Sarah Ledden | Staff Writer
The first ever national student conference on gender in Ireland, GenCon, will be led by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the National Women’s Council of Ireland’s (NWCI) Y-Factor Project in NUI Galway this weekend. GenCon 2014 will include discussions on pro-choice and Transgender activism in addition to modules on health rights, anti-sexual violence campaigns, LGBTQ health and a range of guest speakers and panellists representing different campaigns and health groups in Ireland today.
The USI are “delighted” to team up with the Y-Factor Project to host this event. Laura Harmon, USI vice president for equality and citizenship, praised the contribution of students in recognising and challenging gender equality issues on campuses. Through GenCon the USI aims to “foster links between activists and facilitate the sharing of ideas by bringing them together”, adding “we still live in an unequal society and gender activism, including feminism and Tran* equality campaigning, are as needed today as they ever were.”
The Y Factor was established to empower young people and encourage them to become advocates for gender equality and support young women’s organisations tackling gender inequality, according to Louise Riordan, The Y Factor co-ordinator with NWCI. Riordan commented on the increased interest and activism of feminist societies nationwide, and particularly within third-level institutions, in recent years saying that “it is important for them [student equality societies] to feel they are not alone in tackling inequality in their universities and the Y Factor and USI are delighted to have an opportunity to bring them together.”
Following the positive response from students and national groups regarding GenCon it is expected that this first national student gender conference will not be the last, with Harmon hoping “this is an event that will be continued on an annual basis”.
