Today is International Women’s Day (IWD) – a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Based on community, connection and collaborative action, IWD has fostered a strong sense of solidarity across the world since it began in 1911. IWD is an inclusive day that belongs to all groups, everywhere.
The theme for this year, #InspireInclusion, calls upon us to understand, value and foster the inclusion of women, in all sectors, with the aim of building a brighter world for all.
Our CEO & Principal Sharon Watson MBE, DL says:
“To truly include women means to openly embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify. Worldwide, women must be included in all fields of endeavour.”
Sharon continues:
“Here at Northern School, we pride ourselves in taking responsibility when it comes to inclusion, whether that is within our course curriculums, student base or industry connections. We were founded by an incredible woman Nadine Senior who established the school to give young people from all backgrounds access to the highest quality vocational dance training. Nadine’s legacy lives on with inclusion serving as a fundamental pillar in our approach and how we operate.”
Here at NSCD, we are inspired every day by the incredible women in our lives, our industry and our communities. We asked some of our Student Union Council members to share the women who inspire them and why.
Celebrate and get inspired with us.
chosen by SU President Nina Lewis
“The woman who inspires me is Frida Kahlo. Frida inspires me because of her unapologetic, bold and vibrant expression of identity through her art. Her work feels brave and fearless and makes me excited to create too!”
chosen by SU Vice President Silva Rawnsley
"I have always been hugely inspired by female activists. My first memory of this was finding out that I shared a birthday with Rosa Parks. I was maybe 5 years old and had just learnt about her in my home education. I remember being in awe of the resilience and courage it takes to stand up alone, and greatly outnumbered to fight for your basic rights and dignity. That courage has inspired me to be more outspoken for what I believe in and find strength and solidarity in other women around me."
chosen by PoGM rep Skiye Edmond
"A woman who I find inspirational is the singer Raye. Her persistence and drive to achieve what she wants (an independent artist separate from her controlling label) is so admirable to me. Even in the dance of fear and higher powers she is so resistant and fights not only for herself but those who are also in similar situations but perhaps cannot be a voice for themselves.
chosen by PoGM Rep Tabie Addae Boateng
"The woman that inspires me is Dr Mae Jemison - an extremely caring, intelligent and well-rounded woman. She joined the Peace Corps in 1983 and travelled to West Africa on a two-year programme to provide medical assistance to those in need. She is an engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut.
She became the first African-American woman to travel into space, and dance helped her get there. She frequently credits her training as part of her success saying dance taught her discipline and resilience. All of her achievements did not keep her from dancing, she continued taking classes at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. And though she went on to log over 190 hours in space, dance continued to be a part of her journey.
She says: 'We’re very physical beings, So dance is a way of physically exploring the world. So frequently people think of the arts and the sciences as separate and not connected. Both of them are required for creativity. Both of them are required to move the world forward.'"
chosen by LGBTQI+ rep Isaac Lewis
"A woman who greatly inspires me is the primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall as she made ground-breaking ethological discoveries and strongly advocated for ethical scientific practice. Goodall is still a leading activist for environmental living and sustainable practice which is so often overlooked but is vital to our current world."
