Our next team member to be featured on our ‘5 Questions for a Feminist’ section is Nina!
1. What is your name and role?
I'm Nina, and I volunteer as an Engagement and Outreach Coordinator with the One Woman Project.
2. What does a typical day look like for you in your role as an OWP volunteer?
As someone who works in an office and on the computer M-F, I usually take some time each afternoon to check my OWP emails and see how things are progressing, and/or read the latest article that Madeline has posted on Slack. She always finds amazing content!
Up until recently, I have been working with the E&O team in Victoria to organise our International Women's Day event, so it's been a mix of brainstorming with a team member on Slack for the next actions and priorities, completing draft workshop materials and ticking things off our checklist for preparation/evaluation for the event. I also like chatting to my team on the phone so I might jump on a call to hash out an activity or who can be delegated to tasks.
3. What area of feminism are you most passionate about and why?
This is a really hard question to answer as I am passionate about so many intersections and areas of feminism! As a young woman who was raised by a single mother and now works in Aboriginal Affairs, I think about different women's experiences regularly. If I could whittle it down to the top three I would say:
Intersectional feminism and making space for strong BIWOC to speak their truth and transform mainstream feminism to better serve them (and all of us in the process);
Creating inclusive feminist spaces that can foster a healthy community; and
Encouraging my peers, young working women, to stand up for their rights in the patriarchal and capitalist workforce to be treated equally and paid equally for their labour.
4. Why did you decide to join OWP?
I have been a shameless superfan of OWP since I first found out about the organisation in 2015. I always wanted to join the organisation but knew it would involve me prioritising my time better and letting go of the need to commit to too many projects or endeavours at once. In 2019, I simplified my life and in slowing down realised how important feminism is to me and how directly feminist peers have supported my life. I also witnessed extreme patriarchal and capitalist abuse of WOC in my workplace and needed an outlet to be able to channel my frustration into. So I took the plunge to apply and am so happy that I did!
5. What do you like to do outside of your OWP role?
I love working in the Aboriginal Affairs sector to fight for the rights of Indigenous people. I think there is so much we can learn from connecting with and listening to the wisdom of our Indigenous community members. My area is policy so you'll usually find me brainstorming with colleagues or reading copious articles.
I am also passionate about living a sustainable, zero-waste lifestyle where possible and spend considerable time making food, home products, sewing and mending my clothing and finding better alternatives to the mainstream ways I was taught to do things. I also recently returned to dance and yoga after a hiatus and this has been wonderful!