For over a century, International Women’s Day has been a collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging women’s equality.
In modern-day terms, IWD has a theme, which in 2024 is ‘Inspire inclusion’, celebrating diversity and empowerment. This year, IWD is on Friday, March 8.
Goulburn Valley woman Jo Bliss thinks inclusivity is important to discuss if we want to be a more harmonious community.
“Inclusivity is important in our society today for women, as leftovers of an unbalanced and unfair society linger in hearts, homes, clubs and workplaces,” Ms Bliss said.
“While men and women may be wired to think and feel differently, inclusivity means not assuming an individual thinks or feels in a certain stereotypical way.”
Ms Bliss holds peace as a core value, leading her to start the Goulburn Valley Peace Pole Project.
“The Peace Pole Project is an initiative I started last year because I am passionate about peace,” she said.
“I have recently discovered that everyone has peace, joy or love as a core value; for me, it is peace.”
The project was initially inspired by the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, eventually becoming an international project.
“The Peace Pole Project is the ultimate project for inclusiveness and awareness of thinking, words and actions, which can cause a sense of separateness,” Ms Bliss said.
“Because any separateness, any exclusion of others, is the crack where conflict can form. And if we can close this gap in our lives, there can never be another war.
“These words are so big, and the change called for to make them so is equally as big.
“World peace for the future starts right now in our homes through inclusivity.”
To inspire inclusion, Ms Bliss is working towards establishing a Wellbeing Club in the area that is inclusive of women.
“The Wellbeing Club deliberately promotes women’s inclusivity by actively encouraging women from all walks of life to participate,” Ms Bliss said.
“When I worked in community services, I provided a similar program for a group of women, with agreements made at the beginning of the program to form a safe framework for inclusion and embracing diversity.”
The Wellbeing Club will be set up to support all women to develop their confidence, inner strengths and mental and emotional wellbeing.
“There are agreements in place that all participants must sign before participating, indicating that they will work on their inclusivity, accepting parts of themselves that they don’t love and don’t expect anyone else to love,” Ms Bliss said.
“And as we become more open and accepting of our different aspects and traits, we naturally become more open and accepting of others.
“Deliberately exploring your unconscious biases is written into the program and explored with kindness and compassion.
“Accepting ourselves as imperfect and worthy.
“From this strong and humble place, we are better open to including others we may not have been comfortable making friends in the past.”