It’s March 8th, which means it’s International Women’s Day – a day that means a great deal to us at The Edge.
All of us want to be part of the push for positive change around the world. We want to do whatever we can to help redress the imbalances and injustices that still exist today which hold back all of us from reaching a world founded on true equality.
This year’s theme is #EmbraceEquity, asking us all to imagine a gender-equal world free from bias, stereotypes, and discrimination – and how we can all get there together.
Because it’s not simply about providing equal opportunities now; it’s about changing the status quo so that equal opportunities are accessible in a gender-equal world….
So what have we been up to in support of IWD2023, we hear you ask? Let us show you…
To mark this year’s event, Standard Chartered asked us to make a film to help answer the question:
We worked with Liverpool FC and some of their star players to explore the theme of equity through issues such as the impact of the gender imbalance in schools and in sport – and how we can all play our part in helping change the world for the better together.
In keeping with the project’s values, our team was led by some of the talented women we’re lucky to have here at Edge HQ, including Julia Massey (Producer), Kat Chatwell (Production Manager), Hannah Jenkins (Production Runner), and Yvresse Laureano (Post-Production), as well as bringing in director, Poppy Rogers, to help bring the creative vision to life.
We’re incredibly proud of the film and its message, which you can watch below:
We’ve also partnered with Not Beyond Redemption (NBR), a charity that partners with law firms across the UK to provide access to free Family Law advice and representation for mothers in prison or who have left prison.
Many women in these situations are unaware of their parental rights or do not have the means to access advice and representation. In most of these cases, they’re serving time for non-violent crimes and for sentences of 6 months or less.
The evidence shows that imprisoning women, whose misdemeanours would be better reflected by minor sentences (such as community service or rehabilitation programmes), results in devastating impacts on the whole family, increasing the risk of recidivism and falling into poverty.
NBR makes it their mission to help re-establish and regenerate relationships between these mothers and their children, and give them the best chance of starting over when they return to life outside prison.
Launched on IWD 2023, the film aims to encourage barristers and law firms across the UK to give their time to help with the charity. We’re working with Jill & Co to help spread NBR’s message as widely as possible throughout the British legal sector – and help get these women the support they need.
You can watch the film below, and we wholeheartedly encourage you to share as far and wide as you can, especially with any legal professionals you know who can provide support for NBR’s important mission.
Finally, we’ve also made our own film to mark IWD2023!
We’ve created a piece featuring Edgies from across the company to explore what equity means to us, what a world founded on equality looks like, and (to borrow a famous phrase) how we want to be the change we want to see in the world, and we’d love for you to have a watch.
We’re committed to doing what we can to keep on challenging the historical imbalances and their inherent injustices that seek to hold back women everywhere today, and to keep pushing for a gender-equal world.
We Edgies think that’s not just possible – but would unquestionably be a better world for everyone everywhere.
#EmbraceEquity