“If gender equality is our goal, what kind of leadership will the world need moving forward? What we need are leaders for gender equality – and we need them everywhere in our societal structures. Leaders of all ages, all gender identities and from all backgrounds. These leaders are not just agents of change, but designers of change. They lead through their example and engagement. They expose injustices and unequal opportunities. They know that gender inequalities stem from discrimination and exclusion and that it is only by lifting these barriers that real change can happen. This is feminist leadership. Feminist leaders tackle power structures. They name and deconstruct all forms of exclusion and marginalisation. They empathise with the vulnerable and voiceless, and champion their causes. Feminist leaders have the courage to create, report, educate, experiment”  The job of a feminist ally is not to dwell on the intersections but to acknowledge your own privilege and use the power you have to support others whose voices are less likely to be heard. Read more here from UNESCO.

Our feminist behaviour is inspired by Action Aid’s approach

1. Self-awareness: Working towards accepting our vulnerabilities, as well as recognising and valuing our own strengths and those of others.

2. Self-care and caring for others: Taking care of our own emotional and physical well-being and encouraging and supporting others to do the same.

3. Dismantling bias: Checking our own and institutional privilege and power based on advantages we have such as gender, class, race, ability and other factors.

4. Inclusion: Building diverse teams and responding to different barriers to participation.

5. Sharing power: Creating a space for others to lead.

6. Responsible and transparent use of power: Being clear, timely and transparent in decision making.

7. Accountable collaboration: Ensuring collective goals are clearly defined and mutually owned. Holding ourselves and others accountable for achieving them.

8. Respectful feedback and active listening: Seeking, giving and valuing constructive feedback as an opportunity for two-way learning. We listen and learn from diverse groups to learn about their issues and find out what support they need.

9. Courage: Taking initiative, learning from mistakes and not fearing failure.

10. Zero tolerance: Calling out any form of discrimination and abuse of power and ensuring our own conduct is free from any kind of harassment and exploitation.

11. We celebrate the achievements of our team members and women and girls in the UK and beyond.