Women’s Voices 2026: How charities transformed stories on screen into real strategy

This March, to mark International Women’s Day, we celebrated a major milestone: the 10th anniversary of our Women’s Voices event, delivered in partnership with UN Women UK. 

We’re taking a closer look at how two charities, Imara and SAY Women, found the event and how they’re putting their films into action.

What is Women’s Voices?

This year, Women’s Voices hosted 10 charities from our award-winning Media Trust Films programme, our unique initiative that pairs charities with volunteer filmmakers to create powerful short films that amplify their voices and raise awareness. 

On the day of Women’s Voices, these charities worked alongside volunteers from across the media and creative industries to develop strategic plans to maximise the impact of their films. Together, they shaped the promotion and positioning of the films as powerful tools for storytelling, advocacy and change. 

Among the attendees were Tara (Senior Art Psychotherapist at Imara) and Bryony (CEO of SAY Women). Both took the stage during the closing showcase, sharing the strategies they, and their volunteers, developed throughout the day.

We spoke with Tara and Bryony to hear about their experience of Women’s Voices and the impact they hope it will have.

Our Q&A with Tamara and Bryony

What story were you hoping to tell through your film, and why was it important for your organisation?

Tara: “Imara was hoping to share the journey of a survivor from the point of disclosure to recovery, with Imara’s support. It feels important to share this story as it highlights how important it is to give choice back to a survivor and allow them to choose when and how they may wish to process the trauma; that this may not be a linear or short journey.”

Byrony: “Our film is a story of courage meeting community. There is solidarity, and a strong community supporting women impacted by sexual violence who are potentially facing homelessness as a consequence. 

The individual does not fall between the gaps or stagnate but rather, is met with an unwavering support of forward momentum at a pace that is comfortable for her. This message is important to SAY Women because we are a human-centred practice and every woman coming through our doors will find a safe place to be authentically herself beyond checkboxes and statistics.

We need every woman and ally to know this message and say it out loud for all to hear!” 

What did you hope to gain from attending Women’s Voices?

Tara: “We hoped to get advice from experts on how best to build a successful campaign. We also wanted to connect with partner agencies to understand their region-specific experiences of our sector; issues like funding, capacity, service restrictions due to funding pathways, trends in client groups etc.”

Byrony: “We were looking for lots of expertise, passion and inside knowledge of tried and tested practices and new, forward-thinking ideas to add to our own! It is exciting to be in a space with many like-minded people sharing a commitment to protect and support our communities.  

How did you feel about the day itself?

Tara: “We were already looking forward to the day, and even then, it exceeded our expectations!” 

Byrony: “We loved it! The day had such a positive and bustling energy. We wish it was a 2-day event for even more content and workshops!” 

What was your experience like working with your team of volunteers?

Tara: “We had a great experience with our team. We were blown away by the useful guidance and support from our volunteers. They helped us with some practical tools to start with and are willing to collaborate in the future.”

Byrony: “Our group of volunteers were amazing, and they really gave it their all based on the discussion on SAY Women’s hopes for the future. We gained valuable knowledge that we will be implementing and building upon as well as keeping in contact with our volunteers. We felt excited, re-energised and heard. We wanted more time with them and have given each individual an open invitation to visit our SAY Women office in Glasgow!” 

What are you hoping to achieve following the event, and what impact would you like to see?

Tara: “Ideally it would be great for there to be an increase in systemic understanding of the survivor’s experience that can lead to more appropriate statutory funding. More realistically, we want people to learn about the support Imara provides and hopefully gain more unrestricted funding to support more clients over a longer period of time.”

Byrony: “We are already on it! Having the right conversations about strategy and planning the direction for our coms and social media outreach. We want to broadcast our message loud and clear to as many communities as possible, so when a girl or young woman is in need of our services, they know where to go, who to ask for and what to say. 

We hope to do this by focusing on one or two social media platforms and investing our time into creating useful, engaging and impactful content that will resonate with our target audience as well as professionals and those in positions of care.

The aim is to empower women with the knowledge that there is a sisterhood in SAY Women who stands with them whether that be journeying through trauma or campaigning for better rights for womankind. Our film beautifully showcases the power of this community that is SAY Women.” 

Women’s Voices 2026 proved once again that when the media and creative industry lends its expertise to the third sector, the impact is transformative. The event provided a unique and motivating space for charity and media sector collaboration, equipping Imara, SAY Women and the other eight attending charities with clarity, strategic guidance and practical tools to reach more women and girls in need. 

We look forward to seeing how they continue to develop their social media presence and storytelling approach in the months ahead, using their films to amplify their messages of solidarity, support and empowerment!