Last week was Women and Words Week at St Catherine’s School, Twickenham. We combined the tradition of World Book Day and International Women's Day and had a week where we celebrated the power of words and the role of women. We had an inspiring guest speaker, we had a visiting author, we held a ‘Secret Reader’ every day, and much more, all to celebrate the power of words and women.
World Book Day is a celebration of books, writers, illustrators, and most importantly reading. It is organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). International Women’s Day is a celebration of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and promotes gender equality. Last week we focused on female authors and female characters in literature that have impacted us greatly. One thing all these women have in common is that we can all relate to them in some way, and they often inspire us to inspire others in our own lives.
On Thursday, everyone in the school brought in £2 to donate to the World Book Day Charity, Book Aid International, who, with our donations, buy books for those around the world who cannot afford to buy books for themselves and this charity makes a great difference to the lives of so many. I would strongly encourage everyone to consider donating any money they can spare to this wonderful charity as the difference an education makes to someone’s life is too great to be expressed in words.
As you may be aware, many people dress up as their favourite book characters on World Book Day. In the spirit of Women and Words Week, everyone in the school came dressed up as their favourite female characters and authors and we appreciated the wonderful women in literature and the women who use their words to create books for our enjoyment.
Sunday was International Women’s Day. It is a day to acknowledge the ongoing fight for gender equality and celebrate all the phenomenal women around the world. Last week we covered all doors with images of women we find inspiring to help us aim to influence others as they have done. Doing this reminded us that anyone can make a difference if they try hard enough. This was my favourite part of Women and Words Week because the doors looked fantastic and reminded us of the impacts women have made in history. In my opinion, Women and Words Week was a massive success and would be a great tradition for the future.
Rashmini Mootoosamy
