘MWC is a shining example that gender is irrelevant to ability’

IMPROVE SITUATIONS

Elle, Policy Projects Assistant:

Aside from working in a team of inspired and inspirational women within Mindfully Wired, collaborating on female-led projects that transcend borders, nationalities, and industry precedents is unbelievably exciting and motivating. For me, this is really exemplified by the CABFISHMAN project (website coming soon!), where a hugely diverse team of 28 collaborators spread across the North Atlantic is spearheaded and coordinated by a female-fronted team at AZTI-Tecnalia. Seeing strong women leading the charge for improving marine protection at a policy level is one of the highlights of my job, and I’m honoured to feel that I can be a part of that!

Elspeth, Creative Communications Officer:

For me, it’s incredibly inspiring to be part of a team that creates opportunities for women and provides the framework to make these opportunities a reality, such as our Returnship scheme. Like a sort-of internship, the returnship reaches out specifically to women who are keen to get back into work after having taken some family-focused time off. I feel very grateful to be part of an organisation that thinks in this way, supports women and cultivates an inclusive working environment, full of like-minded, dynamic, enthusiastic, driven (and fish-obsessed) folk!

Creative Communications Officers Noa and Elspeth designing fishy-comms with flair

Sara, Policy Projects Manager:

Here at MWC, I’m lucky enough to help deliver training in comms and policy for budding scientists at the University of Exeter. Through our growing training programme, we share what careers in science can look like – opening great minds to something new. With a better view of what opportunities are out there – and the diversity of people seizing them – we can open windows to future careers. To be that face that young women and men can look to and think ‘yeah, I can do that’ is a real treasure.

CELEBRATE WOMEN’S ACHIEVEMENTS

Katrina, Director:

It is an absolute pleasure to celebrate women’s achievements as part of running MWC. Whether it’s amazing MWC staff launching UK-first projects like podcasts, regional marketing schemes, youth engagement pilots or running over-subscribed events in the heart of Parliament (or the incredible sporting, crafting and cooking achievements of the team outside of work), every day I get to see – and celebrate – the work of incredibly dedicated, creative and caring women. Such a joy!

How are you celebrating #IWD2020? Let us know in the comments or on social media:

Twitter // MWC // Instagram

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Image copyrights: Katrina Ryan, Tim Borrow, Laurence Hartwell, Ewa Iwaszuk, Mindfully Wired Communications.

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