This month we are celebrating Gender Awareness in Media and Entertainment (GAME) to coincide with International Women’s Day on the 8th March.
 
We feel that it is important to highlight the disparity in gender that currently exists within the creative industries and our courses.
 
We would like to challenge this by incorporating the theme of this year’s Independent Women’s Day #breakthebias and show our support of all genders here at Dv8. We will be updating this webpage with student work, staff and students talking about their experiences, Alumni profiles and more!

International Women's Day 2022

Dv8 celebrated women’s achievements and recognised the importance of gender equality on International Women’s Day. This year, we took part in the International Women’s Day theme, #breakthebias, where we acknowledge the challenges that Women still face on a daily basis in the workplace and society. The aim of this campaign is to challenge perceptions and identify ways to create positive change moving forward.

See below some photos of our students and staff takng part, plus a poster designed by Media student Lilly to commemorate the day.

Student Spotlight - Wren

We caught up with L3 Games Development student, Wren, who has talked us through their experience of Dv8, identifying as non-binary, and gender representation in the Games industry.

Student Spotlight - Carla

We caught up with Music Production student, Carla, who has shared her experience of Dv8 and what keeps her inspired to create.

Alumni Profile: Charlotte Ayres

To coincide with our Gender Awareness in Media and Entertainment month, this month’s Alumni profile is Charlotte Ayres.

Staff Profiles

As part of our Gender Awareness in Media and Entertainment Month, we are sharing a bit about some of the wonderful people behind Dv8.

Alice - Admissions & Marketing Manager

My name’s Alice and I am the Marketing and Admissions Manager here at Dv8 and have been for a year and a half.
 
Outside of Dv8, I volunteer as an admin for Brighton Girl, a community of 21,000+ women that are local to the Brighton and Hove area, which I have been doing for over 2 years. I started during the pandemic when I realised that I wasn’t doing a whole lot in my spare time, and it has kept me busy since! It has been incredible to speak to and assist women daily and have the opportunity to see all the wonderful things that are going on in my local community.
 
Equality to me means that everyone has the same opportunities in life, regardless of gender, ethnicity, whether they have a disability or where they have come from. Whilst I believe that certain sectors are becoming more equal than they were, we still have a while to go yet.
 
One way that we can #breakthebias is to celebrate those that are in the minority on a continuous basis, and I like to believe that at Dv8 we do give those a voice. I am always wanting to showcase students and their work, so do get in touch if you want to get involved.

Hazel - Learning Support Assistant

I’m Hazel (they/she)! I’m a Learning Support Assistant at DV8 and I’ve been working here since September, mostly with the Media and Music groups.

I am a musician and a producer, I love retro synthpop music and jazz and I perform in a band called Powderpaint. I also love D&D, currently I’m playing a 9th level dwarf barbarian with a big axe and a quick temper.

There are systemic barriers for certain groups of people that present additional hurdles, e.g. people of colour, women, disabled people, trans people, and those living in poverty. Equality has to account for these barriers and how they affect people’s opportunities in life. Treating people the same is not always treating people fairly! True equality can only happen once these barriers have been broken down entirely.
 
Recently there has been increasing negativity towards trans people, including hostile coverage in the press and bigotry from public figures with huge platforms. Trans and non-binary people don’t have full equality yet, and right now legislation is being considered to further erode our rights. Discrimination towards trans people is accelerating and unless people speak up about it with us, it will get harder for us to live our lives. I would ask people to check their biases about trans people and realise that we are the gender we say we are. We aren’t a threat, we aren’t a danger, and we need your support. We’re just trying to live normal lives.

Further Information

Gender disparity is prevalent in the creative industries, and at Dv8, we will continue to celebrate and raise awareness of genders in the minority.

Below, we have listed some pioneering organisations whose aim is to positively shape the future.
 
An LGBTQ+ charity for arts, culture and social action projects.

A not-for-profit organisation that aims to shape the future and support Women in Games and Esports.
 
A global communit of women, gender minorities and allies in Music.
 
An organisation that aims to support, represent, celebrate and encourage women in the animation and VFX industries.

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