Since 1922, International Women’s Day has been celebrated every 8th of March, honouring the incredible achievements of women around the world and advocating for gender equality. At The Baytree Centre we’ve been fighting for women’s rights and equal opportunities since we opened our doors on Brixton Road in 1991. Every day we work to combat the inequalities faced by women, especially those from migrant backgrounds.
For us International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on the strides we’ve made as a community and to celebrate the women who are the backbone of our work. Over the past 36 years, we’ve built a vibrant, diverse community, and we’re excited to celebrate it with you this March.
The Baytree Centre was born out of a collective community need. In 1981 local women sought educational support and connected with Father Thwaites, leading to the establishment of a small educational club in the Moorlands Estate. What started as a grassroots initiative has since evolved into a fully functioning centre that provides vital resources and opportunities for women and girls. Today the women who were integral in Baytree’s early years continue to shape our work and remain central to our mission. You can see one of our ESOL tutors, Margaret Browne, in the image below from the 1990s.
In 1997 we introduced our Youth Service to provide a safe space for young girls to grow socially and academically. From self-defence to sewing and dance, our programmes have continuously expanded to meet the changing needs of the community. We pride ourselves on creating responsive, co-designed programmes that evolve with our service users’ needs. As we face a cost-of-living crisis, we’ve introduced several new programmes to help women manage their finances, from budgeting workshops to upcycling clothes and reducing household expenses.
While we focus on community integration and social mobility, we’re committed to celebrating the richness of our diversity. For us International Women’s Day has always been a time to celebrate this – inviting the women and girls to speak about their cultural traditions, welcoming alumni as volunteers, and uniting our inspirational partners with our younger generation. Last year we saw presentations on the Windrush generation and the sharing of Ethiopian coffee traditions, alongside our panel event for the Youth Service.
On March 6th, in partnership with Astrid & Miyu, we’ll be hosting our “From The Ground Up” event. The panel will feature incredible women leaders, including:
- Connie Nam, CEO of Astrid & Miyu
- Maggie Vorstenburg, Merchandising Director at Astrid & Miyu
- Ozohu Adoh, CEO of Epara and Chair of Baytree’s Board of Trustees
- Beth Kelly, Buying & Merchandising Director at Tapestry
We are excited to welcome these dynamic leaders to celebrate the way they’ve paved for women in the fashion and beauty industry. Click here to register for the event!
We believe that every woman deserves the opportunity to achieve her full potential. International Women’s Day is an opportunity for us all to come together in the spirit of equality and empowerment. We invite you to get involved, whether through sharing our event with your network, volunteering your time, choosing our charity to fundraise for within your company, partnering with us or making a donation to support our mission.
