Volunteer and fundraising work is one of the most rewarding acts to be part of. As someone who believes in giving back and supporting causes which help improve our society, I was thrilled to learn that our very own Her Campus chapter was organizing a Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event. The first of its kind at St Andrews, it was definitely a nerve-wracking and intense experience. However, the resulting success of the event made for not just a memorable night, but personified the core values of Her Campus as an organization. It embodied Her Campus values to empower young women to enact change in their communities and curated a positive and informative experience for all involved and impacted. Hopefully, in reading this article, you too gain some insight into not just our experiences within Her Campus but the change we can make happen when we all come together and commit to making a difference in people’s lives.
For those who are unaware, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an organization dedicated to combatting “serious causes, effects, and remediations to men’s sexualized violence.” During a Walk a Mile event, men “walk in women’s high-heeled shoes to actively confront gender stereotypes and expectations.” Referring to the age-old expression “You can’t understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”, they hope to spread awareness about sexual assault and gender violence. In the United Kingdom, one in four women currently experience domestic abuse during their lifetime and in the last year, 1.7 million women were victims of domestic abuse. Even more shocking, every 30 seconds in the UK, the police are called in regards to domestic abuse. Clearly, this is a prevalent issue. It is also one which we felt was pertinent to Her Campus as an organization which focuses on the female experience on campus, and promoting women’s stories. Therefore, our chapter made a concerted effort to raise as much awareness as possible, and to keep it local to the Scottish community. In regards to this, the charity we supported was Fife Women’s Aid, whose goal is to “provide support for women experiencing domestic abuse”.
As for the event itself, we asked male university students who volunteered to walk around the block in impressively high heels in a show of support for women. Afterwards they were asked to kindly consider making a donation on behalf of themselves and their sports teams. We communicated to them the cause and where their money would be going. All were very enthusiastic and gave generously. The atmosphere was fun-filled and full of laughter with important dialogue flowing back and forth between members of Her Campus and the male students gathered about. The activity-based event made for fun photos and memories, but it was also a unique and productive way to get the message across. As an added bonus we also partnered with a student-run business, Los Tacos, to provide appetizers to the participants.
What stood out most to me as a member of Her Campus was the incredible feeling of community and shared experience with fellow members. Everyone was in high spirits at the amazing turnout and the success of the event. Everyone was motivated and the men there were so enthusiastic and had a fantastic time participating. It truly was the best atmosphere to facilitate social change. Other Her Campus members shared this opinion with me, including fellow board member and next year’s Vice Head of Marketing for the St Andrews chapter of Her Campus, Lily Andrews. Lily was thrilled with how Walk a Mile turned out, saying it was “better than [she] could have expected.” Going into the event had been difficult considering “no society at St Andrews ha[d] done something like [Walk a Mile] before.” She credits the success of the event both to the members of Her Campus, and “the many men of St Andrews who took part in the event.”
I completely agree with Lily on this. It was remarkable to raise over £300 from people on the streets of St Andrews, from those taking part to those just walking by and asking us questions. It shows just how excited people are by such important initiatives and by the prospect of creating change. When I asked Lily how she thinks Her Campus will continue to support Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, she was adamant in her desire to make the event “even bigger” next year. She hopes we can hold it outside Sallies and “have the participants walk their mile around the beautiful quad”. Certainly, Lily, and I as well, have high hopes for next year’s event. With Football, Ice Hockey, Tennis, and other clubs supporting us, we know we can achieve even greater things in the near future. With a society as collaborative, hard-working, and empowering as Her Campus, I know that a concerted effort will not be hard to achieve. This year, everyone worked so hard to get the message out there and organize everything down to the very last detail. The board did an amazing job, and the dedication of the writers and social members to show their support added to the event in so many ways.
Congratulations everyone for a job well done! We have so much to be proud of this year as a society, and so much to look forward to in the future!