International Women’s Day is an invitation to pause, step back and consider where we stand on the road to gender equality. It is as much about celebrating how far we have come as it is about asking the hard questions about what still needs to be done.

I have enjoyed seeing the creative ways our girls have engaged with the theme of ‘Embracing Equity’ this week – beginning with a special assembly led by our SRC girls. Using the metaphor of a microphone stand adjusting to each person’s height, our SRC Executive demonstrated how, “treating everyone the same doesn’t treat everyone fairly, because different people need different things.”

Cleverly linking equity to their 2023 theme of U&I (Unity and Identity), they reminded girls that instead of giving everyone the same resources, we must tailor our approach to ensure everyone has the best thing for them: “You cannot have unity, without accounting for everyone’s identity.”

Gratitude was at the heart of many activities. The SRC Executive guided all girls through the exercise of making an origami heart, which could be given to a female role model with a message of support. This was complemented by a Rose Drive, held on Wednesday, where our students purchased and gifted flowers to inspirational women in their lives to symbolise the sisterhood we celebrate within the School, a network of young women who will support and depend on each other into the future. Proceeds from the sale of these roses will go to Catherine House.

At Wilderness, we are proud to be a leader in girls’ education, where no subject is gendered, every profession can be considered and female role models abound. We offer subjects and co-curricular opportunities in a range of disciplines to ensure every girl can embrace her areas of interest and gain practical experience before pursuing them at a tertiary or professional level. Our tailored programs identify how girls learn best and provide the right resources for each girl to grow.

During my years at Wilderness, I have watched each girl become comfortable in who she is, developing her self-efficacy to pursue her goals and to lean on the people who walk the journey beside her.

This morning, our SRC student leaders and a group of staff attended the International Women’s Day Breakfast at the Adelaide Convention Centre, hosted by Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong. The guest speaker was Caroline Kennedy, US Ambassador to Australia. For these girls, who are honing their leadership skills through their service to the School, to be surrounded by fellow students who are catalysts for change and listen to these female leaders is invaluable.

Our educators are also role models in this space. Heather de Blasio, Director of Leadership and Human Potential, is presenting at an international online event to celebrate International Women’s Day this weekend. She will “examine how to sustain our journey to becoming our best selves through ongoing vigilance about the forces that threaten to diminish us” by touching on self talk, patterns of thinking and how participants can recognise the internal, external and physiological triggers that “threaten to minimise our sense of self and self-worth”.

Just like equity is an essential step to equality, encouraging our girls to believe in themselves gives them the assurance to step into any room, any position and any profession. To know that our staff are thinking about these topics and incorporating them into how they teach is a great asset.