Sphere
Sphere
Little, Brown Audio
An empowering toolkit for activism from Gina Martin, who led a year-long campaign to make upskirting a criminal offence
BE THE CHANGE is an essential handbook for the modern activist, whether your campaign is big or small, local or global, or somewhere in between.
'Gina Martin's powerful campaigning and vital activism changed the law, making our country safer for women and girls. This book tells us how she did it - and how you can too'
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
In June 2017, a man took a photo up Gina Martin's skirt at a music festival. The police told her that this was not a sexual offence; the man would not be charged.
The law had let Gina down, and her first reaction was resignation. It's too big, too scary, too complicated for someone like me to challenge this.
But something inside her had snapped. Gina was tired of accepting sexual harassment as a fact of life.
Eighteen months later, she had changed the law and made upskirting a criminal offence.
Now, Gina wants to empower you with the tools and courage to challenge injustice and fight for change, whether it's in your school, workplace or community, or even on a global scale.
In BE THE CHANGE you will learn:
What activism really is and why it's so important
How to use the internet to fight for what you believe in
How to pick the cause you truly care about
And how to do the hardest thing in activism: get started
Be the Change also includes plenty of practical advice like how to write a press release, set up an e-petition, find pro-bono legal support and secure media coverage for your campaign.
Praise for Gina Martin:
'Gina is a total inspiration - an example of how one person CAN change things'
EMMA GANNON, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Multi-Hyphen Method
'Gina Martin is a sensation. A one-woman whirlwind whose campaigning skills and passion for justice achieved vital legal change which the staid political establishment would otherwise have left unremedied'
THE SECRET BARRISTER, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken
Gina Martin is a force of nature; a living, breathing, campaigning example of how a single individual can bring about vital change in our justice system. Through sheer force of will, she managed to correct a serious flaw in the criminal law which saw victims of serious offences failed by the system that is supposed to protect them, smashing through the barriers that had frustrated lesser campaigners - The Secret Barrister, Sunday Times bestselling author
Gina is a total inspiration - an example of how one person CAN change things. Her passion, way with words and ability to make people wake up and care is incredible. I'm positive that we will all feel so much more empowered after reading her words - Emma Gannon, Sunday Times bestselling author, podcaster and broadcaster
Be the Change is a comprehensive toolkit for the modern activist to equip us to fight for change - big or small, local or global. Be inspired by Martin's achievements, and be the change - Stylist
A useful guide to how to make the changes you want to see personally - Sunday Times
Gina Martin is a campaigner, writer and speaker. In February 2019 her eighteen month legal campaign to make upskirting a sexual offence in England and Wales was successful and The Voyeurism Act was passed into law. Three other countries have since followed suit with Northern Ireland working towards the same. Gina was named the Praeses Elit Law Award 2020, one of TIME Magazines #100Next Influential people as well as Stylist Remarkable Women of the Year 2019. Gina writes for platforms such as Grazia, Stylist, the Telegraph and the World Economic Forum, among others. Be The Change is her first book, and her TEDx Talk has received quarter of a million views.
Gina is also an ambassador for UN Women UK and advocates for regular people creating change in their communities. You can follow Gina on Instagram at @ginamartin and on Twitter at @ginamartinUK.