#Emilymatters
Through drama and creativity we help empower women and young people to use their voice and be heard.
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#Emilymatters is an initiative that takes inspiration from the legacy of suffragette Emily Wilding Davison, as well as from the stories of Ordinary, Brave and Extraordinary women, of the past and present.
Our work is about bringing people together.
A special House of Commons performance in 2014 of To Freedom’s Cause, by Kate Willoughby (Actor/Writer/Creative Director) was the catalyst for #Emilymatters.
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Since 2014, Kate’s work has focused on sharing empowering collective stories with new audiences. She believes that creatives have a vital role to play today, as an antidote to the divisive rhetoric that seems to dominate much of social media and society at large.
I believe in the power of Creativity and Stories to inspire us, because they can remind us of how much we share in common, helping us to nurture more empathy and understanding for those we may never meet.
In an age where manufactured division seems to dominate much of our public discourse, Creativity and empowering Stories can help us to challenge this, enabling us to write a new, fairer and more positive tale for all our futures.
With the Climate Emergency rightly on world leaders minds, there has never been a better time to for all of us to take positive action, within our local communities as well as with those around the globe. There is no time to lose.
Courage Calls!
Kate Willoughby, #Emilymatters Creative Director
I have developed strong links with a range of community partners through a series of impactful outreach events relating to my suffragette play To Freedom’s Cause.
Community Matters
Feelings Trump Facts
As the USA moves beyond the Trump years, we believe it’s more important than ever to make time to listen to learn, with respect, and to share a more positive narrative, from the heart, one that brings people together, in order to celebrate how much we share in common and to help empower women and young people to use their voices and be heard.
#COURAGECALLS!
“Make sure you can say that you championed the cause of democracy, equality and peace.”
– Emily Davison, ‘Courage Calls!’ call to action speech, by Kate Willoughby.
For democracy’s sake
With this in mind, we have expanded our outreach programme to include:
- a stand alone Emily Davison speech ‘Courage Calls!’,
- a short extract from ‘To Freedom’s Cause’ (with Emily Davison and Mary Leigh)
- a pop-up Vote 100 version of ‘To Freedom’s Cause’, which was first performed at the former Suffragette Head Quarters as part of our Day of the Girl/Emily Davison’s birthday celebrations in 2018.
Courage Calls! Audience Feedback includes:
“Courage calls to courage everywhere – especially from women in politics to women just starting to find their voices. Thank you for reminding me of the transformational power of stories, too; sometimes words are deeds as well.”
– Angharad Roberts, Labour and Co-Operative Party Councillor, Nottingham.
Happy to join fab & feisty actor, writer & campaigner Kate Willoughby @EmilyMatters in her call to action! If everyone with a vote uses it we can make sure fear does not win here tomorrow in #York @York4EU #publicvote #finalsay #EuropeanElections2019 ? pic.twitter.com/Pz7X520Tsb
— Alison Hume (@Alison4YorksMEP) May 22, 2019
“You held the audience spellbound with a powerful heartfelt speech encouraging everyone to use their democratic right to vote which so many courageous campaigners from the past have fought for.”
– Elizabeth Dwiar, Brighton historian and campaigner.
Powerful speech by @katewilloughby8 that courage calls to courage everywhere, to call a ‘People’s Vote’, after the unveiling of the WSPU plaque @CarolineLucas pic.twitter.com/hZqdfvL6GG
— Hazel Reeves (@HazelReeves) May 11, 2019
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L I V I N G L E G A C Y
Let’s create a powerful living legacy that has a positive ripple effect from one generation to the next.
We would love you to get involved with our new community focused project, so please do get in touch!
Should there be another election/referendum this year, please make sure that you are registered to vote.
ℹ️ www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
? Your vote is powerful and fragile.
?️ Your voice matters. And not just at election time.
To all our friends, known and unknown of our #Emilymatters, initiative never forget that no matter the disappointments or the setbacks, our direction is forwards – with love.
Emily Davison and her sister suffragettes are willing us on. It is our choice whether or not to further their noble cause.
Given the fractious times we are currently living in, we are looking at ways of mutually encouraging and supporting other creative endeavours beyond borders and walls.
If the suffragettes were able to actively support their sisters’ endeavours across the UK, Europe, the USA and beyond, then why can’t we?
It’s time to Step Up | Vote | Lead
