WAYS WOMEN LEAD NEWSLETTER
December 2009
http://www.wayswomenlead.net
Dear Friends,
We are pleased to report that Ways Women Lead is growing organically as more and more women in leadership come together for the common good. Much gratitude to those of you who continue to hold the broadest intention of Sophia, of Wisdom, that there is a positive way forward together in these times, and that holding a conference in Sofia, Bulgaria is an important step in our process of learning and sharing what works.
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Our growth to date includes working with several organizations to be a visible presence at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and focusing our gathering in Sofia on learning, from each other as women present their own learnings and passions to create a better world, from the arts where the whole self is evoked to come forward and grow, and including a training program in the set of skills needed by women growing into their authentic leadership. Please visit our website for ways to participate, and pass this Newsletter on to others who may be interested..
Below we feature some of the ways women are leading in Africa and at two major global conferences. Please note the time-sensitive nature of the invitation to participate in a Global Moment of Connection honoring the Sacred Feminine, December 4, 4:30 pm, Melbourne time; you may register your intention at http://womensspiritcouncil.org/index.cfm/preset/SacredFeminineParliament .
And during this season may we experience Many Moments of Global Connection with all of our brothers and sisters who value their loved ones, and the Sacred.
Blessings all…
Jeanie DeRousseau
Jeanie@wayswomenlead.net
WWL is delighted to invite your support for our programs, and to honor our network of women in leadership
as we come together for the common good…
Invest in Women and Girl’s Leadership for the Common Good
To invite support for the programs of Ways Women Lead, we have created a “Women’s Stock Exchange”, where investments in women and girl’s leadership give an outstanding return for the good of our planet. See the possibilities at http://www.wayswomenlead.net/home/women-s-stock-exchange .
Donations/investments will provide the means for hosting our three-day Call to Conscious Leadership event in Sofia, Bulgaria, October 24-27, 2010. The event will include a training of 40 Bulgarian women, who will in turn become trainers of the Conscious Leadership program throughout Bulgaria. In this way, Ways Women Lead will support the women of Bulgaria as their country stands at the threshold of a new paradigm in leadership.
Your contributions will also be used to provide continued support of attendees through Ways Women Lead as we build our network of networks made up of both global and local connections. We also plan to bring similar events and programs to women in other parts of the world. Please stay tuned to our website for more information about ways to participate in this exciting journey to Bulgaria and beyond.
Women Leading in Africa
From Caroline Usikpedo Omoniye, African Coordinator, Ways Women Lead, Delta State, Nigeria. Sophia Day was launched in Africa, October 24th, 2009 in Nigeria. This was the date of the International Day of Climate Action and the Anniversary date of the United Nations. The celebration was in anticipation of the WWL Call to Conscious Leadership event, Women and Girls in Leadership for the Common Good, schedules for October 24-27, 2010 in Sofia, Bulgaria, and to bring awareness and solutions to climate change. A Press Report of this most successful event can be found at http://www.compassnews.net/Ng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34845:resource-centre-for-women-youths-opens-in-niger-delta&catid=42:commune&Itemid=796 . Photos of the day:
Zandile Nhlengetwa, connecting to Ways Women Lead from Durban, South Africa reports; “ I am excited to have our community-based structure connected to other global women's groups with the same issues. This for us is the opportunity to learn and share experiences. In our culture we believe that educating a woman, you are educating a nation. The more women are empowered and connected, we will have the muscle to influence and change our nation which is riddled with violence, suffering, poverty and diseases. Today we are participating in the 16th days of Activism "Violence Against Women and Children”. It is a campaign that is annual and it culminates on the 10th of December the Human Rights Day. We are conducting workshops for men in the traditional structures and this is a challenge. This is going to be a 3 day workshop and the costs were covered by the local government.”
Betty Makoni, activist and founder of the Girl Child Network (GCN) in Zimbabwe, Africa, has been named a CNN Hero of 2009. In 1998, Betty founded GCN to assist in the rescue of girls from rape and abuse and to create a strong path for them back to a normal life. The core focus of this non-profit is to create a total physical, emotional, and spiritual renewal for these girls as well as to eradicate all forms of abuse. Part of that mandate includes ensuring that girls return to school should they choose to. The program has grown tremendously since its inception, with more than 30,000 girls across the country involved today. Betty is working with filmmaker Michealene Cristini Risley to document the story of GCN. See http://www.tapestriesofhope.com/video-tapestries.htm .
Two major events will focus world attention in this coming month, on spirituality and the climate, respectively.
WWL invites us all to pay attention to these global moments as opportunities to know ourselves as one humanity, one earth.
Check out other global and regional new items at http://www.wayswomenlead.net/home/global-news-2
The Parliament of the World’s Religions, Melbourne, December 3-9, 2009 www.parliamentofreligions.org
We are invited to participate in a Moment of Global Connection as A Creative Exploration of the Sacred Feminine takes place at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, held this year in Melbourne, Australia, December 3-9, 2009. At the Parliament women’s perspectives are represented in over two dozen presentations, panels, and gatherings, and one of these will anchor, honor and celebrate the Sacred Feminine in ceremony. Believing we each have the power to choose our thoughts and help create a loving field…you are invited to light a candle and join with many others to collectively beam thoughts of love, wisdom and deep peace into this session and around the world. See www.womensspiritcouncil.org to register your intention to participate in this Moment of Global Connection through ceremony of the Sacred Feminine.
A Moment of Global Connection to the Sacred Feminine
4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 4th, in Melbourne, Australia
Use www.timeanddate.com to calculate the time in your area.
A daily 30 minute teleconference celebrating the new visibility of the sacred feminine
9-9:30 pm EST, December 3-9
218.936.4700, access code: 235418
Other topics represented at the Parliament include the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, the UN decade of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, and the UN Millenium Development Goals.
UN Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, December 7-18, 2009
Topics to be discussed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen include preliminary negotiations from various global climate conferences; geopolitical issues related to industrialized nations and emerging nations; and the scientific and corporate issues that will impact the debate. Two Ways Women Lead partner organizations will attend the conference. Dr. Anele Heiges, President of International Public Policy Institute and Donna Goodman, Founder and Director of Earth Child Institute will keep us informed. For more information about the conference go to http://en.cop15.dk .
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