Round Square Zoom Postcard

Each week, Round Square schools are given the opportunity to host a 60-90 minute Zoom call in which 50 to 150 students from up to 30 different schools around the world come together to discuss a topic determined by the host school in what is called a “Postcard”.

This initiative was developed by Round Square in 2021 in lieu of the many conferences and events that have been affected by the pandemic in order to keep students connected and allow them to continue having valuable discussions. These discussions are generally student-led and involve a combination of presentations, large group discussions, and discussions in smaller Baraza (Old African word in the Swahili language meaning “The coming together of different people”) groups.

On Wednesday 10 March 2021, MLC School hosted Round Square’s largest ever Postcard entitled ‘Women of the World – Where do we stand?’  This involved over 150 participants from 27 countries, coming together to discuss the evolving situation of gender equity in hopes of broadening perspectives, acknowledging current issues and working towards positive change. This topic of discussion was decided upon by the Round Square Leadership Team to coincide with International Women’s Day 2021 (Monday 8 March 2021) and in alignment with it’s theme of Choose to Challenge, which encourages individuals to be more alert and aware of the gender biases and inequalities that surround them, to take responsibility for their own actions, and to stand up against prejudicial behaviour.

The Postcard began with all participants engaging in a discussion surrounding influential leaders in the realm of gender equality and their contributions to the ongoing movement. This then evolved into a conversation regarding cultural differences in relation to attitudes towards women, expectation of women and progress in terms of gender equality.

Following this initial activity, students were divided into smaller Baraza discussion groups of approximately 15 where they were able to elaborate on their thoughts, exchange perspectives and learn from one another. Each of these discussions was led by an MLC School student who guided conversation by posing a number of different questions to the group such as ‘Do you think education is an effective way of addressing the issue of gender inequality? Do you think there is adequate education surrounding this?’ and ‘Where do women currently stand in our world? And what issues still exist in relation to gender inequality?’.

Whilst each discussion took on its own individual path, all students involved contributed to what was some very insightful, profound and varied dialogue. To conclude the Postcard, all participants reconvened, allowing individuals from different Baraza groups to share their key points of discussion with the larger group and reflect on how engaging in these conversations influenced their perspective.

The final activity involved students using the information from their previous discussions to inform a number of different strategies they could potentially implement at home or school to assist in addressing the issue of gender inequality.

This conversation allowed students to explore the current circumstances of women and the evolving situation of gender inequity while discussing prominent change makers in the field, past and current advancements in the area, their visions for change and how we can work towards implementing these changes. Along with this, it provided an insight into the differing perspectives on women around the world, giving students the opportunity to reflect on the cultural beliefs and values that shape these attitudes and consider a range of different issues arising as a result. This was a very valuable experience for all those involved as it provided not only an opportunity to broaden individual perspectives, but also to lead and connect with other Round Square students.

– Kayla Graham (Year 12)
Round Square Captain