Woman in tech Sinead Rose creates We Are We to address Period Poverty, support homeless women and domestic abuse survivors
Q&A with Sinead Rose
What is We Are We?
We Are We is a charity that stands to break down the structures and biases that negatively affect and hold women back in today’s society.
We seek to uncover and dismantle the gender taboos that are hiding in plain sight. We do this through research and organizing activities with the purpose of encouraging and facilitating conversation on the subject relating to societal pressures, gender taboos and discrimination faced by women as a stepping stone for change to be made.
By doing this we seek to shed light on such areas and bring awareness with the aim to work on ways to tackle the root cause of these female-sensitive issues through collaboration with decision makers, organizations, volunteers and charities to name a few.
Campaigns that we have running at the moment include the eradication of Period Poverty, supporting homeless women and domestic abuse survivors, therapy sessions for the local community and workshops to empower women to self promote and self advocate in order to overcome imposter syndrome in and outside the workplace.
Sinead Rose
Why did you start We Are We? What inspired you to action?
I wanted to create a platform to bust the myths, stigmas and taboos that women from all walks of life are often plagued by.
There are many stigmas and taboos around women’s health that remain pervasive in most societies. Their impacts have serious negative consequences and can put lives at risk. For instance, after volunteering at my local homeless shelter, taboos around menstruation were brought to light. For example, the women who did not have access to hygiene products were at a higher risk of infections and other complications. Research has also revealed that taboos around health education have led to many young women not knowing how to protect themselves from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections or early pregnancy.
Stigmas around the sexual and reproductive health of persons with disabilities have led to a lack of options and maternal health services for women with disabilities. And stigma related to domestic violence can result in women not seeking help despite being in an abusive relationship. There are many other harmful manifestations of stigma and taboos around women’s health that affect women’s role in society and individual life trajectories.
The desire for me to make a difference and break down the structures that negatively hold women back in society led me to connect with thought leaders, influencers, activists and global policymakers who are challenging taboos, stigma and discrimination, with the goal of showcasing success stories and galvanizing further progress on women’s health and gender equality. This was when We Are We was born.
How do you create space and set intention to work on meaningful projects while maintaining a day job?
Organization is key for me. My day job is as a Customer Success Consultant at Salesforce, which means that I need to be readily available to advise my customers on strategic use of software they have invested in to reach their business objectives.
Being able to understand the Customers Success Outcomes enables me to also plan accordingly and set some time for myself outside of work hours to pursue my passion in giving back to the community.
I have been able to set aside this time to launch We Are We and work on it by setting the expectation with my colleagues and sharing with them the things I am passionate about. The support received from my team and the company culture encouraging employees to spend a percentage of their time doing the things they love makes a great work-life balance obtainable.
Two main things that have enabled me to be where I am today are:
1. There is never a perfect time to be ready to start the things you are passionate about.
You can prepare and plan the things you want to do outside of your day job; however, I have realized that no matter how much you prepare you can not predict how things will go! You just have to start and ensure you are as equipped as you can be at that present time, utilizing the resources and knowledge around you to make the next step. There will be many unexpected bumps in the road but it’s totally fine; these bumps only make you stronger and force you to think outside of the box and operate outside your comfort zone to find a solution to manage the time and create the space that works for you.
Patience is key! When I started We Are We whilst also working my day job full time, I expected to create impact and change lives with the work I was doing immediately, but have since come to learn that great things take time and one must be prepared to go through the learning and waiting curve. Once I understood this, time, money, impact and the ‘good stuff’ associated with doing what you're passionate about will roll in as byproducts.
2. Get a team asap
Having a secure support system is key behind the success of We Are We. I have met many women on the same journey as me who are either protective of their ideas and businesses - sometimes to the point where it becomes counterproductive and results in missed opportunities. I had to find out the hard way with my first venture. I found that although I was achieving the targets set it was at the expense of time and energy that could have been invested elsewhere. Now I have a team that is indispensable, enabling my charity to scale and support more women than it would have done if it was just me doing it alone.
Do you think this is becoming more normal, as people look for the opportunity to have cultural impact both at work and outside of work? If so, where do you see it happening?
We are living in a time where more and more people are finding it increasingly important to spend time on the things that bring more value to their lives. Companies are realizing that employee retention now goes beyond the pay package, with people requiring flexible working hours and locations, hybrid working, voluntary days, projects and wellness benefits. It definitely is becoming the norm for people to have access to all these things.
How can companies support this kind of work and enhance their workplace cultures by supporting employees who want to do these kinds of things?
That's a great question. One way is to encourage workplace participation. For instance I find that companies that dedicate a portion of their time to voluntary projects and community giving opportunities helps create an environment that employees are proud to be part of. Companies such as Salesforce have a 1:1:1 model, which has now become a vital part of the company culture. This model dedicates 1 percent of employee time, 1 percent of resources and 1 percent of profits to good causes within the community, which has encouraged employers to engage and support the effectiveness of the social sector. Many companies are following suit and taking on the 1 percent pledge, which creates a valuable space for all.
What’s next for We Are We?
One of the charity aims is to move the needle in the UK Period Poverty space and put an end to Period Poverty once and for all. We are planning for the Free Products Bill to pass through Royal Assent and are working with Lords and Baroness' equally passionate about this Bill. Whilst the bigger vision is to eradicate period poverty in the UK through policy, we understand that education and provision are still key ingredients to making this a reality. With this in mind, we will donate 50,000 sanitary products to homeless shelters and food banks by the end of 2021.
For our education piece, we seek to expand our reach by launching a national school program where we will partner with the Governing Boards of Education to implement training to teachers on the subject of period poverty, menstrual hygiene, eco-friendly servicing options and more. The trained teachers will then be given a lesson plan to follow and deliver to their students. This program will be launched in 2022 with the aim to expand internationally through our charity and school networks.
We Are We is also really passionate about creating opportunities for women within the community and are in the process of designing a program for female entrepreneurs that can provide funding, mentorship and resources to take their businesses to the next level.