My Big Beating Voice: Celebrating Our Journey

This April we reflect on the successes of our My Big Beating Voice project, which began in Summer 2017 and finished in March this year with a celebratory exhibition at Stills Centre for Photography, Edinburgh.

Image design by Kim Grant of Sencha Art.

'My Big Beating Voice' is a joint project run by Amina Muslim Women's Resource Centre and Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. It aims to provide a safe space for Muslim and/or ethnic minority young women and girls aged 12 – 21 to come together to explore and express their voices and views through creative methods such as creative writing, art and storytelling – with a focus on marrying holistic approaches to self-care with political action and engagement. It was funded by The Spirit of Women Changemakers Grant from Spirit of 2012 and the Fawcett Society, and the Women’s Fund for Scotland from Foundation Scotland.

‘I really enjoy My Big Beating Voice and I am glad that there is a group I am comfortable with and I can also share my opinions without being judged.’

– Participant, My Big Beating Voice

Over the course of the project, we worked with two fantastic groups of young women in Edinburgh, one based at a school, and one based at a local youth group. Our focus was to ensure that the young women’s voices were invested in and heard, consequently workshops contained a focus on activities like creative and political storytelling, as well as self-care and wellbeing. Needless to say, there was as much activism as there was laughter!

From our two groups, many key themes emerged, especially around the way in which racism, sexism and Islamophobia intersect in young ethnic minority women’s experiences of prejudice and discrimination. Topics ranged from representation in the media, to double standards for young men and young women, to ideas around beauty and colourism, pressure and expectation. To help give a platform for the young women to share these views, and so that listeners can hear from their expertise, lived experience, and wisdom, we created a soundscape with the young women and sound designer Iida Aino, and premiered this at a week-long exhibition held at Stills Centre for Photography, alongside art by Lena Abbas and Kim Grant.

Participants listen to the soundscape of young women’s voices from My Big Beating Voice, while watching visual art by Lena Abbas. Photo credit: Stills Centre for Photography.

Not only did we want to create a public space for the young women’s voices to be heard, we wanted to have a political impact, too, and take them to Scotland’s seat of power. This was especially pertinent given that the project responded to the legacy of suffragettes like Sophia Duleep Singh, and marked the 2018 centenary of some women being first granted the right to vote.

The young women from one of our groups met with MSPs at the Scottish Parliament to share their call for the Scottish Education curriculum to have a greater inclusion and representation of ethnic minority women’s history and achievements. Whether it is the literature young people read in English and Drama, or the change makers they study in history, the young women of My Big Beating Voice believe that by showcasing the impact and actions of ethnic minority women, we can help challenge some of the ignorance and prejudice which fuels the racism and sexism directed towards young ethnic minority women today. This was a key issue which young women in both groups stressed again and again, and My Big Beating Voice asks if our education curriculum placed greater emphasis on women like change maker Ida B Wells, suffragette Sophia Duleep Singh, and artist Frida Kahlo, what impact might this have on society’s view and treatment of ethnic minority women more broadly?

Image from presentation created by young women from My Big Beating Voice, which they delivered to MSPs the Scottish Parliament.

The young women’s call was heard was by MSPs, and Alison Johnstone raised the issue in her speech marking the centenary of some women first gaining the right to vote, asking the First Minister what she could do to help make that change, saying:

‘I would ask the Minister to look at what the Government might do to make the curriculum as inclusive as possible to ensure the young women I spoke of [from My Big Beating Voice], and all children in our schools, have an opportunity to learn about role models from their own and different backgrounds. They are rightly proud.’

- From Alison Johnstone MSP’s address on 6th February, 2018 where she recounted her visit with My Big Beating Voice.

Art work by Kim Grant, celebrating the three key historical figures focused on in My Big Beating Voice: Frida Kahlo, Ida B Wells, and Sophia Duleep Singh

We’re hopeful that the powerful big beating voices of the young women we work with in Edinburgh, can have an impact on the big beating voices of young women across Scotland. It was our pleasure to work on this project and we would like to thank all the young women involved, as well as our key partners at Young Saheliya and Leith Academy and the workers who facilitated this, and our funders for the project the Women’s Fund for Scotland (Foundation Scotland) and The Fawcett Society and Spirit of 2012. My Big Beating Voice is resting for now, however watch this space!

‘My Big Beating Voice’s work is without a doubt a very powerful and much needed resource. The girls have felt able to be themselves and share views, discuss topics and interact with subjects such as women’s rights, LGBT+ Identities and inspirational female figures in a way and manner in which they feel empowered and listened to.

Giving everyone young person a voice that can be heard is integral to all school communities and ought to be a priority for all.

It is vital that girls from ethnic minority communities have spaces they can be themselves, express themselves and explore and learn more about who they are and how they fit into a global community.’

– Edinburgh School Teacher on ‘My Big Beating Voice’s’ work in their school

Sample of resources drawn upon during the My Big Beating Voice project.