March 5, 2019 – For International Women’s Day, the Department of Government and International Relations in the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FLPS) at Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) hosted the first event of the “[Un]spoken” campaign by the Know Your Place (KYP) initiative. Know Your Place is a non-profit organization which prioritizes female empowerment by building a community and sharing the stories of successful women who overcame the barriers with their achievements.
Speakers Samah Hamawi and Monica Ohanian emphasized that overcoming adversity and finding joy through despair is a universal human condition. Hamawi and Ohanian provided the audience with compelling examples of how they found a source of strength, happiness, and inner-peace and through the help of friends. They also spoke, to the double standard, that men succeeding against all odds are commended as paragons of their gender, while women who strive to fulfill their potential are often perceived as unfeminine. Students and professors at NDU were inspired to share their own personal stories in the following Q&A session led by Sarah Gharzeddine KYP, Community organizer and NRJ Lebanon Radio Host.
“[Un]Spoken” is part of broader spectrum of community events developed by KYP, and supported by the social innovative platform ‘Rootslab’ to advance young women in leadership positions through collective action. The Department of Government and International Relations intends to continue this regular series of events on gender equality and women’s rights as part of its ongoing dedication to mainstreaming human rights in its teaching, research, and outreach.