Katherine Charlesworth - bio

Age 17

Aspiring opera singer from Victoria works for social change

You’re never too young or too old to get involved in international development. The first step is to find your passion, and then find a way to express that passion by becoming part of a group, starting a club, or writing for a newspaper...It could also be more creative, like writing a song about the issue and performing it. If you have a talent, use it to get the message across.

Katherine Charlesworth’s passion is gender equality. Her talent: a booming coloratura soprano voice and her ultimate hope: to harness her talent for global change.

Living in Victoria, 17-year-old Katherine is pursuing both her musical training and her fight against gender inequality at full speed. She has been involved with the Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) since she was 11. VIDEA has been involved in the promotion and delivery of global education in Victoria and the Southern Vancouver Island area since 1977. They focus on the need for socially just and sustainable global development.  Katherine is also the president of Esquimalt High School’s Interact Club, which is active in international development and social justice. She still finds time to develop her voice at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and has participated in benefit concerts for causes such as the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Katherine discovered her passion at the age of 10, when she read Naomi Klein’s No Logo. She questioned why people were not acting on the injustices perpetrated by the large corporations that exploit workers in developing countries. “I found it unacceptable that someone is deemed less human or less worthy based on factors they can’t control. I am as equal as a person living in Zambia,” a country where much of VIDEA’s work is focused.

Katherine is committed to raise awareness. She believes Canadians are not as aware of issues of inequality as they might be, because inequality is not a reality for many of us. “Canada isn’t perfect, but it’s much farther along on the spectrum than many other places in the world. There is a difference in hearing statistics about inequality elsewhere, versus hearing a personal story, and creating a relationship with someone, because it’s only then that the issue becomes real.”

Katherine has experienced gender discrimination firsthand because she’s female, and she has heard countless stories from people who have been discriminated against because they are different in some way. “We have to acknowledge that everyone is equal, and that everyone has value and something to contribute.”

The current high school curriculum, according to Katherine, needs improvement. “High school subjects do not address current events, and when they do, it’s at a very superficial level without analyzing root causes.” Katherine concedes that social media such as Facebook and Twitter are helping raise awareness, and can be useful tools. “This is so much more personal than listening to news. When a friend asks you to be part of a movement, it’s much harder to ignore.” She still believes that effective school curricula have the greatest potential for reaching the largest number of youth in the province.