Movement, Moment, Gathering
A Global Alliance to Amplify Women’s Voices: From Networking to Collective Impact
What will it be like when the extraordinary power of women’s voices is heard?
Join us to explore the possibilities.
When leaders of Women of Spirit and Faith gathered in August 2012, we glimpsed a pattern of convergence among the women’s initiatives of several large global interfaith and spiritual organizations. We asked ourselves how we might serve and support this emergence. We saw this time as a critical moment for the emergence of a collaborative intergenerational and international women’s movement with the potential to transform the role of women in faith and interfaith institutions. We felt profound excitement as we envisioned the world’s Spirit-led women collectively catching this rising wave of feminine energy and building it into a “movement moment”. This movement is already a reality; the question now is how to take it to the next level with funding, staffing, communication and programming.
We invite you to join us in this exploration. How might we stimulate, nurture and support this emerging movement? How might the women of the world’s faith and interfaith communities come together in a powerful transformational alliance? How might we model and live into the world something radically new about collaboration, shared leadership, inclusiveness and unity through diversity? Each of us doing what we do best can have a much larger impact. What does your organization need to go to the next level?
We welcome your participation in this exciting exploration. We plan a series of conference calls in October/November 2012 to begin the work together. In the meantime, here are some initial ideas for some of the essential components for this moment:
GATHERING: Women of Spirit and Faith is excited to announce Alchemy Too, a large women’s gathering to explore and deepen this movement in fall of 2013. Space is currently being held at the Sofitel San Francisco (near San Francisco airport) which can accommodate 300 women for Nov. 7-10, 2013. This gathering will be co-convened by all partners and collaboratively designed. A planning meeting will be held at the same hotel in January 2013. Other global and regional gatherings would be supported as well over the coming 24 months.
GRANT APPEALS: Plans are already in place for a unique approach to foundation funding of this project. A proposal is being developed over the next several months inviting a network of foundations and private donors to collaborate on funding – so that they too could have the lived experience of their collective impact. Women of Spirit and Faith offers to serve as administrator and fiscal agent for these grants, providing a 501.c.3 with grant-writing history and a flexible, responsive leadership structure.
STAFFING: Paid administrative and logistical staff would be required to coordinate communication, events and administrative tasks. At this time, women’s interfaith networks and faith-based organizations have few if any staff and depend on volunteers.
MEDIA: It is vital for the voices of women to be heard. All forms of media (film, blogs, social media, websites etc) would be a key element of our work together.
SCHOLARSHIPS: In order to assure diverse participation of women in all aspects of the movement, funds would be sought to underwrite the travel expenses of young women, women of color, low-income, indigenous and international women.
YOUNG LEADERS: Young women would be included in leadership at all levels and programming would focus on the needs of young women leaders.
We welcome you to bring your leadership, wisdom and experience to this fluid and dynamic conversation at any time. It will take all of us to build this movement moment!
Contact:
Kathe Schaaf: katheschaaf@cox.net
Kay Lindahl: kaylindahl@yahoo.com