Spring Forward celebrated the role of women in digital culture and ran parallel with Women’s History Month. Most events were free and included opportunities to listen, learn, share and co-produce. The Spring Forward organisation aims to create a platform that promotes digital community events organised by women for women.

According to the latest Diversity Report from the Chartered Institute for IT, fewer than one in five IT workers in the UK are female – a significantly lower ratio than most other UK work sectors.

Dr Aristea Fotopoulou, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications in the School of Media, was a panelist at the ‘SheSays Brighton’ event, which coincided with International Women’s Day on 8 March. Other events included workshops, panel discussions and talks.

On 28 March, our academics hosted an event exploring career paths, interests, passions, responsibilities and experiences to gain an insight into the world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) work for women. Discussions touched on current opportunities and emergent practices in the national and international field of digital and creative media, and the skills, aptitudes and talents required.