“The chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given, and is one I have no intention of taking lightly.”
Emma Watson
Actress and activist Emma Watson has been in the spotlight since she was 9, and has used that spotlight and that pressure to drive her fight for gender equality. At 24 years old, Watson was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, dedicating her efforts towards the empowerment of young women and serving as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign, which was to show that gender equality is a man’s issue as well - everyone needs to fight for this cause. Also, she has travelled the world promoting women’s rights and education. She has led campaigns fighting against the culture in universities that say women cannot lead, and the complacency on issues of sexual assault in these places. Watson has a scholarship in her name with One Young World, which is a nonprofit supporting young leaders. She started a collaborative and supportive Goodreads Feminist Book Club. All this, and her fight is just beginning. Photo provided by Disney EPK.
10 Women working to change the world: The chicagoans “With our work the rewards are just endless when someone is willing to be vulnerable.”
Heather Bodie
Artistic director of Erasing the Distance Heather Bodie’s life was changed the first day she joined the program. Erasing the Distance is a nonprofit that uses theatre to educate about mental health and break the stigma around it. The group talks to people who are willing to come share about their lives, and then they use that dialogue to create a short play. Before joining this group, Bodie was the co-founder and executive producing director of The Fine Print Theatre Company, which fosters new plays that reflect current social and political issues. Then a few years after that, she started acting in the Erasing the Distance company. According to Bodie, suddenly she was able to be part of a production where she wanted everyone she knew to see it, not because she was in it, but because of what the show said. Eventually she made the transition from on stage to behind the scenes. Bodie has seen the work of this company not only change her own life, but also the lives of many around her. Erasing the Distance photo.
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