Jennie Darch

I am the Founder of A Silenced Voice. ASV is a social enterprise which 'Empowers individuals to speak, encourages others to listen, helping us all to understand'. We welcome guest bloggers to share their experience of being silenced or feeling marginalised so that their stories can help and inspire others. Here's the link http://bit.ly/1iaeRxN

As well as delivering public speaking and comedy workshops I speak publicly about the sexualisation of young people, and how the Macho/feminine binary construct hinders creativity in children and ultimately puts them in danger.

It is my belief that the rape I endured as a teenage girl might have been avoided had both I and the perpetrator understood one another in terms of people rather than in terms of the 'opposite' sex.

You can read my blogs via the A Silenced Voice Website here http://bit.ly/1r1Rhb6.

In addition I am also politically active and have started a petition to teach secondary school children politics as part of the national curriculum. By educating children about politics they will naturally learn about power, who has it and how to influence it. They will learn about history, patriarchy, ethics and justice, and should learn how to question the status quo.

There are a number of reasons why I believe politics is so very important, not least the current complexity of the global political system and lack of involvement in domestic politics. It is my hope that if more children are politically educated our political institutions might become more representative. You can sign the petition here http://bit.ly/1fLgJQz