On Thursday, Oct. 20 from 8-10 p.m. in the Bowld student commons, Union’s ResLife team hosted a women’s event called “Stand Up For Your Sister” where women from around campus gathered to hear stories from speakers about their pasts and to stand in solidarity for one another and the struggles that women go through.
Stand Up For Your Sister is an annual ResLife event where women are encouraged to come together and openly talk about their struggles. The event brings awareness to difficulties with mental health, grief, body image and so much more. For women on college campuses, it can be easy for them to compare themselves to others; however, this event is intended to break the silence about heavy issues that many women battle with.
As a portion of the night, a panel of three speakers talked about the varying trials they have encountered in life. The speakers were able to share their personal stories and highlight the fact that the outside of someone’s life may seem perfect, yet everyone goes through hardships. They reiterated the idea that life is imperfect; however, through the power of the gospel, stories can be transformed for God’s glory.
“All of my life my obsession with my body was vanity, and it has outweighed my desire to be holy. When really the only person I should have tried to look like was Jesus,” Ash Lafferty, one of the panelists, said.
The purpose of this event is to understand that everyone has a story and they are all burdensome for different reasons. This is the reality of a broken world, yet, because of the cross, there is hope for brokenness. People can be redeemed and so can their pasts.
After the panelists spoke, the RAs passed out anonymous surveys for the attendees to fill out. The questions asked about mental health, different forms of abuse, counseling and other common issues that college-age women, and women in general, encounter as they walk through life.
Since the surveys were anonymous, the RAs gathered them and redistributed them randomly. Then, Hope Campbell and Marisa Infield, two of the Resident Directors at Union, read the questions. If the person who filled out the survey answered “yes” to any of them, participants stood up from their seats.
The RDs encouraged everyone to look around the room as they read the questions, revealing just how many people struggle with the same things and never know. This moment is meant to be powerful and moving. It gives a physical representation of what it means to not be alone. The idea for this event is to bring the Union community of women together, bridging gaps with commonalities and similar experiences.
The night concluded with a time of worship and a moment of reflection where guests had the option to write encouraging letters to women on campus, journal, or write a prayer for the Union community that they could put on a wall for others to read.
“This event specifically helps people who feel alone in their struggles, to know they’re not the only ones,” Emma Enoch, sophomore psychology major, said. “There’s a community of support out there, sometimes we just need to be encouraged to find it.”
As an older woman who raised four children alone, I applaud Union for hosting this event. Women need to listen to one another and understand that they are not alone. Great article!