The power of the blog... Celebrate International Women's Day

 The power of online blogging, communication, connection, and education. One of the great things about the online space is that it that has the capability to unite people for the good.  March 8th is International Women’s Day. If you an advocate for advancing the status of women around the world or just a wee bit curious about the stories of women, this is the month.  Celebrations are being held all over the world and thanks to technology just about anyone anywhere can be a part of it.  Like minded individuals can gather in virtual spaces and share ideas, brainstorm on problems, and celebrate milestones.

So many events that caught my eye are themes that we have touched upon the last seven weeks of class. 

INCOSE - International Council on Systems Engineering is hosting an event on March 8th.  Link to the webinar - This year's theme is "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality". It is a day of celebration for the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education and the progress which has been made toward women’s empowerment and gender equality. It will also critically reflect on the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities to strive for greater momentum toward gender equality.  

You can travel around the globe to UK  to connect virtually students form with Staffordshire University.  With just a click of a few buttons you can connect and learn. 'Creating HERstory' is an event project brought to you by the Event Management students at Staffordshire University. In celebration of International Women's Day and in collaboration with Staffordshire Women's Aid.

Women in Journalism and Reach is hosting an International Women’s Day (March 8, 1pm – 2pm) revealing the findings of the first Online Harms for Women in Journalism survey. Registration link

Speakers include Mirror Editor-in-Chief Alison Phillips, Reach Online Safety Editor Dr Rebecca Whittington and Columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.  If one had time to chime in it would be very interesting to see what harms were reported and any next steps to mitigate.

One can travel to the Africa virtual to partner with the Inspiring Girls Tanzania & TDT program. Another amazing organization offering  Global programming to share. They have three amazing speakers lined up. Rhobi Samwelly, an FGM survivor and activist and director of Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania who will talk about her journey from a small village in Butiama to talking at the United Nations in New York, and receiving an award from French President Macron.

Lawyer and activist Rebeca Gyumi, winner of the UN Human Rights prize. Rebeca successfully challenged the Tanzanian marriage act in 2016.

Catherine R. Kimambo, the Founder and Executive Director of African Child Projects, an NGO that helps connect rural Tanzanian schools to the internet. Catherine is also a blogger and a storyteller on how the Internet is changing narratives in rural Tanzania, where she shares transformative stories on Internet4good.

There will be chances for girls to ask questions in English or Swahili. The session will be recorded and shared with people who register. You will also have a chance to request speakers for future events.

And why should we limit ourselves to the just the earth?  International Women's Day 2023 - Space Café Summit - Women and Space.  Speakers will be from USA, UAE, Israel, India and Finland.

The view in 2023

On the 8th of March at 4 pm CET, in the occasion of International Women's Day, SpaceWatch.Global will held a special  Space Cafe summit fully dedicated to women in the space industry.

Dr. Emma Gatti, SpaceWatch.Global's Editor-in-Chief, will interview

- Sumaya Al Hajeri, Technology Expert - UAE

- Maya Glickman-Pariente, Spacecialist - Israel

- Jennifer Manner, EchoStar - USA

- Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, ORF - India

- Jenni Tapio, ESA - Finland

Together they will discuss, among other topics, the meaning of the lack of representation in the space sector, the value that women can and should bring to the table, and the several challenges the sector still faces while on its path for true gender equality.

What a line up!

I am encouraged and moved by the opportunities that digital technology is connect women together.  We are all probably more similar than we are different. We can encourage one another and learn from one another.   It is really is beautiful and worldwide web makes it a lot easier.  None of this would be possible with partnerships and technological advances.  We have come a long way from computers designated for government projects housed hundreds of square feet to today.

Grab a cup of tea and explore on March 8th.