Very last minute I found out about Ukfeminista Where have you been hiding and how have I only just discovered you? More to the point though I am damn glad I didn't miss out this year. Due to my fabulous job I managed to swing some tickets to this fully booked weekend.I stumbled in after getting lost in the maze that is Birmingham University. After seeing how much they have at their campus I am starting to realise my university had nothing and I probably made the wrong choice way back when I went myself. This was all forgotten when I was greeted with lots of friendly smiles. Sadly I missed the chance to mingle with other people before workshops but there was so much to chose from. I only wish I could have cloned myself to attend a bit of everything.
The first workshop that caught my eye was 'Words are not enough but they're a good place to start'. The ever witty and charming Bim Adewunmi was the fountain of knowledge for this session. In fact she would probably slap my wrist if she read this blog post but I have definitely taken on board everything she taught us. In fact I felt like a geeky schoolgirl scribbling my notes in my notebook as she gave us insight on how to become better writers. The message she engraved in the eager minds of the packed room was to read, read and read. Even sending us packing with a reading list to empower and inspire us. I will be jumping straight on that, as a huge reader hearing someone encourage others to read as much as possible is something that always wins me over. Enough of my gushing about how fabulous Bim was if you don't already read the guardian grab a copy and you will see yourself how funny and clever this woman is in her own words "read good writers that inspire you to write well"
In the break time people seemed busy with their friends or looking shiftily anti social. Come on ladies we are empowered women I am sure we can talk to each other. I had a chat with a lady from Wales, another from Manchester and London. Nice to know that people will travel to attend these kind of events. There were some great stalls up promoting women's services from around Birmingham like women's networking hub and even an awesome book stall which I avoided as I was feeling super poor and didn't want to see loads of amazing books I couldn't have. There were lots of things to buy or sign up to. I grabbed lots of leaflets and signed up to women's networking hub which was being powered by the always smiling Amreeta. Watch out for this lady she has a lot of creativity and words to offer to the world.
Rosie Rogers from UKUNCUT lead the next workshop I picked out "Beautiful Trouble; Making Protest Creative, Fun & Powerful". Another jam packed workshop of eager passionate ladies and gentlemen. I will hang my head in shame and admit that before this workshop I had not heard of the amazing work ukuncut have been doing and was probably the only person in the room. I was very impressed with all the varied protests Rosie was able to tell us about. Street parties outside Nick Clegg's house to celebrate all the amazing services that are being cut by the government. Knowing there are people out there trying to make a difference instead of just moaning in an office about how they have to pay for their own coffee now really inspires and motivates me. Rosie was really creative in getting us to think outside the box on the important factors of not only getting people to understand your campaign but for it to also be a success. Reminding us of the power of the hashtag, that pictures can say more than a thousand words and the importance of being prepared and organised. Get involved in what they are doing either on the front line or behind the scenes.
There was so much more to see at the event. It went on for a whole weekend but I had to go see the lovely Salma. Next year hopefully I will be there representing work and running our own workshop. Thank you for the inspiration and surrounding me with lots of like minded individuals.
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