Exchanging Notes - International Women's Day Meet & Greet (Online)
Event description
![](https://network.youthmusic.org.uk/sites/default/files/styles/body_image/public/IWD%20Graphic%202.png?itok=g3qho1BH)
For all those working to support women and gender minorities in music, across the UK and internationally.
Please note - this session is not on actual International Women's Day but is the week of it!
We'll be joined by Martha Lomeli who leads on the Play It Loud initiative, striving to ensure that more women and under-represented youth can be empowered through music. We'll also be joined by Namywa Hutchinson, founder of Girl Grind UK which supports and empowers Black, Asian Minority Ethnic women, girls and gender expanding people.
Martha
Martha is a doctor in social psychology who examines the relationship between society, culture and people's well-being.She iscurrently leading a cross-cultural research project on meanings and beliefs around mental health in young people from the UK, Canada, Mexico and China.Marthahas devised psychosocial interventions based on creative methods such as music and arts. In her latest project, she implemented song-creation workshops to foster psychological resilience in teenage girls who survived the 2018 earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Indonesia. Apart from her academic work at University College London, Martha is involved in initiatives that aim to promote creative expression and participation of women, trans and non-binary people in the music sector, such as Play it Loud!, Girls Rock London and Safe Gigs for Women.
Namywa
Hailing from Birmingham, Namywa is an international recording artist, performer, & songwriter speaking truth to power, with a fearless lyrical approach to subjects that mean a lot to her. In 2020 Namywa became the CEO and founder of Girl Grind UK and is spearheading a movement across the West Midlands region. Girl Grind UK was founded with a fierce determination to systematically empower and support Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Women, Girls, and Non-Binary individuals at crucial stages in their personal and professional development. We inspire, celebrate, and cultivate individuals and communities as they pursue their passions and aspirations. Through three development arms, GROWNISH for 12 to 17 year olds, WOMANISH for those aged 18 to 30 and PRIMEISH for those 30+ and in the prime of there creative lives the organisations is big raising ambition, career progression and confidence amongst people who often miss out because of who they are, where they come from or what they do. To date the organisation has delivered 11 projects, partnering with over 40 organisations and is currently funded by the likes of Youth Music Charity and Paul Hamlyn Foundation please find out more here.
JM International
Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI) is a global network of NGOs that provide opportunities for young people and children to develop through music across all boundaries. Open to all styles of music, we work for and with youth, harnessing the power of music to bridge social, geographical and cultural divides, creating an international platform for intercultural dialogue and acceptance. With member organisations currently in over 70 countries, JMI is today a global network that reaches over 6 million young people aged 13-30 per year through more than 45,000 activities, which embrace all styles of music, and coordinate cross-border exchange opportunities on the international level.
Play It Loud!
In 2020, as a response to gender imbalances in the youth & music sector, JMI launched the “Play it Loud!” process, focused on fostering gender mainstreaming, diversity and inclusion in the JMI Network and beyond. “Play it Loud!” aims to contribute to a more equal and diverse youth & music sector, welcoming all underrepresented young people to take ownership, express themselves freely through music and participate actively in local and European democratic and civic spaces, contributing to shaping a more inclusive society.