We’re passionate about helping our community and would be happy to hear from anyone interested in working with GWSEast. We’re especially keen to make contact with early career female researchers, who would like to use their analytical and researching skills to help us develop projects that better women and girls.
Below is a little more information about who we are and how you can get involved.
Who we are:
Graduate Women Scotland (GWS) is part of Graduate Women International and University Women of Europe, Graduate Women International (GWI). We advocate for women’s rights, equality and empowerment through access to quality secondary and tertiary education, and training up to the highest levels. Our vision is 100% of girls and women in the world achieving education beyond primary school.
GWI has national affiliates in 60 countries and individual members in more than 40 others. GWS is the Scottish affiliate. We’re also a social organisation, with regular events such as speaker lunches and a study group. At the moment, these events are all happening online, but we do hope to be back to face-to-face meetings as soon as it’s safe.
What we’re doing:
Our Dundee members are currently helping to support a Ugandan teacher, and they provide a small bursary to the top female students graduating from the Dundee and Abertay University summer access schools. In 2019, we donated books to the Scottish women’s prison, and in 2018 we spoke to Holyrood on the impact of conflict on women and girls. In partnership with our English federation (BFWG), we provide scholarships to final year PhD students.
There are also opportunities with GWI and UWE, especially through our young member’s network. Additionally, one of our GWS members sits on both the International and European resolutions board, which develops proposals for the United Nations. She reports back to GWS, meaning that we all have a hand in developing the resolutions going to the UN.
What we want to do:
We realise that there is so much more we could be doing. For example, while we have presented to Holyrood in the past, we have yet to follow-up to ensure that our suggestions have been taken into consideration. Additionally, we recognise that women and girls will be impacted more during the pandemic, and we are looking for ways to help.
Why we need you:
This is where I must be frank. We have a great membership that comprises of active women who come from variety of careers. However, the average age of our membership is past-retirement, and we need new members who are more aware of the issues women are currently facing in education and the workplace.
Therefore, we are looking for new members to tell us how we can empower and support women, and then help take the reins to make this happen. We are hoping that the expertise and knowledge of our current members can be used to support the energy and insight of new members.
Graduate Women Scotland East 