MCAST Gozo Campus student, Monique Caruana, has recently participated in the Girl2Leader Campaign activities held in Brussels between 10 and 11 October.
Monique is currently reading for an Advanced Diploma in Health and Social Care at the Gozo Campus in Ghajnsielem. She was one of the three students selected from the Post-Secondary Educational Institutions around Malta and Gozo to participate in the Girl2Leader campaign set of activities in Brussels.
Girl2Leader is a campaign launched by the Women Political Leaders Global Forum (WPL) aiming at encouraging more girls to get involved in politics. Girl2Leader seeks to raise awareness about how women can and should play an important role in the political decision-making process and in the public sphere. The slogan for the campaign is Lead like a girl!
The main Girl2Leader event took place in the European Parliament in Brussels on 11 October. A group of 50 adolescent girls had the opportunity to hear personal stories about how each member of the European Parliament got involved in politics. Later they were also invited to ask questions to the members.
After this, the girls received a tour around the European Parliament and attended a Committee meeting. Additionally, a YouTube creator talked with them about the importance of female leadership in politics.
The day finished at the Google offices in Brussels, where they participated in the workshop IamRemarkable, which aims at helping girls recognise their own achievements and not to shy away from expressing themselves publicly.
Monique stated: "This unforgettable and extraordinary experience has left a mark on me. I learnt that as a female I need to be strong and fearless and not scared to be my real self. This event has also helped me to perceive and achieve great things while being unique, strong and fearless. I observed that when one accomplishes something they should speak about it and be proud because it is something to treasure. Putting forward ideas and suggestions in what you believe shows the strength and uniqueness. Unarguably, women were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness."