Today the web-based International Museum of Women launchesMAMA: Motherhood Around the Globe, an online exhibition that I could hardly be more excited about. It will combine art, video documentary, and storytelling to explore the aspirations of a dynamic set of women (including but not limited to working mothers in China, the First Ladies of Africa, and surrogate mothers in India). Other topics including work, identity, advocacy, and modern fatherhood will be spotlighted throughout this year.
Novelist Aminatta Forna said it well when she explained that “to me there is no more pressing concern today than maternal health, and the global failure to save women’s lives is a human rights disaster. The IMOW’s timely exhibition highlights both the wonders and the terrible tragedy which motherhood can be.”
Christy Turlington Burns’ organization Every Mother Counts is partnering on the exhibit, but the body of community work is by no means intended only for new mothers. Instead, it’s created to be a resource for anyone who cares about mothers and children, who’s concerned about the health and leadership of women globally, who has a child, or who has been a child.
At the Designer Fund’s well-attended Women in Design forum recently, I was glad to get to hear stories from teen girls who participated in Iridescent Learning’s mobile app creation program. I had previously written about the group’s hands on development work (the program also gets young gals to pitch their ideas and prototypes to investors), but hearing from the high schoolers themselves about their gains was nothing if not inspiring. In advance of the upcoming class this winter and spring, Iridescent is taking applications for mentors, teaching assistants and speakers–people passionate about technology who want to work with schools, companies, and smart kids. Consider it, won’t you?
This week was a big one for TeachAIDS, the Palo Alto-based non-profit that creates HIV prevention software that’s being used in more than 50 countries. On World AIDS Day it launched educational animations with characters and content specific to Botswana as founder Piya Sorcar (pictured left, with Lisa Ling) talked at TEDxWomen about the differences between awareness (knowing that the disease exists and kills) and knowledge (understanding ways to keep yourself from becoming infected). The organization has succeeded–and been culturally sensitive while doing so–where many large-scale campaigns haven’t: helping people get smart about their own health. Sorcar’s recent talk is well worth a look, and you’ll see why the work has received San Francisco AIDS Foundation kudos.
At TEDxWomen at the Paley Center in LA this morning I was wowed–no easy feat for a presenter following a very early AM flight–by a presentation between 13-year-old Claire Sannini and Rachel Simmons about encouraging confidence in girls. (An audacious and important concept with cyberbullying, suicides, and teen pregnancy as rampant as they are.) The two talked about the Girls Leadership Institute, an organization Simmons co-founded to help girls discover their true and strong selves.
“[Our society] tells girls that they can be intelligent, but shouldn’t make others feel intimidated by their smarts,” Simmons said. “Yes, you can be active, but you better be sexy and skinny while you do it.” These messages don’t just impact girls social lives–they affect assertion and earnings in the workplace later in life.
Simmons stresses the importance of women helping girls strengthen their “inner resumes,” and Claire’s eloquence after participating in the teen leadership work is captivating. You can see their great collaborative talk in its entirety here. And while you’re at it, don’t dare miss V-Girl Busisiwe Mkhumbuzi’s reflections on raising girl consciousness and activism in South Africa.
“When City of Joy officially opened Friday, hundreds of women, most of them rape victims, thumped on drums and sang at the top of their lungs…Some even danced with the shovels and cement-encrusted trowels that they used to build the City of Joy. It was an upbeat moment in a country that has had few.” - Jeffrey Gettleman in The New York Times in February
V-Day, the international non-profit that works to end violence against women and girls, released its annual interactive program update today, and the news is nothing if not inspiring. Between projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and work with community activists ranging from teen girls to adult men, you can’t leave the experience and not feel activated about the contributions (and your own).
Upon this week’s premiere of Women War & Peace, PBS’ series examining the impact of war on those with the XX chromosome, producer Abigail Disney came to Stanford and the Clayman Institute to talk about the project’s genesis. The question of “what if you looked at war as though women mattered?” led Disney and her team to Liberia (where women stood up against Charles Taylor’s regime en masse, wearing white) and Bosnia (where 16 women boldly testified against army members who set up rape camps), not to mention Afghanistan, Israel, Pakistan, and Colombia. The result is striking, frightening, and…empowering. Watching it will make you refuse to allow women worldwide to continue to be erased from the record–and simultaneously demand more political power.
The Wanderlust Festival returned to California’s Squaw Valley with much for eco-conscious yoginis to love. Between local organic eats and myriad classes and lectures, I was excited to see (and use) Zero Hero’s zerowaste bins with simple instructions for composting and recycling. And after heading to one of teacher Seane Corn’s classes (in local threads from Dude Girl), I was excited to hear the instructor extraordinaire and founder of Off the Mat and Into the World talk about women’s roles in protecting Mother Earth. Her suggestions for the hundreds of practitioners? Know where what you eat comes from, choose sustainable materials when building or refurbishing homes, and kick that plastic water bottle habit. Photo by Wanderlust.
Women 2.0 recently talked with Halle Tecco, founder of health startup seed accelerator Rock Health, about picking partners and the post-business school task of selecting participating startups. The non-profit program selected from 350 applicant ideas for its first class and gives startups $20K grants, mentorship, curriculum, and operational support.
W2: You’ve just set up shop in San Francisco with 11 very active in-house startups. Why health?
HT: Working at Apple’s App Store and covering health and medical apps confirmed for me that the medical space could use some of the creativity found in other technology segments. I sat next to the woman covering games and realized how motivated the developers were by the chance to build products they love. I wanted to see those same talented developers working on ideas to improve health. more
On the eve of LearnVest’s announcement that the New York-based startup has just raised an additional round of financing, Women 2.0 wanted to share a conversation with founder Alexa von Tobel about setting large organizational goals and seeking funding to grow. This conversation was shot at TED Women after von Tobel had taken funding from Accel Partners, and she describes her idea for providing personal finance guidance that can be more personalized than one-size-fits-all books for people without the resources for financial advisors. Among her goals? Keeping people in their 20s and 30s from ever getting into debt and educating more than 10 million women over the next few years.
“You should all become entrepreneurs, but not because it’s easy.” When Women 2.0 heard Michelle Zatlyn’s advice based on her experience co-founding website protection service CloudFlare, we were excited to share her straightforward words. Other points Zatlyn emphasizes include the importance of creating a service that actually solves a problem and surrounding yourself with people who will support you even if your undertaking isn’t an immediate success.
The conversation was recorded and shared by FounderLY (Founder Like You), a new Women 2.0 partner that aims to capture and crowdsource videos of technologists as they launch organizations. Visitors to theIn Conversation channel and FounderLY will see more questions and answers with female founders in upcoming weeks, and please send your thoughts on other entrepreneurs you’d like to see included.
