International Women's Day: CIS students and faculty organise photo shoot to raise awareness on gender inequality

Bangalore: The Canadian International School (CIS) observed International Women's Day with pomp and gaiety. The students and faculty of the school celebrated achievements of women in different spheres and advocated equality between genders under the theme #EachforEqual. The event was launched by students, who organized a photo shoot, in which any student or teacher, of any gender, could come to advocate gender equality by taking pictures together. In the photo shoot, set against a colourful background, the participants made an equal sign with their hands as a way to represent a gender-balanced society. The programme was organised to raise awareness on the issue of gender parity as well as celebrate the efforts made by society to create a more equal world.

"I like American actress Freida Pinto's world view that gender equality is a human fight and not a female fight. I think of discrimination between women and men as a global issue that should have been solved by now, but isn't totally resolved. Women have constantly been proving themselves to be equal or sometimes even better than men in a lot of areas whether it's sports, studies or even jobs. It's unfair that women are still underestimated. Women have been making major changes to the world and it's only right for us to move away from the past and start acknowledging them and celebrate women's day together as one," said CIS student Harsh.

"Canadian International School has been taking strides to diminish gender bias. Initiatives such as the creation of an UN-affiliated club, Girl Up, is an example. The club aims to advocate, educate, and fund organizations for girls in developing countries. Another school initiative, the Symposium for Inclusivity, led by the school club, CIS Allies, aims to help educate students of CIS and raise awareness about the lack of equality. #EachForEqual is our initiative to create an inclusive society for girls and boys. This is a step in the right direction as change starts with one person," said CIS student Manya.

Commenting on the celebration of International Women's Day, Ms. Shweta Sastri, Managing Director, Canadian International School said: "We are proud that our students and faculty have taken initiative to create awareness on the need for gender parity. We advocate equality not only in our school but in the larger, social world too. It is vital to build awareness on this from a young age so that when the students turn older, they carry the same values and vision. We will do everything to support the CIS community in its endeavour to reach the goal of a fair and equitable world."