Becoming the Change: My Journey as a Women's Rights Advocate
The TUC Cymru Women’s Activist Development Programme has helped me to grow in confidence. It has empowered me to take back, and hold onto, the values I hold dear as they are worthy no matter what others may think of them.
A focus on domestic violence campaigning
I have been a trade union member for many years. In 2019 I became an accredited union representative, advocating for fairness and justice in the workplace.
I have enjoyed being active on Unison Cymru Women’s Committee. I also held one of the Cymru Women’s seats on Unisons National Women’s Committee from 2020 to 2024.
During that time, I had many great experiences, including delivering a motion at my first ever Service Group Conference for the National Women’s Committee entitled “Domestic violence is a workplace issue”.
A proud moment for me was organising our White Ribbon event and Branch donations to three local Domestic violence charities, a few years ago.
Around the same time that my term on Unisons National Women’s Committee was coming to an end I saw a flyer for the TUC Cymru Women’s Activist Development Programme.
Why apply for the Women’s Activist Development Programme?
After attending the online introductory session, I was completely enthused about this programme. I really wanted to be part of it.
Shirley, a colleague from another Branch, spoke clearly, articulately and really enthusiastically about her experience on the first ever Black Activist Development programme and this further lit me up.
I recall Humie Webbe our wonderful facilitator was also on the call along with several female TUC Cymru staff and I felt warmth from all of them. The thought of being part of a wider reaching network and coming together with women from a variety of unions, backgrounds and all with their own uniqueness was inspiring.
I hoped that joining the programme would give me the voice, the platform, the engagement, to continue to do more for the greater good of all women. I was delighted when I found out I had been selected for the programme.
Join the 2025-26 Women’s Activist Development Programme
Developing camaraderie
It has been a hugely beneficial experience for me at what has been both a personally and professionally challenging period. The programme has really helped to keep me going and realise there is still valuable work to do which I can contribute to.
Our facilitators, organisers, TUC Cymru staff have been amazing, completely inclusive and encouraging. And everyone on the programme has been so supportive of each other.
Humie Webbe is a marvellous facilitator, as well as a wonderful human being. I think we all enjoyed the Johari’s window exercise, where you gain greater knowledge of self through the eyes of others, and some qualities you may not have noticed or recognised in yourself.
Above all, we have developed a strong sense of camaraderie, support and encouragement. We have shared our diverse experiences and challenges in a safe space and helped each other to work through them.
Intersectionality as a way to tackle the rise of the far right
During the summer I was privileged to be selected to represent the Women’s Activist Development Programme on a trip to Germany. We were shown what trade unions there are doing to deal with the very concerning rise of the far right in Europe.
One thing I observed in Germany was how intersectional solidarity cannot be underestimated.
I think, for a long time, different intersectional groups have worked independently of each other. So, I would like to see participants from all of TUC Cymru’s different Activist Development Programmes being able to get together and work on something really valuable that affects all of them like the frightening rise of the far-right.
The far-right infiltrates working class society, with a divide and conquer strategy, that has worked in the past.
However, let’s take some examples from history like when the LGBTQ+ groups supported the miners strikes in the 1980s. Given the era and climate there were unlikely but unbreakable bonds created.
Whilst we all know the sad outcome of the mining industry and for the miners, they had a huge amount of help from their LGBT+ allies.
The far right, world dictators and bullies will always push the rhetoric for society to “blame” a certain group of individuals when things go wrong. We saw this with the abhorrent antisemitism (and anti-many other groups) of the Nazi regime. Often the problem lies in government mismanagement, bad decision making or uncontrollable world events like a pandemic.
One way we can tackle the rise of the far right in Wales is to attract younger people to the union movement. We have generations now, that have grown via social media which often promotes “fake news and idealisms” who don’t know what their rights are at work.
I want to see young workers come together in physical spaces with trade unionists of all ages.