Gender and Feminism Society: Welfare Officer

In the summer before university started, I applied for an internship position at Singapore's leading gender equality organisation, the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). The internship at AWARE reinforced my belief in the cause. It also opened my eyes to the importance of community engagement while simultaneously pushing for structural changes. I would love to share the things I have learnt from my experience of fighting for policy and mindset change in a relatively conservative society like Singapore- the Gender and Feminism Society seems like the perfect place to do so. 

Hey!! My name is Katharina and I am a first year studying European Social and Political Studies :) I believe the Gender and Feminism society is an exciting and highly relevant society at UCL, which should engage even more with the entire university community and civil society beyond. As welfare officer, I'd love to contribute to making the GenFem society an even more vibrant community, addressing topics relating to gender equality and inclusivity in different ways, engaging with politics, society, the arts and much more. As engagement with these sensitive topics might trigger emotions and memories of personal experiences, I would like to ensure that the space in which GenFem events take place is one where everybody feels comfortable to be and express themselves freely. My priority is to create a truly open but safe space, and to foster the development of a community where dialogue is without judgement, and other opinions are not only accepted but fervently engaged with, and where diversity of background, identity, and gender is a source of inspiration. I believe the diversity of the society is something we can be truly proud of, and which we should embrace and celebrate. In order for everyone to feel comfortable within the society, as welfare officer I would always be there to give advice or direct members to other resources and support services if they struggle with issues related to gender, feminism and sexuality which might be triggered at society events.