Quinn:
I'm Quinn. I'm 14 and I'm from Cambridge.
Cayley:
I'm Cayley. I'm 14 and I'm also from Cambridge.
Quinn:
We've come to a women's college at Cambridge University to learn about the power of standing up for yourself and your ideas.
Dorothy:
I'm Dorothy Byrne, president of Marie Edwards College at Cambridge University. I've also been a television producer and journalistfor more than 40 years.
You might already know that it's important to find a career in an area that interests you.
But I'm going to talk about how it's also vital to seek a career in which you can do work you believe in and can be proud of.
That will mean you'll sometimes have to fight to have your voice heard.
Quinn:
What are you passionate about?
Dorothy:
I'm really passionate about issues affecting women.
I believe we still live in a male dominated society and I chose a career which would enable me to expose things that I really caredabout.
Issues affecting women get passed over, so I've always tried to make films about women.
And one of the last films that I commissioned was about the menopause. And some of the men I work with said 'why would anybody watch a film about the menopause?'
That's just something that affects old women.
And I said, well, luckily there are a lot of old women, so they'll all watch it.
But also young women need to know about the menopause, and men and people of all genders need to know about the menopause.
And I made that film and it got massive numbers of viewers.
Cayley:
How can I use this advice in my future career?
Dorothy:
I would say always listen to other people, look at their point of view.
But even after doing so, you're still sure that you're right.
Push back.
Stand your ground.
Do what you believe in.
Because that way you will always get the best results and you will always be happy and satisfied in your career.
This is one of my favourite pictures.
Eternal Spring by the artist Eileen Cooper.
And it's two sides of the same woman in conflict with herself.
But also she's sort of dancing with herself, isn't she?
One side is the wild side and the other is the gentler side.
Cayley:
How did you manage to get into a career that allows you to do what matters to you?
It was very hard for me to start out. I decided I wanted to be a journalist and I contacted lots of newspaper editorsand I didn't get a job.
I decided not to be cast down.
So I sent a jokey letter to 50 newspaper editors saying that they had won the trainee journalist of a lifetime in a competition.
And 49 editors just ignored that.
And one rang me up and said 'You really made me laugh. Come along.' And he gave mean interview and I got a job.
And I would just always say to people, if you want something enough and it's right for you, keep going and don't give up becauseyou will get there in the end.
Quinn:
Today I learnt that we need to keep telling braver and more imaginative stories and to keep fighting to be ourselves and not to let anyone get in the way of that.
Cayley:
Today I became more aware of all the different sides of myself, and I learned that I should embrace each and every one of thembecause it's part of who I am.
Journalist and President of Cambridge College Dorothy Byrne talks to two students about her career in journalism and the power of standing up for yourself and your ideas.
Dorothy talks about her passion for highlighting issues affecting women, and about the last film she made about the menopause. She explains about how she stood her own ground and made sure she had her voice heard when discussing the idea with other colleagues.
She talks about career in journalism, being resilient in the work place, and to how keep persevering even when you get knock backs.
This short film is from the BBC Teach series Lessons in Business
Teacher Notes
Things to check your students know:
- What resilience is.
Possible talking points:
Careers:
- What can you learn from Dorothy’s career that you might apply to your own career path?
- Dorothy advocates for seeking a career that you believe in. What issues are you passionate about? How could this link to your career?
Mental resilience:
- What is an example of resilience that Dorothy has shown in her career?
- Dorothy talks about the importance of listening to others and their point of view – what does good listening physically look like? Why is it important to be a good listener in the world of work?
- Dorothy suggests that if you still disagree with someone you should ‘push back, stand your ground and do what you believe in’ why might this be difficult? What challenges might you face and how could you overcome them?
Follow on tasks - You could ask students to:
- Careers: – research possible career pathways and qualifications they may need to go onto a career in the media. They can use Bitesize Careers media and creative sector job profiles to find out more information.
- Resilience: – role play a disagreement and practice listening skills and ‘pushing back’ – you may wish to use the following prompt: Person A is very passionate about the environment and thinks all employees should cycle to work. Person B lives an hour away by car and to cycle in would take several hours.’ They can read this article from Bitesize Careers from Stacey Dooley about how to increase resilience levels.
Curriculum Notes
- This short film is to help stimulate discussion on the following topics: journalism, careers.
- Most suited to 14-16-year-old pupils across the UK in This video is most suited to 14-16 year-old pupils across the UK in indeveloping their understanding of soft skills needed for successful careers.
- In England, Northern Ireland and Wales it is relevant to CCEA journalism and CCEA learning for life and work.
- In Scotland it is linked to health and wellbeing at Level 4 and CCEA journalism in the media and communications industry.
More from the series Lessons in Business:
Jacky Wright - The importance of collaboration. video
Chief technology officer Jacky Wright talks to two students about collaboration and communication in the workplace.
Asma Khan - Learning resilience. video
Chef, author and restaurateur Asma Khan speaks to two students about building resilience.
Emma Bridgewater - Turning an idea into a business. video
Ceramicist and entrepreneur Emma Bridgewater talks to two students about business planning.
Indra Nooyi - Using your moral compass in business. video
Entrepreneur, author and former CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi talks about integrity in business.
Jo Malone - Thinking like an entrepreneur. video
Perfumer and entrepreneur Jo Malone talks to two students about thinking as a leader and entrepreneur.
Sereena Abbassi - Listening to other perspectives. video
Equity and inclusion expert Sereena Abbassi talks to two students about listening to different people's perspectives.
Dame Sharon White - Creative problem solving. video
Chair of the John Lewis Partnership Dame Sharon White talks to two students about problem solving.
