iSpot’s iForum LIVE! launches today, Tuesday March 8th, 2022 and our first event celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD). IWD is on this day annually and this year and we would like to celebrate women in biodiversity and citizen science. In doing so we are hosting this space where we can interact, share comments and stories, while acknowledging the women in our iSpot community too!
The main theme for International Women’s Day this year is #BreakTheBias and the United Nations (UN) Women organisation adds a spotlight on gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.
Hosted by the iSpot Team’s @Janice_A and @Rachel_R this iForum LIVE! event brings us together to talk about these themes and much more! Join the conversation, post a message when you can and join us LIVE at the following scheduled times:
2022-03-08T10:00:00Z→2022-03-08T10:30:00Z
2022-03-08T13:00:00Z→2022-03-08T13:30:00Z
2022-03-08T18:00:00Z→2022-03-08T18:30:00Z
Can’t join LIVE? this topic will be open for messaging over the next week so do join in!
Its Tuesday March 8th, Happy International Women’s Day!
Welcome to this our our first iForum LIVE! event. We will be starting a LIVE chat at 10:00 GMT so please do join in!
Welcome all! I am @Janice_A and it’s a pleasure to a co-host of this event today. For those who I have not messaged with before I am Senior Project Manager – Citizen Science at the Open University and I have been project Manager for iSpot since before we launched iSpot over 12 years ago!
I am thrilled to be with you all today as we launch this new iSpot Forum feature iForum LIVE! which is particularly significant on this international day celebrating women. This is a day that I always mark on my calendar by reflecting and participating in at least one IWD activity. I am so please to be doing this event with you all today!
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Good Morning Janice,
Happy International Women’s Day. I would like to start by saying thank you to Rachel for the invitation to join the live chat today.
My name is Chloe Jennings I am one of the Senior Conservation Education Officers for the Zoological Society of East Anglia.
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Started a new topic because I don’t know how this works! But maybe doesn’t matter! Good morning from my study looking out on some sunshine (again!).
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Thanks for organising this. I am Maggie/Mags, a semi retired person involved in various aspects of the natural world and inspired by others.
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Welcome Chloe and it’s good to have you here for International Women’s Day! I hope you enjoy all the discussions! 
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I am @Rachel_R and I am Citizen Science Project Officer at The Open University. I’ve been with the OU for 13 years and have supported iSpot for over 7 years now. And it’s an absolute pleasure to co-host this International Women’s Day (IWD) today with Janice and, most importantly, with YOU our iSpot community on this special day!
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Good Morning and welcome @mags49 and Happy International Women’s Day to you! It’s good to have you here and you’ll see how this works as the day goes on! Hope you enjoy the interactivity!
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Great to have you all here with us today! Let’s get stated with the first poll!
I celebrate International Womens’ Day…
- Every year
- This is my first time!
We’re 50 / 50 at the moment! Welcome to IWD celebrations first timers! Keep the votes coming in.
Well worth marking the day! Nothing fancy, just an occasional chat with some friends and a maybe a walk. One of my conservation volunteer pals is such an inspiration, avid reader, committed worker (not one of your armchair or keyboard warriors!) L gets out there as a volunteer two or three days a week and finds the energy to energise others while she works. I expect we all have pals like that - I hope so! Her ethos is one of service - and education.
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Good morning!
I’m Jane and although I have previously celebrated International Women’s Day when, in another life I worked in China, it really only meant a day off!
Nice to have the opportunity to find out a bit about iSpotters. I’m now retired and spend a lot of time with camera in hand outside as do most on this site! Rarely, if ever, do I take people photos
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@mags49 It’s wonderful to have women who inspire you and even better when they are your friends too!
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Amazing to have you here too!
I would have to agree, at the zoo’s we run annual native species events to count how many native species we have on site. The volunteers that help and support are incredible and their knowledge on native species is amazing.
We have loved using iSpot during these events as we have been able to include a much wider audience in our native species events some that either can’t come or live too far away.
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I agree @mags49 I use it as an opportunity ti catch up with women who have inspired me and helped get me where I am today!
So, let’s get the conversations started ….Please do keep introducing yourselves and saying hello if you have just arrived in the IWD iForum LIVE! event…we’d love to know where you are from!
Great to hear that @BZEducation we love to hear these types of experiences about using iSpot.
I like the idea that we don’t have to just post during the live event too. Timing is all and we don’t always have time!
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In another earlier phase of my life (now on second career if on a seasonal part time capacity) I was unusual in being female in certain roles and one of the great things was to get involved in supporting other women in their professional development. I hope that kindness and consideration - such important qualities in all humans of whatever gender - can be a special thing that some women, like some men, can bring. I now sometimes work alongside young women who are very special, sharp and keen and also kind and considerate. Is that something others have experienced/shared?
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