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Ways Women Lead - March 2010 Newsletter

We are so excited to be returning from the UN CSW meetings, with a sense that Ways Women Lead is well positioned to carry on its thread of the international women’s movement. As reviews of women’s progress since 1995 were presented, and suggestions given for how to continue the work, we were confirmed in our approach… to build capacities for conscious leadership, authentic communication skills, organic and collaborative partnerships… coming together to create a program for the exchange of women’s wisdom.

We include below links that can take you on your own review of:

• The history of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
• Archived CSW webcasts and Friday’s final webcast of remarks by Hillary Clinton, who also spoke at the 1995 Beijing Conference.
• Inspiring speakers from the NGO Global Forum, offering personal perspectives on change for women.
• Ways Women Lead contributions at CSW, including our conscious leadership workshop and "We, the Women" Declaration against sex trafficking and for women's dignity.
• Gratitude

Please respond with your own perspectives on change since 1995, or about the Declaration, and we will post your responses on our website.

Blessings on all as we "spring forward" into our next steps,
The Team at Ways Women Lead
(Jeanie, Ann, Penny, Catlyn, Sharon, Judy, Martha, Donna, Bonnie, Suzanne, et al.)

NEWS

UN CSW and the review of the Beijing Platform:

The News this month is all about the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which has just drawn to a close Friday March 12, in NYC. The Commission established in 1946 by the United Nations has been meeting for the 54th year, drawing governmental representatives and thousands of women from around the world to participate in an amazing intention to bring women’s rights forward on an international scale. To read about the history of the Commission and its impact as an instrument of awareness, connection, and action is to experience the international women’s movement of which Ways Women Lead is a part. See http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/CSW60YRS/CSWbriefhistory.pdf

The Commission’s work this year was to review the impact of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, created at its 4th and last World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. The 1995 Conference was a watershed for many women and the Platform that was passed unanimously by 189 countries there consolidated five decades of work on women’s rights. Some of the review presentations are archived at www.un.org/webcast/2010.html, and Hillary Clinton, who spoke in Beijing, will be honoring the work of Beijing at 3 pm EST Friday March 12, webcast live at the same link.

Many of us attended the 2010 NGO Global Forum for Women, held the weekend before the CSW, reviewing Beijing from the non-governmental perspective. This was an exciting forum, where women representing diverse places and perspectives, spoke of their long-standing commitment to change, and their sense of progress. Besides their reflections and the unique needs of each culture, several women spoke of the need to embody the change, to understand patriarchy in our own lives, to be connected to the transcendent within us, and the need to hold a transformative agenda. Some of the Forum can be viewed at http://www.ngocsw.org/en/events/2010-forum/webcast.

Ways Women Lead at CSW:

As those of us from Ways Women Lead who were able to attend flowed through this history, we made connections that will reverberate for some time to come. Ann Smith participated in no less than 6 events, four of which were co-sponsored by Ways Women Lead! And the small impromptu circles, lunches and dinners we all shared as well, brought forward many next steps, personal and networking, for our journey to Bulgaria and beyond. We were even invited to present an oral report to the Commission because of the beautiful declaration coming from Elka Krasteva, Director of the Board of Human Rights, Step by Step Association in Varna, Bulgaria. See Declaration against sex trafficking and for women’s dignity at http://www.lightpages.net/mydocuments/we%20the%20women%20declaration%202-24-10.pdf.

From circle to panel, from model to movie, from reception to spirit council, we participated in many "ways women lead", evoking each other to step further into our leadership for the common good.

Our Calendar of Events follows. See video clips of many of our gatherings and others, filmed and edited by Ann Smith’s grandson, Sacha Donnenfel, now available at: http://www.youtube.com/carboneffects. Watch our website http://www.wayswomenlead.net for more exciting video windows into the 2010 CSW experience through Martha Paquin's lens.

Friday, February 26th, Women’s Circle, to open our CSW experience with deep connection, sponsored by Ways Women Lead, Anglican Women’s Empowerment, and Millionth Circle.

Sunday, February 28th, Ways Women Lead Fundraising Event, a beautiful reception with a moving performance by world renowned opera singer, Valentine Peytichinov, including a deeply felt tribute to his Bulgarian homeland. Also contributing memorable flavors to our experience were Elaine Kwan, acclaimed pianist and martial artist (!), social entrepreneur Donna Hadjipopov, who donated several pieces of the much admired Bulgarian pottery and weaving that her company BulgarUSA is facilitating and promoting in the US, fine artist Martha Paquin, contributing an original painting that represented the mystery of wisdom in nature, and Bonnie Kelley and Cheryl Gould, offering DVDs of their new and exciting film about the many women who are called to lead from within, called "The Heart to Lead: Women as Allies for the Greater Good". Sponsored by Ways Women Lead and The Young Marine Corps. See expanded flyer at http://www.lightpages.net/mydocuments/wwl%20fundraiser%20and%20workshop%20flyers.pdf.

Tuesday, March 2nd, Interactive Workshop on Conscious Leadership, also featuring social entrepreneur, Donna Hadjipopov, who with her Bulgarian partners has modeled conscious leadership, and the movie “The Heart to Lead. Women as Allies for the Greater Good”, presented by filmmakers, Bonnie Kelley and Cheryl Gould, bringing forward the intimacy of each woman’s journey to leadership. Sponsored by the International Public Policy Institute, Ways Women Lead and Anglican Women’s Empowerment. (Supporting organizations include: Millionth Circle, Circle Connections, Gather the Women Global Matrix, Women Waking the World, Global Family, Women’s Learning Exchange, and Imagine the Good.) See expanded flyer and handout at http://www.lightpages.net/mydocuments/wwl%20fundraiser%20and%20workshop%20flyers.pdf and http://www.lightpages.net/mydocuments/wwl%20conscious%20leadership%20handout.pdf.

Wednesday, March 3rd, International Panel on Sex Trafficking, with a moving contribution by Tina Frundt of Courtney’s House, www.courtneyshouse.org , who from her experience as a child victim of sex trafficking, is now helping others. Linda Stillman moderated the panel which also included presentations from Soroptimists, a worldwide NGO with a major focus on stopping sex trafficking, http://soroptimist.org/trafficking/trafficking.html . Ann Smith, led the room in reading the Ways Women Lead Declaration against sex trafficking and for women’s dignity. Read the full declaration at www.lightpages.net/mydocuments/we%20the%20women%20declaration%202-24-10.pdf. See Sacha's 4 part series on You Tube, starting at http://www.youtube.com/user/carboneffects#p/u/9/ncVdgxlPYiM.

Friday, March 5th, Reception and information discussion on Beijing, featuring a wide diversity of perspectives on the current status of women. Invitation from Anglican Women’s Empowerment.

Monday, March 8, Millionth Circle Workshop, an opportunity to envision circle principles in a wide diversity of contexts. Ann Smith facilitated a women’s sacred circle along with Rosemary Williams and Donna Goodman of the Millionth Circle Initiative. Caroline Omoniye, African Coordinator for Ways Women Lead, attended with Maureen Orubebe and Tosan Rukevne, two social activist lawyers from Nigeria. Sponsored by Millionth Circle and Pathways to Peace. See our YouTube video, Women’s Sacred Circle 2, http://www.youtube.com/user/carboneffects#p/u/5/1_AYykibQao.

Gratitude

To all those who brought the fullness of themselves forward to do what was needed… for the women of the world, for the UN CSW, for Ways Women Lead … to all our partner organizations, and to all those individuals who lead with their gifts for the common good… we are most grateful.