March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.
The world has made unprecedented advances, but no country has achieved gender equality.
The IWD 2020 campaign theme is drawn from a notion of ‘Collective Individualism’:
We are all parts of a whole. Our individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets can have an impact on our larger society. Collectively, we can make change happen. Collectively, we can each help to create a gender equal world. We can all choose to be #EachforEqual.
With a majority of our staff being female, Telethon Speech & Hearing is proud to help bring light on this important occasion and draw attention to a number of International Women’s Day MISSIONS including celebrating women’s achievements, and working to forge more positive action towards #EachforEqual and #EachforEquity.
This week Telethon Speech & Hearing will highlight a number of incredible women in our organisation who bring compassion, wisdom and strength to their roles and make our centre such a delightful place for our families and children.
Today’s highlighted staff member is our devoted Family Liaison, Michelle Jamieson:
My journey at TSH started with my daughter who was three years old at the time. I had been searching for some time to find the right place where I could feel supported. This became totally overwhelming until I found Telethon Speech & Hearing. From the moment we arrived the staff made us feel so welcome and it was then our journey really began.
About one year into our journey, the centre went through some challenging times so a group of us parents who were so passionate about the staff and the children, decided to volunteer to help with fundraising. The thought of us not receiving support for our children at TSH really scared us. During this time I was offered a position to work at the centre but I did not feel it was the right time as my daughter was still attending the program and I was afraid I would see a different side of TSH.
One year after my daughter left I received a call for another position that became available and felt it was now a good time for me to apply for the role. When I started I wrote a list and said to myself that I would commit to staying at TSH until all the ideas I had to support families were in place.
Now here I am, 14 years later and my list is still not complete!!! I am truly delighted to learn that what I experience behind the scenes is the same as what parents see day-to-day when they leave their children in our care. TSH is full of staff that truly care in making a difference to children and their families.
I feel totally blessed and honoured to be in my role as a Family Liaison Officer at TSH, and will keep advocating for parents to ensure they feel supported and informed on their individual journeys.
My thoughts on International Women’s Day…
I think now in 2020 there are a lot of pressures on women and a lot of pressures women put on themselves – they want to be the best Mum whilst learning to navigate life as a Mum, cook the fancy meals, work, have their children in sports, music etc… and that is all without having a child who has some extra needs. Women worry about the past and the future but are so often forgetting to enjoy the now! I feel we are quite disconnected in many ways even though social media usage is at a high.
So to help women feel part of the community, we as women could support each other more, look out for each other more, check-in with each other and remind each other to enjoy the now!
Breathe, take a walk, have a cuppa with a girlfriend and totally give yourself permission to go to a movie or get a massage. Everyone is busy but we also choose to a certain extent what we put into our week and there is an art in learning to say ‘no’.
I saw this quote the other day and it really resonated with me…..
Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women, who have her back.
We have Mum’s Night coming up on Wednesday 25th March and this is a lovely opportunity to connect with other Mum’s on a similar journey. Contact TSH if you are interested in getting involved.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Love,
Michelle x
Continue to visit our website from March 8-13 for more amazing stories and insights from women at Telethon Speech & Hearing. Visit the International Women’s Day website for more information about how you can help forge a gender equal world. #IWD2020 #EachforEqual #EachforEquity
