I know some other people have talked about women’s empowerment already, but holy, women are badass. Excuse the language, but something that has been so inspiring to me on this trip is truly just the people we are here with. There are so, so, so many amazing women here, and it feels like such a privilege to get to spend time with them, learn about their lives, and hear about the things they have gone through and the things they have accomplished. I absolutely love how passionate these women are about something as important as sexualized violence and consent, and how they are actually creating change both in Canada and in India. Getting to be part of this experience and seeing the impact that the Consent Café can have on people has been really incredible. Woman empowerment is so much more than that. It is about having a voice, being able to make your own decisions, feeling confident in who you are, and having the freedom to live your life in a way that feels true to you
Going into the nursing colleges and seeing so many women going to school, working hard, and being so engaged and excited to meet us was also really inspiring. It made me think about how education can be such an important part of empowerment because it can create opportunities and give women more choices for their futures. Having Mrs. Ghuman and Subreet Ghuman show us around their town and spending time with them has been such a privilege. Getting to see the places that are meaningful to them and learn more about their community has made this experience feel so much more personal. Learning about Mini G and her journey to becoming the woman she is today has also been incredibly inspiring. Seeing the work she does and the way she shows up for the people around her has made me think more about what it really looks like to create meaningful change within a community.
The same goes for Chelsea and Tanya and the way they built the Consent Café from the ground up, and are making such meaningful impacts in India and in canada. I feel so grateful that I get to be a part of something that they have worked so hard to create.
One conversation that really stuck with me was with the female teacher we met at Khalsa College. She talked about how there are so many rules and expectations placed on women in India and how draining it can be to constantly have to think about how you are supposed to dress, behave, and present yourself. She said that at the end of the day, she is a human too. Once 4 o’clock hits and she is no longer a teacher, sometimes she wants to go have a beer and enjoy herself, even though drinking is not necessarily typical or socially accepted for Indian women. I thought this was such a funny but also meaningful example of what she was talking about.
She talked about being an independent woman and doing things for herself, and I really liked that. It made me think about how women can be expected to fit into certain roles, even when those roles do not represent the whole person they are. She is a teacher, but she is also a person who wants to have fun, make her own choices, and live her life. I think this connects a lot to social work and the idea of self-determination. People should have the ability to make choices about their own lives, and empowerment can sometimes be as simple as having the freedom to decide what you want your life to look like even in small ways.
The Miss Teej celebration was another experience that made me think about women and empowerment in a different way. It was so special and honestly just really fun to be able to be there, get dressed up, see how celebrations happen here, and celebrate all of these amazing women who are doing amazing things. Even something as simple as picking out our outfits and shopping in all the different stores was such a cool experience. It reminded me that empowerment is not always about serious conversations, advocacy, or fighting against something. It can also be about joy, celebration, community, and being able to take up space and enjoy yourself.
I think one of the biggest things I am taking away from this experience is that empowerment does not have to look one specific way. It can be a woman pursuing her education, a woman becoming independent, a woman challenging social expectations, a woman advocating against sexualized violence, or even a woman deciding that after a long day of work she just wants to have a beer and enjoy herself. It is about having choices and having a voice in your own life.
I feel really lucky to be surrounded by so many women who are doing amazing things. I came into this trip expecting to learn about social work and about the work being done in India, but I did not necessarily expect to feel so personally inspired by the women around me. I think they have reminded me why this work matters and also what kind of social worker and person that I want to be.
Honestly, I just feel really grateful to be here and to be learning from these women. They are showing me what empowerment can actually look like in real life, and I think that is something I will take with me long after this field school is over.