Eyestorm
AMPLIFYING WOMEN’S VOICES TO CREATE LASTING CHANGE
International Women's Month and Our Path Forward
MI ELFVERSON | FRSA
Founder of EyeStorm Women
Director of The Vlog Academy
Brand Photographer, Video producer and Visibility Coach
Websites:
www.vlogacademy.com
www.mielfverson.com
Mi is our EyeStorm Women director and regularly shares her thoughts on the state of affairs, books, films and ideas around women’s rights and gender equality.
There’s something extraordinarily powerful about being in a room full of women who refuse to be silenced.
As we reach the end of this International Women’s month, we’re reflecting on the power of working together towards a clear goal and how we must continue to take tangible action and amplify women’s voices even more.
This month we have celebrated International Women’s Day, we’ve participated in the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) including Beijing +30, participated in The Million Women Rise event together with UN Women UK, and launched our EyeStorm Women Impact Project.
But this is not the end of our active participation in gender equality work, we now begin our real mission of taking tangible action in our Impact Circle.
The Million Women Rise march through central London 2025 Photo by Sarah Forero Bustamante
Our Journey to CSW69
For those who don’t know, CSW is the United Nations’ global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and women’s empowerment. This year was also a big year for reflection on the 30 years since the groundbreaking Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted in 1995.
Several EyeStorm members and I had the privilege of attending CSW69 virtually together with UN Women UK’s community. There’s an enormous amount of sessions, workshops and events during these 10 days and they’re all powerful – thousands of both women and men from all over the world, all united by a common purpose: to make the world a better, more equitable place for women and girls.
But it’s not the attendance of the world leaders that is most powerful, it’s the reports of real action you hear about. The women and men who step up against violence, who fight against discriminatory laws, who protect women and build support networks in their communities. This action is what reminds us that it’s possible to create change – and that we all have a duty to chip in.
“Smash Gender Bias: Educate Early, Empower Equality”
Let me share a summary of some sobering facts from CSW69:
- 1,583 laws against gender-based violence have been passed in 193 countries (up from only 12 countries in 1995), but violence against women remains universal, with over 700 million women experiencing physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, usually from their partner or other family members
- Over 600 million women and girls live within 50 kilometres of armed conflicts, more than double from 1990s
- Women and girls still face far greater risks from gender discrimination when they also face other forms of exclusion, such as those based on disability, race, age, income or sexual orientation
These aren’t just numbers. They represent real women and girls whose lives are shaped by systemic inequality.
Why This Matters to EyeStorm Women
When I founded EyeStorm, it wasn’t just about creating another women’s network. It was about addressing a pattern I’d observed for years: women stepping back when they should be stepping forward.
Remember the story I’ve often shared about my corporate video workshops? How the men would eagerly grab the microphone while the women—equally qualified, equally expert—would physically move backwards, trying to melt into the wall?
That’s what EyeStorm is here to change. We want more women to step forward and grab the mic. And it’s precisely why our participation in forums like CSW69 is so important. Because when women become more confident one at the time, we will be infiltrating male dominated areas until we’ve eradicated inequality completely.
Taking Tangible Action Through the Impact Circle
Enter the stage – The EyeStorm Impact Circle! This is our collective incentive to turn inspiration into action.
We recognise that we have a better gender balance here in the UK than in many other countries – but there’s still an underlying culture of male favouritism and repression of women’s voices at home, at work and in government.
This is why we want to set examples and support more women to step forward.
Launching the EyeStorm Women Impact Project on International Women’s Day 2025 at Nostos in Hove
The bigger support picture:
- Advocating for legal protection: Supporting campaigns for stronger laws against gender-based violence, including new forms of online harassment
- Supporting survivors: Partnering with local shelters and support services to provide resources for women escaping violence
- Economic empowerment: Mentoring programmes to help women build sustainable careers and businesses, particularly those transitioning from corporate environments
- Amplifying women’s voices: Confidence, Public Speaking and Media training already from an early age, to help more women step into visibility and leadership roles
Moyra Scott and Stephanie Crechriou adding Impact pledges
Alice Clover, The Farting Feminist, writing her Impact Pledge
Each month, our Impact Circle focuses on these areas, and this is where individuals can contribute, no matter who they are and what they do by taking small steps of action, and we’ve already started!
Here are some examples of Impact Circle pledges from our members:
“I pledge to help another woman in my industry, learn the tricks of the trade and create their own show, thus in turn, making myself a mentor for others”
“I pledge to interview 4 women about their leadership voice: what is their language of leadership, how do they want to express their leadership in their own language”
“I pledge to help more women in marginalised communities access the business space. All women deserve a seat at the entrepreneurial table!”
“I pledge to encourage women to feel confident with their bodies and natural bodily functions”
“I pledge to create safe spaces for women and girls to have some fun, seek support if they need it, and come away feeling confident & empowered”
“I pledge to write an article on leadership and its many flavours – challenging the traditional views of ‘leader’ so more women see themselves as leaders”
What is my own pledge for April 2025?
I’m going to reach out to different local schools here in my home county of East Sussex to find at least two new girl students who I will mentor in public speaking.
Know someone? Get in touch!
This is how we create a collective force for change that will be documented in our quarterly Impact Pods and our Annual Impact Report at the end of 2025.
Jo Godden submitting her pledge in our Impact pod on launch day
Shahina OMahoney submitting her pledge in our Impact pod
What is Beijing +30 and Why Does It Matter?
For those newer to the gender equality movement, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995, is considered the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women’s rights. It identified 12 critical areas of concern, from poverty and education to health and decision-making.
Three decades later, Beijing +30 is about reviewing progress, renewing commitments, and responding to new challenges that have emerged—like digital violence, climate change impacts on women, and pushback against gender equality gains.
The progress has been mixed:
The good news:
- More legal protection exists for women and girls
- Services for survivors of violence have expanded
- Women’s economic participation has increased
- Women’s role in peacebuilding is more recognized
The challenges:
- More women now live in conflict zones than in the 1990s
- Extreme poverty continues to have a female face
- Political representation is improving too slowly
- Violence against women persists at epidemic levels
At EyeStorm Women, we’re creating a platform and opportunities to influence these global conversations and bring the outcomes back to our community.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The world is at a critical juncture for gender equality. Progress is being threatened by multiple crises—economic downturns, conflict, climate emergencies, and a worrying backlash against women’s rights in many parts of the world.
But EyeStorm Women don’t focus solely on challenges without offering solutions.
This is why our Impact Circle is so important. It provides a structure for women who care deeply about these issues to come together, not just to talk but to act. To make those Impact Pledges that, collectively, can create meaningful change.
As we sat in those calls at CSW69, listening to women from countries where speaking out can literally cost them their lives, we were reminded of the responsibility we have—those of us fortunate enough to have platforms and relative freedom—to use our voices.
Be You. Be Brave.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it: our job as women right now—as business owners, as experts, as mothers, as mentors, as sisters, as a community—is to set a brave example.
To step up and share our expertise. To lead the way for our girls, to not just desire but expect to be a natural part of management, advisory, and decision-making in our society.
The themes that emerged from CSW69 and Beijing +30 are completely aligned with what we’re building at EyeStorm—a safe space and a community where women feel empowered to speak up, to take action, and to create change in their own way.
Whether you join our monthly Impact Circle calls, participate in our quarterly Impact Pods, or simply make your own personal pledge to support women and girls in your community, know that you’re part of something bigger. You’re part of a global movement that began long before us and will continue long after—but that needs each of us, right now, to keep its momentum.
Because the only way we can have enough impact to change the world – is together.
Mi Elfverson
Founder, EyeStorm Women
Photo credit if not mentioned under photo: Mi Elfverson
Join the EyeStorm Impact Circle today and be part of our collective action for gender equality. Learn more and sign up here.