Madeline Price is a passionate fourth year Bachelor of Arts/Laws student at The University of Queensland. Madeline first got to know us as part of Oaktree, a group that had previously held an office here at Visible Ink as part of the Brisbane City Council Youth Enterprise Program.

Currently embarking on an ambitious new program, the One Woman Project, tackling a range of important issues relating to gender equity. Madeline hopes “to educate students about these issues, before connecting them with local gender-related organisations with available volunteering positions, so they can further their knowledge and community impact”, the program will soon enter it’s second semester at Visible Ink, building upon it’s initial success.

The One Woman Project, founded in mid-2013, presented its inaugural program in March this year and has already garnered a positive response from the community including receiving a project grant from internationally-renowned gender advocacy organisation Half the Sky, and partnering with the Brisbane branch of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom.

The first series of seminars, atended by over 25 university-aged students over eight weeks, coverered a wealth of issues, featuing expert guest speakers on the various topics, multi-media presentations and participatory discussion among the participants. Topics included; the difference between sex and gender, the feminisation of poverty, representations of women and men in advertising and film, maternal health and HIV/Aids, women in the political arena, the role of women in conflict zones, women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, and the future of global gender inequality.

Madeline Price with students from the first semester program.

Madeline explains her inspiration for the program, “the One Woman Project stemmed from my recent participation in a Summer Semester abroad. Living and studying in Prague, the Czech Republic, for one month, I participated in the Global Leadership Program, a program requiring one to develop a social justice project with the hope of implementing it back in your home country.”

She has long been involved in gender related advocacy, “my passion for global gender equality began at a young age, following an overseas volunteering trip to Thailand and Cambodia” , Madeline’s inspiring commitment to community continued through her study. “Since beginning my tertiary studies, I have established The University of Queensland branch of Oaktree, acted as President of the UQ Oaktree Society from 2012-2013, participated as a Group Leader on Oaktree’s ‘Roadtrip to End Poverty’ in March 2013 and acted as the Queensland ‘Live Below the Line’ Insiders Coordinator for 2013. Presently, I am also a Community Leaders Head Facilitator at Oaktree, along with being an active member of the UQ Women’s Collective.”

The second semester of the One Woman Project begins in the middle of 2014 at Visible Ink, with applications closing on July 31. It is open to both male and female high-school and university students, and is a great opportunity to learn about gender equity, meet some involved and inspiring participants and become involved in community as a One Woman Project alumni.

Madeline claims working with the Visible Ink space is a great fit for the project as “the innovative and collective atmosphere it creates, as well as the profession-attitude it conveys” aligned perfectly with her motivations. We’re just as thrilled to have such a committed and passionate young person making such valuable use of our facilities.