MYTH BUSTERS

In Spring 2021, a group of passionate students formed a new school society designed to discuss and debate important gender issues that have long been disregarded by mainstream society, writes Ms

Aitken-Burt

Why are the facts about the current state of gender equality in the world so misunderstood? Most of the time, we perhaps don’t think about the reason behind certain views we hold and where they come from. The Athena Society was created at Emanuel to try and tackle these complex issues and reclaim the often ignored voices and stories of women across a range of subjects.

The group was established in April 2021 in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, which shook the local Clapham community. Through conversations with Lower Sixth Politics students who wanted to discuss and better understand the history behind the existence of misogyny, we decided to set up a weekly after school session to explore the real meaning of gender equality. To emphasise the aim of learning and empowerment, students decided to name it after the great Greek Goddess of Wisdom.

Through interweaving the variety of disciplines I teach, the Athena Society discusses interesting, important and overlooked stories about gender equality across Art, Classics, History, Politics, Philosophy and Culture. Each term the group reviews articles, books, films and news stories to uncover and understand the hidden stories and struggles of women through time.

But this is not just a group for young women — gender equality is important for everyone to be freed from harmful gender stereotypes. It has been great to see male students supporting their female peers by attending and engaging with the discussions. Not only has it helped students to understand what feminism is actually about and remove its negative connotations, but it has helped to get students to recognise omissions in the historical record and understand that some narratives are emphasised over others, with a significant impact on the stories we tell through time.

The thing we all love about Athena Society is the friendly environment, even when we are sometimes having tough conversations. Students tell me what they want to know more about, and we find interesting ways to bring it to life within a safe, non-judgemental, controlled discussion framework. The aim is to seek to understand and learn from each other by posing questions to get us thinking. History is a really great way to think about issues from a new perspective by looking at different characters, countries and time periods. Through busting myths, we can eradicate those historical misconceptions and better educate ourselves in order to create change in the present day.

The Athena Society quickly became one of the most popular after-school groups and it has been incredible to see students enjoying thinking in new ways, especially about something so important. The society has opened up so many new conversations in a way that students find interesting and enjoyable. It has also helped students and staff to be part of a wider conversation, even beyond the individual sessions we have held.

The Athena Society is also about putting words into action. For International Women’s Day, we raised £511 through the sale of stickers displaying our fantastic logo (pictured right) designed by Emma (U6RJB). The money was donated to the Women and Girls’ Network — an under-resourced charity that runs five rape crisis centres in London that provide free helplines, counselling, information on dealing with the criminal justice system and group support work in schools.

“As a school, understanding the ways in which the patriarchy impacts women's lives is instrumental in creating change: firstly in schools, then in society. I’m so proud to have founded the Athena Society; it has been one of the first steps in filling gaps left by the curriculum whilst nurturing a safe environment where students can discuss gender and women in History and Politics.”

Festa (U6SPP)

“I was a founding member of the group because I began to realise there was a different perspective on the world I hadn’t considered before. Often the topics we discuss had completely slipped under my radar and I hadn’t recognised the harm they have caused and still cause today.”

Chris (U6AEM)

“The aim was to draw all students, boys and girls and from a range of year groups in order to start constructive discussion. I enjoyed hearing the views of my peers because unless we have wider discussions we won’t find solutions to injustices. Even just basic awareness of many of the issues we have covered promotes incremental social change on views towards gender equality.”

— Tara (U6SEM)

“I will remember feeling heard, feeling inspired by a teacher who shared a passion with us and educating myself on the topic of feminism. I will continue to work together with like-minded individuals for change as, through Athena, I know it can happen.”

Willa (U6ARW)