International Women's Day 2018

This Saturday in Roundhay, a group of our Mini Mermaids will take on their 5K challenge. It’s a big deal for these girls. I won’t lie. It’s a pretty big deal for me as well. It represents the culmination of six weeks of focused work on the part of these girls - setting goals, listening to their true inner voices while silencing doubts and finding their inner strength.

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When these girls line up, an entire community will have their backs. The coaches who have volunteered their time. The schools and community centres who have embraced our programme. The magnificent Jane Tomlinson Appeal, which has supported us this year, and the team at Run For All, who join our Mama Mermaids on challenge days to make sure each of our girls has support as she makes her way through the challenge. ​

There’s a power in this collective, fueled by a steady stream of passion and belief. This year’s International Women’s Day theme, #PressforProgress, reminds me that what we do in our communities makes a difference and everyday, we have an opportunity to move toward gender equality. IWD - started with a handful of voices in the early 1900’s - has become this beautiful, sustainable cacophony, intent on achieving political, economic, social and cultural equality.

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And this year feels monumental. There are these powerful female voices, across ages, ethnicities and geographies, that will settle for nothing short of actions that lead to gender equality, no matter how long it takes. This commitment is critical - The World Economic Forum says gender parity could take 200 years. 

So here in our Mini Mermaid communities, we’ll #PressforProgress by awakening the self-worth, confidence and resilience we believe resides inside every one of our Mini Mermaids. Today's Mini Mermaids. Tomorrow's Leaders.

#ittakesatribe #thefinishlineisjustthebeginning #PressforProgress

High Fins,
Hannah