Welcome to the first “Gender Corner” article of 2018. The Gender Corner is a bi-weekly column creating thought-provoking and stimulating community discussions about gender matters in Anguilla and around the world. This week we highlight the importance of vision and endurance in the midst of change.
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“Out with the old and in with the new!” This is what many of us said as the clock showed 12:00 midnight on December 31, 2017/January 1, 2018. At literally a seconds notice, we all knew that there was a shift. Some embraced the New Year as a time to fulfill long-awaited resolutions. Others viewed the annual transition as a chance to take a fresh outlook on life, love, pain or sorrow. It was time to move past the old way of being, and embrace the moment of new opportunities.
We are now almost two months into 2018 and the tide is still shifting. The sea water is stirring, the rain is falling and the wind is not letting us go. Do you feel this shift? It is all part of a renewal process where we are charged to be grateful for what was – but always pressing for what is to come. These purposeful shifts are necessary for advancement and positive growth.
After Hurricane Irma seized the Gender Affairs Office, it left Gender temporarily housed in two spaces. Thankfully, Gender Affairs has a new home and is under “new ownership.” Here is a glimpse of what was then and what is now:
Then: Gender Affairs as part of the Ministry of Home Affairs (Secretariat Complex)
Now: Gender Affairs resurging as part of the Ministry of Social Development (3rd floor, D-3 Complex)
Then: Gender Affairs evolving under Hon. Minister Cora Richardson-Hodge and Permanent Secretary, Chanelle Petty-Barrett
Now: Gender Affairs innovating under Hon. Minister Evans McNiel Rogers and Permanent Secretary, Dr. Bonnie Richardson-Lake.
Then: Gender Affairs succeeding in national awareness, community outreach and the popular Women’s Week, Men’s Week and 16 Days of Activism
Now: These achievements aren’t changing. It’s all of the above, plus more!
Remember that as you go with the tide, trust that all things are working for your good. New years and new spaces bring new ideas and new prospects. Have you taken the time to renew a dream that was put on the back burner? Have you set out on a mission that has already come into play? Consider that change is inevitable but character is calculated. Stand strong with vision and endurance in the midst of shifting tides.
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If you’d like to contribute to The Gender Corner, or would like a particular topic addressed, feel free to email Dr. Ronya Foy Connor, Gender Development Coordinator, Ministry of Social Development at Ronya.Foy-Connor@gov.ai or call at 497-3042 or 497-3930.
