We won't stay silent

Excited, tired, overwhelmed, curious, upset, encouraged, informed, courageous, fierce. I believe these are just some of the words we could use to describe our incredible week at CSW. Throughout the week we have listened and engaged into discussions on critical gender issues. And we have learned more than we could ever imagine.

One word that maybe best describes where we are at right now is: ready. We are ready, not only to listen, but also to speak up.

As a student it is easy to get disillusioned by all the information that you still don't know anything about. We get exposed to new theories and concepts on a daily basis and we keep getting reminded of the fact that our own knowledge is very limited. To some extent this realization is healthy. It keeps me humble about myself and my knowledge. However, despite that my knowledge is limited it is not useless. My history, experience, and education has taken me, has taken all of us, to the point where we are at today. The individual history, experience, and education together creates a very unique perspective that needs to be brought into discussions on women's rights issues.

During this week, I believe that we all have realized that we are more than ready to bring in our own unique perspectives into the discussions on women's rights. Even to the really complex ones. We are ready to proudly present our own expertise but also humbly acknowledge and include the expertise of people around us. Especially of those who often are excluded.

It is impossible to look back at this week without looking forward. We are ready to bring everything we have learned at CSW with us to our own communities. We have grown an inch or two as activists. And we won't stay silent.

Cecilia Wester