International Women's Day and Inaugural Teen Library Advisor Meeting

The atmosphere was electric as we poured into the Library for our International Women's Day celebration on Wednesday 10th March. It was a double celebration as it was also our Inaugural Teen Library Advisor Meeting.

We were highly anticipating the messages from our special guests who were invited to speak for International Women’s Day about the importance of women in leadership.

Rabiha (F11), Swetha (F10) and Tharuki (E10) were simply outstanding hosts, managing the large crowd with ease and presenting and moving our meeting along with a great deal of flair. We got off to a great start with Zeel (C8), who opened our meeting with a heartfelt Acknowledgement to Country.

It was a huge privilege to have Ms Garad speak at our first event. An academic doctor who works as a researcher and lecturer at Monash University, she is also a busy mum of four beautiful children. As well as a local councillor she is also, to our good fortune, a member of our own Dandenong High School Council.

We were also honoured to have Mrs Ogden, our Principal, as a special guest. Ms Garad highlighted how fortunate we were to be led by a strong successful female leader and acknowledged Mrs Ogden’s appointment as a ground breaking moment for our school that would not have been possible in the past.

A lively Q & A followed the speeches, demonstrating the deep impact of the speakers and the high engagement levels of all present. Shabnam and Jazz of B9 thanked our guest speakers for their inspiration with some beautiful words and flowers.

At the end, we were all motivated to consider a better future. We raised our hands and pledged to support gender equality and to challenge any unfairness.

The following are some accounts from students in their own words showing how greatly inspired and moved students were by the stories Ms Garad and Mrs Ogden shared.

Sitara (B9)

Mrs Ogden and Ms Garad spoke about their childhood, what it was like for them and it was interesting to see how very different their stories were. I really liked how Mrs Ogden wanted to become a teacher at the age of seven, didn’t give up on her dreams and became who she is now. Listening to their stories made me more confident.

Ilhama (B9)

I personally really enjoyed the event and I’m sure others did too. It was great to see all of the Teen Library Advisors together. Mrs Ogden and Ms Garad shared their experiences. As a woman, it can be tough and challenging to hold a leadership role. I could relate to Ms Garad’s experience as a woman because it often seems like my brother is more valued in my family. But what I learnt from our meeting was the importance of fairness, respect and balance. I am now more confident being a leader. I strongly believe men and women should be treated equally. I am very lucky that I could be part of this event.

Zahra (B9)

I really enjoyed hearing Ms Garad’s account about how she grew up with boys being more valued at any time and anywhere and the girls being expected to do everything better. She thought that she could be a good leader and represent the view that not only could men be leaders, but women can lead also. I also loved Mrs Ogden’s funny story about how at the age of seven, she gathered all of the children in one place and taught them like a strict teacher. By the age of ten she decided she didn’t want to be just a teacher but a leader. I admired both Ms Garad’s and Mrs Ogden’s confidence and how they never gave up and always tried their best. This was a very good experience as the first meeting for Teen Library Advisors.

Michael (F7)

I was inspired by Mrs Ogden and Ms Garad because they both worked hard to be leaders. I believe that women should earn the same respect as men. It is sad that some women to this day are not treated respectfully. Mrs Ogden and Ms Garad are great role models. I hope their advice will be passed on to people around the world.

Sabeera (C9)

At our first Teen Library Advisor meeting, everyone was so excited to be together with the librarians and to celebrate International Women’s Day with our special guests. Both speakers shared their life stories. Ms Garad said girls were not treated the same as boys when she was growing up. For example, boys were first at everything such as eating. Ms Ogden’s story was very different because she was treated fairly in everything by her parents. It was interesting to hear their stories. Some people still think women have no value. We discussed how women should have the right to live free from violence and discrimination, to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, to be educated, to own property, to vote and to earn an equal wage. We also raised our hands to show our support for gender equality and that we choose to challenge anything that is unfair to girls and women at our school.

Maria Papazoglou

Library Manager

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