Women’s Empowerment Month 2024

Women Empowerment Month 2024 celebrates the contribution that women and girls make to Barking and Dagenham. The programme features a wide range of activities, workshops and events across March to raise awareness of the achievements that they have made, both individually and collectively. 

LBBD’s programme will draw on the official themes being celebrated internationally for International Women’s Day and United Nations Women. Women’s Day and United Nations Women.

International Women’s Day 

Celebrated on the 8th March as a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. This year’s theme is #InspireInclusion.

Imagine a gender-equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. 

Together we can forge women's equality.

United Nations International Women’s Day

The theme is “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, recognising one of the key challenges in achieving gender equality by 2030 is an alarming lack of financing.

Women’s Empowerment Month 2024 – Programme of Events

Raising of the Women’s Empowerment Month Flag  

Date: Friday 1 March

Time: 11am

Venue: Barking Town Hall Square, 1 Clockhouse Avenue, Barking, IG11 7LU

Please join us as we raise the flag to mark the start of Women’s Empowerment Month.

 

Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance (BDYD)

 

Date: Saturday 2 March

Time: 12pm – 1pm

Venue: Studio 1, Abbey Leisure Centre, Bobby Moore Way, Barking, IG11 7HW

Free dance classes for women of all ages and levels.

No need to book, just turn up.

For more information contact BDYD through their website: 

BDYD | Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance. 

 

Pen to Print - No Country for Girls with author Emma Styles, in partnership with The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation (WNSF)

 

Date: Tuesday 5 March

Time: 6.30pm – 7.45pm

Venue: Online via Zoom

If you’re looking for some female anarchy, Emma is your woman. No Country for Girls has been described as ‘a story of young, female empowerment and resilience'. It is a pacy, high-stakes road trip thriller about two teen girls who take off on the run along 2000 kilometres of remote highway.

In conversation with Georgina Brown, Manager of The Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation, Emma will discuss her enduring theme of writing about young women finding their power and the new female-led crime writing coming out of Australia.

No Country for Girls is a road story, a crime novel, an adventure, and a dive into female friendship. Emma will talk about ‘the girls’ at the heart of her novel, Charlie and Nao, and how it sometimes feels like they wrote the book. She will speak about the landscapes and a homesickness for Western Australia that inspired the novel, plus how she managed to weave this together with the young women characters who subvert our expectations.

 You will have a chance to ask Emma questions, whether that’s about the process behind her writing, the personal resilience needed before this book found its way out into the world or any burning questions you may have about the story itself.

Book your place for the Pen to Print - No Country for Girls

 

Launch of the Women’s Museum

Date: Friday 8 March

Venue: Women’s Museum,4-5 Barking Wharf Square, Barking, IG11 7DQ

The Women’s Museum is a new space celebrating the stories, heritage and role of women and girls in Barking and Dagenham and beyond. 

Showcasing exhibitions, learning opportunities, events and workshops which highlight the achievements of women, the Women’s Museum is a contemporary space for dialogue, gathering, and from which to consider important issues relevant to our collective and diverse experiences. 

An inclusive space for people of all identities, abilities and backgrounds - trans and non-binary inclusive - we welcome EVERYONE.

 

An Idea of a Life Exhibition curated by Nephertiti Oboshie Schandorf 

Date: From Friday 8 March

Venue: Women’s Museum,4-5 Barking Wharf Square, Barking, IG11 7DQ

An Idea of a Life will explore the everyday histories of the women-led communities run by the Abbess and nuns who lived in nearby Barking Abbey from c.666AD to the early 16th Century. Across the duration of the exhibition, new artworks will emerge by artists Meera Shakti Osbourne, Lesley Asare and Sarina Mantle alongside depictions of archaeological objects excavated from the surrounding area, allowing for connections between this significant historic place and the stories of contemporary women, femmes and folk.

 

Film Night at The Boathouse – Polite Society (12A)

Date: Friday 8 March

Time: 6.30pm – 9.30pm

Venue: The Boathouse Studios Malthouse, 62-76 Abbey Road, Barking, IG11 7BT

This is a fun family film about a teenager who decides that she must save her older sister from her impending marriage. After enlisting her friends' help, she attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood.

 Released last year, the film is rated 12A, so it is suitable for children under 12 if their parents accompany them and believe it is OK.

 Entrance is £3.50, which includes a complimentary bag of popcorn and a soft drink.

This is going to be a great evening and a lighthearted way to celebrate International Women's Day, we hope you will join us!

Book your tickets for the Film Night

 

Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance (BDYD)

 

Date: Saturday 9 March

Time: 12pm – 1pm

Venue: Studio 1, Abbey Leisure Centre, Bobby Moore Way, Barking, IG11 7HW

Free dance classes for women of all ages and levels.

No need to book, just turn up.

For more information contact BDYD through their website: 

BDYD | Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance

 

Early Years Cocoon – “Discover Your Business Spark”

 

Date: Monday 11 March 

Time: 10.30am – 12.30pm 

Venue: Kinglsey Hall, Dagenham, RM9 5NB

“Discover Your Business Spark" is a unique initiative designed to empower mothers and women by tapping into their skills, passion, or experience to launch businesses. This is a 2-hour workshop in collaboration with All Women's Network.

In the face of the current cost of living crisis, this event aims to provide comprehensive support, guidance, and resources.

Engage in hands-on sessions guiding you to discover and harness your entrepreneurial potential.

Hear from successful entrepreneurs who have turned their passion into thriving businesses.

Connect with like-minded women, potential collaborators, and mentors.

Get your burning questions about starting a business answered by our expert panel.

Refreshments included and a small gift per participant.

Booking is essential due to capacity. Contact earlyyearscocoon@gmail.com.

 

Pen to Print - Write & Shine with Gemma Seltzer, in partnership with The London Library

 

Date: Friday 5 March

Time: 9am – 10.30am 

Venue: Online via Zoom

Taking inspiration and using source material from The London Library’s vast, sometimes weird and always wonderful collection, this session, led by author and Write & Shine creator, Gemma Seltzer, will encourage you to tune into your instincts and get writing. 

Write & Shine workshops take place in the morning - the best time to think, dream and imagine! 

You won’t be expected to share your writing, which offers great freedom and encourages all kinds of fascinating ideas to emerge. 

This workshop is part of a successful partnership between Pen to Print and The London Library, Previous workshops have covered every step of the writing process, from researching your idea to structuring your work, from building characters to honing your voice, all the way to the final edit. 

This session will be all about putting pen to paper and writing from the heart. 

Login at 8.45am for 9am start.

Book your place for Pen to Print - Write and Shine

 

Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance (BDYD)

 

Date: Saturday 16 March

Time: 12pm – 1pm

Venue: Studio 1, Abbey Leisure Centre, Bobby Moore Way, Barking, IG11 7HW

Free dance classes for women of all ages and levels.

No need to book, just turn up.

For more information contact BDYD through their website: 

BDYD | Barking & Dagenham Youth Dance

 

Pen to Print - Flow Writing Workshops: Ink and Impact - Celebrating Women’s Voices with Claire Steele and Carole Pluckrose

 

Date: Monday 25 March

Time: 12pm – 2.30pm or 6pm – 8.30pm

Venue: Janet Corcoran Memorial Library, The Boathouse Studios, Barking 

To celebrate Women's Empowerment Month in Barking and Dagenham this March, the creative collaboration of writers Claire Steele (Magical Journeys) and Carole Pluckrose (Artistic Director, The Boathouse Studios) invites you to a day of transformation through flow-writing workshops.

Inspired by Virginia Woolf's timeless wisdom, we're creating a sanctuary for women to explore their creative spaces and step into them boldly.  In her words spoken in 1928, she identified the need for women to have space for themselves to be creative and a room of their own to write. We look forward to honouring this with you through words and narratives, just as she envisioned.

The Experience:

Immerse yourself in a flow-writing workshop at the convivial Janet Corcoran Memorial Library within The Boathouse Studios. Together, we'll delve into the profound ways our ancestors, both cultural and familial, have fortified us. We'll weave a vibrant tapestry of empowerment, celebrating our diversity and shared experiences.

Join the Chorus of Voices:

This isn't just about writing; it's about building a chorus of empowered voices, drawing strength from each other's stories. These workshops will be a celebration of our differences and a platform to amplify what unites us, honouring the resilience and power inherent in womanhood.

 

Barking and Dagenham Women’s Empowerment Awards 2024 (Invitation only)

Date: Monday 25 March

Venue: Barking Town Hall, 1 Clockhouse Avenue, Barking, IG11 7LU

As Women’s Empowerment Month comes to an end, the Barking and Dagenham Women’s Empowerment Award winners 2024 will be announced in a special ceremony at Barking Town Hall.

These public awards honour the diverse achievements of women who live and work in Barking and Dagenham across a range of different categories.

 

Mental Health: Discussion (empowerment and recovery) and talk from Mental Health Charity and workers/volunteers. (Women only)

Date: Thursday 28 March

Time: 6pm – 8pm

Venue: Barking United Reform Church, 122 Upney Lane, IG11 9LT 

Inviting all women to attend a special event with a guest speaker from MIND who will be coming to talk about women’s mental health, followed by questions and a general discussion for those who wish to participate. 

A free event with refreshments, tea/coffee/non-alcoholic cold drinks, biscuits and cakes (nut free). A small donation to the church would be appreciated if able.

Disabled access and free parking (please note parking spaces are limited). 

For further information, or to book a parking space, please contact Councillor Lynda Rice – lynda.rice@lbbd.gov.uk