You Don’t Have to Lead a Movement to Move It Forward

When people think about making an impact, they often think about big gestures leading initiatives, launching campaigns, or donating money.

But impact doesn’t always look like that.

Sometimes, it looks like offering your skills quietly, in the background, and trusting that small contributions can help create something bigger.

As part of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, Give To Gain, I chose to contribute in a way that felt natural to me by offering time and operational support to a women’s cycling audit in Norwich.

Why This Work Matters

The audit is focused on a simple but important question: Why are women statistically less likely to cycle and what needs to change?

This isn’t about motivation or interest.

It’s about experience.

For many women, cycling can feel less accessible due to:

• Safety concerns

• Infrastructure that hasn’t been designed with them in mind

• A lack of representation in decision-making

When these factors combine, they shape behaviour and participation drops.

Women make up around half the population. If systems, spaces, and infrastructure don’t work for them, they don’t work as well as they should.

A Small Contribution

My role in this project has been a small one.

I haven’t led the work or shaped the direction. Instead, I’ve contributed where I could add value:

• Refining website structure to improve clarity

• Supporting campaign messaging and hook lines

• Offering a second pair of eyes when things felt cluttered

• Providing reassurance to the team, sometimes a simple “less is more” is exactly what’s needed

These are small inputs. But in operational roles, small inputs often have a ripple effect.

Clearer messaging helps ideas land.

Better structure helps people engage.

Confidence helps teams keep going.

The Power of Giving Skills

Give To Gain is often interpreted as a call to give more.

But it can also be a reminder that what you already have your skills, your experience, your perspective can be valuable to others.

You don’t need to lead a movement to support it.

You don’t need to be an expert in everything to contribute something useful.

Sometimes, giving looks like:

• Sharing your knowledge

• Helping refine an idea

• Supporting someone else’s work

• Creating space for others to be heard

Moving Forward

Improving cycling participation among women isn’t a quick fix. It requires listening, understanding, and designing systems that reflect real experiences.

That’s what this audit is aiming to do.

And if there’s one thing this experience has reinforced, it’s this:

Small, thoughtful contributions, especially behind the scenes, can help create meaningful change.

You don’t have to do everything.

But you can always do something.

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