On February 25, The Wayne Hills Empowerment Club held its first meeting. Discussion topics for the day were Feminism & Gender Equality, and the club seemed to have a powerful impact on its members.

The meeting kicked off with each of the officers introducing themselves and sharing fun facts. Hanna Hajdu, one of the co-presidents, has been trying to put this club together since November of 2020 and described her excitement that it is finally coming together.

A Ted Talk, titled “How gender equality benefits everyone” by Gabriela Shimako was presented, and a discussion followed. The video discussed Shimako’s definition of feminism, and how it is not crazy women who are raging to be better than everyone else. It simply is a matter of people trying to break down stereotypes centered around gender. The video taught viewers about tolerance of others, and led to the open-ended question to club members: What is your definition of empowerment?

Sophomore, Trisha Vyas, responded to this question by mentioning that “certain things don’t have a gender to them.” She talked about loving and respecting others while choosing to only uplift and support. Members discussed the importance of encouraging words, and how small phrases can have incredible impacts.

The officers restated their purposes for starting the club, including creating safe and supportive environments for members while introducing individuals to different career paths.

Members also discussed the origins and meaning behind feminism. Sophomore Wajiha Rizvi said that “people think feminism is women becoming the superior race when we’re just trying to be equal.” Her words inspired other members to speak up and share their thoughts.

Overall, the club seems to be an extremely uplifting and supportive place. Members are encouraged to speak out about their passions and share their thoughts with the group. There are no wrong answers. Junior, Grace O’Neill, encouraged members at the end of the meeting to “be the change you want to see.” Come join our next meeting on Thursday, March 18! We’ll be talking about body positivity & self-image empowerment!

Google Classroom code: jgmdqe3