International Women’s Day Session

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

CONNECT - for mid-week/Home League groups

Education Session - Special Days

8 March: Be inspired by women from history and women from our own personal history.

Summary

Sharing about inspiring women
Exploring this year's resources for International Women's Day
Esther's defining moment

Ask members to bring photos of inspirational women from their own lives, for example mothers, teachers, mentors…
Select some International Women’s Day (IWD) resources, for example photos, how to make a pledge wall, facts and case studies
Select a video to watch from this year or from other years

Online groups

You may wish to ask people to email their photos to you
Email selected IWD resources to members

Officially recognised by the United Nations in 1977, International Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the 20th century in North America and across Europe.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is now celebrated in many countries around the world on 8 March every year. It is a day when women are recognised for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

Using the photos of inspirational women brought in by group members, share why these people are so important and impactful. What was it about them that made them inspirational?

ONLINE GROUPS

Ask members to show their photos by holding them up to the camera; or, if they have emailed them to you in advance, use share screen to show the photos to the group.

QUIZ

Try this short quiz including some famous quotes from inspirational women. Can you guess who said what?

‘When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level. No, our motto is, “When they go low, we go high.”’

Michelle Obama

‘It is obvious to you that the struggle will be an unequal one, but I shall make it - I shall make it as long as I have an ounce of strength left in me, or any life left in me.’

Emmeline Pankhurst

‘If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.’

Margaret Thatcher

‘No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.’

Eleanor Roosevelt

‘Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.’

Rosa Parks

‘Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.’

Marie Curie

‘Despite everything I believe that people are really good at heart.’

Anne Frank

‘It is never too late to be what you might have been.’

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

WATCH

Choose a video to watch and inspire your group.

ONLINE GROUPS

Share screen to share the video.

IWD

There are a range of activities from the IWD website that you may wish to explore with your group. For example: explore case studies; create your own ‘Choose to Challenge’ group photo; make a pledge wall; make your own video

ONLINE GROUPS

Create a photo collage with screen shots of each member with the hand-held high pose.

WD will have a list of statements for the pledge wall. Read these out and encourage members to use the stamp function to show if they will take up any of these challenges.

There are many inspirational female characters in the Bible and today we are focusing on Esther. Esther was an Israelite orphan who had been adopted by her cousin Mordecai (Esther 2:7). She was part of an ethnic minority living in a strange land; she was not of high value or considered of great worth, just an ordinary girl. And yet Esther was chosen to be a queen (Esther 2:17).

Queen Esther found herself at first keeping her Jewish heritage a secret for fear of the consequences. But when her own people were in danger she was willing to risk her life to save her people. Haman, an enemy of her cousin Mordecai, noted that the Israelites were different – the Jews kept different rituals and did not keep the king’s laws which contradicted them. So Haman advised the king that the Jews should be destroyed (Esther 3:8-10).

When Esther learned of this, she went to the king – an act punishable by death as she had not been invited – and petitioned him for the lives of her people (Esther 7:3). A woman of principle, she was willing to put the lives of others ahead of even her own life.

Esther was just an ordinary young woman who had a defining moment in which she chose to stand courageously for others.

We may often feel pretty ordinary ourselves, our lives may appear very routine, but all of us have a few defining moments when we may be called on to put godly principle above personal benefit. What will you do when you encounter defining moments in your life?