International Womens Day - March 8, 2010

In honor of International Womens Day (IWD) on March 8, 2010, the Women's Collaborative Circle will be posting various topics and events related to celebrating women's achivements world-wide.  It is our hope that we continue to educate and inspire the future generation of global leaders.

Internationally, there are numerous events taking place and here in the United States, the entire month of March is dedicated to celebrating Women's History Month. 

For more information about local and international events, visit International Women's Day 2010 Website. 

 

If there are any events that you are attending and would like to share with the WCC community, please post a comment on our site or email us! 

Food Fight!

Will you be around town this labor day weekend? Looking for something different to do? Interested in seeing a one-woman show about eating disorders? Well, we have just the show for you!

FOOD FIGHT: A Solo Performance about Eating Disorders , Written and Performed by Judy FreedThis boldly honest one-woman show portrays the poignant reality of food compulsions through original music, monologue, and movement. Judy Freed, a psychotherapist and performing artist, takes the audience on a deeply personal journey of recovery - frightening and humorous, touching and triumphant - revealing stories of struggle, strength, and survival. Post-performance discussion.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 at 3 pm,andSUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 at 3 pm.
UU Church of the Restoration 6900 Stenton Avenue (at Gorgas Lane)
$10 TICKETS - AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH THE BOX OFFICE AT:(215)413-1318or online at:http://livearts-fringe.org/details.cfm?id=8966
For further information, please contact Judy:(215)581-3969 or (215)701-7013
Enjoy!

Women Can Hold Up Half the Sky

Take a moment to learn more about journalist and op-ed New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and business woman and Pulitzer prize winner, Sheryl WuDunn's new book Half the Sky:Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. It is imperative to not only look at the treatment of women worldwide, but to think about how to effect long-lasting change! Check out this recent article on Oprah.com; an excerpt from Half the Sky on 3 things you can do to empower women.

In Half the Sky, Kristof and WuDunn speak, for example, about their work with women who are trafficked for sex. Right here in Philadelphia, PA there are many ways to get involved working with women who are trafficked for sex, living in brothels and hoping to escape and recover. Organizations include Center for the Empowerment of Women and Girls, Dawn's Place and Soroptimist.

For more information about Half the Sky please listen here to the Amazon podcast or check out the book at your local book retailer or library. To get involved in the above mentioned organizations, please contact us at info@womenscollaborativecircle.org.

About: Social Entrepreneurship

Distinct from a business entrepreneur who sees value in the creation of new markets, the social entrepreneur aims for value in the form of transformational change that will benefit disadvantaged communities and ultimately society at large - skollfoundation.org.

Organizations like the Skoll Foundation which drives large-scale change by investing in, connecting, and celebrating social entrepreneurs and other innovators are dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems. Social entrepreneurs are proven leaders whose approaches and solutions to social problems are helping to better the lives and circumstances of countless underserved or disadvantaged individuals. By identifying the people and programs already bringing positive changes to communities throughout the world, the Skoll Foundation empowers them to extend their reach, deepen their impact and fundamentally improve society.

Ann Cotton, who started the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) in 1993 [is an example of a social entrepreneur] whose simple goal was one of ensuring an education for young girls in Africa whose families cannot afford school fees. By establishing a sustainable model that provides community support for girls to go to school, start businesses and return to their communities as leaders, CAMFED has broken the cycle of poverty for hundreds of thousands of young women in Zimbabwe, Ghana, Zambia and Tanzania. Since 1993, 645, 400 children have benefited from Camfed’s education program across a network of 2,798 Schools. 5,132 young women have received business training and start-up grants to establish their own rural enterprises. 1,067 young women have been trained as community health activists; in 2008 alone, they reached 79, 998 children and young people with vital health information - skollfaoundation.org.

Other notable social entrepreneurs are Muhammed Yunus founder of the Grameen Bank and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient whose work can be found at the Grameen Bank website, and Florence Nightingale, founder of the first nursing school and developer of modern nursing practices.

What do you dream of doing?

What do a Bedouin woman in Israel and a woman in Philadelphia have in common? A lot!

Traditionally, Bedouin women living in the Middle East are not allowed to work outside their home, let alone make a salary that contributes to the greater financial and social welfare of their tribe and family. However, a new generation of Bedouin women are changing that belief.

A JTA online article, Bedouin women weave tradition, economics together by Jo-Ann Mort, reports that these women are finding old ways to create new lives for themselves and their daughters: "Though the method is old, the women who run the project are part of a new generation of Bedouin women whose work is empowering women who for millennia were denied social and economic opportunities in their conservative society." The project is called Lakiya Negev Weaving, led and supported by a grassroots organization called Sidreh.

The women who are employed gather in their homes to weave together traditional Bedouin colors or a contemporary palate to create rugs to be bought and sold throughout Israel. In addition to the work, women who are employed with Lakiya must agree as a condition of their employment to take part in educational seminars in women's health care. Economic sustainability, education, and social gathering provide a formula for social change.

Ok, so what do these Bedouin women have in common with a Philadelphia woman?

Freedom!

Ahyana King has been getting local press and recognition latetly for her new line of socially conscious and stylish t-shirts called Phreedum.

Phreedum is an independent novelty t-shirt company for men, women, and infants. Phreedum is dedicated to providing unparalleled creatively constructed clothing to the socially conscious, fashion-forward individual. Ahyana uses the creativity of fashion design to raise money through the sales for non-profit organizations currently addressing societal challenges such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, and access to education. She also has a book scholarship fund for men pursuing an undergraduate degree in education or social work and women pursuing an undergraduate degree in math or sciences.

For Ahyana, Phreedum has provided her not only with a creative outlet, and a unique way to express herself, but has been a vehicle to create individual and social change. Now that is empowering!

More information about Negev Bedouin Weaving, please visit http://www.lakiya.org/.

For more information about Phreedum, please visit www.phreedum1984.com.