International Women’s Day 2024
It’s International Women’s Day 2024 and this year the theme is #InspireInclusion.
This year, our Senior Service Delivery Manager, Charlotte Gunn, takes a look back at her career as she reflects on the women who’ve shaped her life.
In Charlotte’s words
“I look back on my career and value greatly the opportunities afforded to me but must also not fail to recognise the barriers that both I and women and girls around me experience. I started my career working as a volunteer in a women’s refuge. I felt that I had really found my place in the world and assured myself that if I could just help one person to cope and recover from their experience that I would be content.
I still remember the first time I truly felt this, as a mother and her five children were rehoused in the community. As the family left the refuge, I believed that they would be go on to recover and thrive and at that point I also knew that this role was not altruistic, but rather that feeling made me driven to continue to support families to succeed. My vision for a future in which all women and girls feel safe both in their own home and outside set in.
I went on to be employed by the service as a Support Worker, later moving into the role of an IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor) before joining Voice in 2019. I have been supported and empowered to progress my career and in my current role of Senior Service Delivery Manager at Voice, I am responsible for the delivery and development of all Voice Services.
As women, we automatically have shared experiences and integral concerns around our safety in which we seek to change or adapt our behaviour in order to try to safeguard ourselves from others. Those “lessons” are instilled within us from such a young age – we may feel more caution when we are out, considering where, when and how we travel, when we walk alone or in a group, where we walk faster, hold our keys or pretend to be on the phone. The responsibility for women’s safety is not our own, it is societal and requires men and boys to take responsibility for their own actions and that of others, upstanding against those behaviours, calling for bystanding to be a concept that resides only in the past.
We also must recognise the inequalities and differences that we experience as women and the additional barriers that exist.
It is vital that all services are equitably accessible for all of our community. By standing together, we stand stronger – by letting our own light shine we automatically empower others to do the same. So on this International Women’s Day I encourage you to reflect upon yourself and your achievements as well as those around you – let all of us recognise the unique perspectives and contributions of women from all walks of life and walk together towards a future where we break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women feel safe, valued and respected.”
For more information on International Women’s Day, please click the link here.
If you need support
Our services are available to anyone living in Northamptonshire, whether a crime has been reported to police or not and regardless of when or where it happened. Voice is here to help you cope, recover and thrive.
You can contact us by calling 0300 303 1965 or by emailing info@voicenorthants.org. However if you’re not quite ready to speak to someone, we’ve also got a number of resources to help your mental health here.