This year’s themes are:

1. Accelerate Action
2. For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.

They are powerful reminders that while progress has been made, the opportunities available to women and girls across the world remain vastly unequal. (Honestly, in many cases, it feels like we’re moving backwards…).

While some are fighting to break glass ceilings, others are fighting simply to survive. For example, women in Afghanistan have been stripped of basic rights, denied education, and forced into silence. In fact, they cannot even leave the house without being accompanied by a male member of the household.

And across the world, millions of women and girls face extreme poverty, lack of healthcare, and unsafe living conditions.

International Women’s Day is not just about celebrating successes. It’s about recognising these injustices and taking action to change them.

Forgive me for jumping on my soapbox again here, but it’s just so obvious: If we want a more just and equal world, we have to start by shaping the values of the next generation.

By the time children reach school age, they’ve already absorbed messages about who holds power, who gets listened to, and who belongs where. Those messages don’t just come from what we say – they come from what we do and what children see in the world around them.

That’s why we always need to be intentional.

As music specialists for example, are we making sure that the songs we sing represent diverse voices and experiences? As role models, are we challenging stereotypes rather than reinforcing them? Are we encouraging every child – regardless of gender, or any other characteristics – to take up space, lead, and express themselves?

Songs are a powerful tool for shaping these values. When we sing songs that highlight fairness and respect, when we ensure every child’s voice is heard, and when we understand the importance of diversity and model equity in our delivery, we’re laying the foundations for a future where International Women’s Day isn’t just a celebration. It’s a reflection of the world that we’ve worked so hard to build together.

As we enter the week ahead, what inequities might be apparent in your setting, in your community, or in the world around you? And more importantly, what will you do to challenge them?

We all need to accelerate action – big or small – to create a more inclusive world for the next generation.

Here’s to an equitable week ahead for all of us!