Chalk, for most young people it is a symbol of learning and education. Teachers put the chalk to blackboard and the lesson flows. For a group of student activists at UWI St Augustine however, chalk is being used to teach a very different kind of lesson – the urgent need to fight sexual harassment and gender-based violence. The initiative is called Chalkback UWI.
Chalkback UWI is one of the activities of IGDS Ignite a student-led social justice and feminist group spawned from the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS) at UWI St Augustine. Started as a project in 2016, Ignite has quickly became one of the campus’ biggest activist groups. Their focus is feminism, equality, equity, and gender justice.
Chalkback UWI is a yearly event that gives students the opportunity to share their experiences and emotions about sexual and street harassment by writing messages in chalk graffiti on the UWI quadrangle ground. There are also a variety of educational games and activities.
Kelsie Joseph, a 24-year-old Sociology major, and one of the members of Ignite, recalls her experience as a new student, saying she was shocked to be given advice such as “walk in groups'' and “be safe” instead of “enjoy your time at university” and “make a lot of friends”. However, when a girl was sexually harassed on campus, she quickly realised why. Together with a group of students, she decided to make a change for the safety of students.
Kelsie is a co-founder of Cat Calls of UWI, another IGDS Ignite initiative. Ignite also engages in other educational programmes. Collectively, they promote social justice in and out of campus, as well as in primary and secondary schools.
Inspired by Cat Calls of NYC, Cat Calls of UWI was co-founded by Tia Marie Lander, a Sociology graduate with minors in Gender Development and Social Development Policy and Planning. Currently, the project is led by Kelsie and Aaliyah Ragoonauth-Maharaj, who graduated with a double major in Communication Studies and Psychology. The aim is to provide a safe space for students to share their experiences of harassment, in order to raise awareness and denormalise it.
The first Chalkback was held in 2019 during the IGDS’ 16 days of Activism activities. Since then, it has been a hit on campus. According to Kelsie, last year’s Chalkback was the biggest turnout they have had, despite coming back from the pandemic break.
“I was surprised at how well received it was, and how open students were with playing the different games, chalking their stories, and ultimately expressing their frustration with street harassment,” says Charissa Kerr, a 22-year-old Psychology major.
Ignite has a presence on campus and in wider society through collaborations with clubs and NGOs. They are doing tremendous work toward educating people about gender-based violence and harassment.
“We can't aim to solve a problem when the population doesn't even know that there is a problem to resolve in the first place,” says Aaliyah.
Ignite’s main goal is to raise public awareness about the issues while also lessening the instances of catcalling and gender-based violence cases. They hope that Chalkback will continue to grow through the passion of the student population and its members.
For more information on IGDS Ignite, visit their webpage at https://sta.uwi.edu/igds/ignite, or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/igdsignite/, and Twitter at https://twitter.com/IgdsIgnite. For more on Cat Calls of UWI, visit them at Instagram and Twitter @catcallsofuwi.
