Hey Changemaker!

Invaluable Advice from Changemakers - Part 2

This is part 2 of invaluable advice from changemakers! With a special focus on the importance of self care, community and connecting with your own power. We hear advice on managing hopelessness and uncomfortable work.
This episode features advice from Nasra Ayub, Bulelwa Adonis, Riya Williams Yuyada, Celina de Sola, Lina Abirafeh and Sharon D'Agostino. 
"Put your health and your mental health first, there's no point in you being here if you're not functioning." - Nasra Ayub
In this episode, you'll hear from changemakers how they do just that. How do they stay hopeful, strong and confident in the midst of a very troubled world? 
Find all previous episodes of the Hey Changemaker! Podcast at girlsglobe.org/changemaker
 

Invaluable Advice from Changemakers - Part 1

It’s a new year - and we’re leaving a brutal year behind and entering in to one with great challenges. It doesn’t look like the world is going to change so quickly - which means that changemakers like yourself are more important than ever! We are needed to create a world where everyone can live in freedom and dignity.
"The only thing that will bring us out of hopelessness is taking action and being in solidarity." - Julia Wiklander
This episode has been created to help you do just that. Hear advice from Riya Williams Yuyada, Nasra Ayub, Beatrice Finh, Taveeshi Gupta, Amanda Litman and Neil Data. 
Subscribe, learn more and find all previous episodes at girlsglobe.org/changemaker. 
 

ActionAid International: Advocating Against Modern Slavery at the UN and Beyond

This is a takeover by ActionAid International and their campaign called #HerStory.
#HerStory is an anti-modern slavery campaign by ActionAid International to raise awareness of the prevalence of modern slavery, shed light on the impact it has on women and girls in particular, and amplify the voice of female survivors.
In this podcast, you’ll hear a conversation led by ActionAid International’s Vanessa Power, as she speaks with Lela Tolajian and Eugenia A. Ayagiba.
Lela Tolajian is a human rights activist and the founder of the International Coalition Against Modern Slavery. She has worked extensively with non-profit organisations and elected officials on forced labour and trafficking. She is currently working as a youth activist and influencer on ActionAid’s anti-modern slavery campaign #HerStory.
Eugenia is the Women’s Rights and Campaign Manager at ActionAid Ghana.
They speak about the Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights, what modern slavery looks like today, and about the importance of coalitions and activism.
ActionAid brought a delegation of feminist activists to Geneva for the negotiations of the UN Binding Treaty. The delegation was a part of the Feminists 4Binding Treaty coalition. One of the coalition members was Sanyu Awori - Manager, Building Feminist Economies at the Association for Women's Rights in Development. In this episode, you'll hear Sanyu addressing the international community at the negotiations at the United Nations.
Learn more about #HerStory and read the stories from survivors of modern slavery at girlsglobe.org/herstory
 

Building Feminist Solidarity Through a Global Media Movement

In this episode Julia Wiklander, founder of Girls' Globe and host of the Hey Changemaker! Podcast speaks about what Feminist Solidarity means and how we can be a part of building it through a global digital media movement. 
A feminist solidarity is one that sees the interlinkages of our shared humanity and planet.
If your heart breaks when witnessing what’s happening in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Myanmar. If your heart breaks for the injustice in our backyards. You’re in the right place.
It is not all up to you to make a difference. The only way we can do that is through collective organising, through collaboration, through partnerships. We must forge partnerships to make the impact we want to make in an increasingly hostile environment.
This year has been hard, it is dark. It is incredibly painful - and for all those who are suffering - I REFUSE to give up hope. I REFUSE to give in, and I invite you to refuse the same. 
It is when good people do nothing that the oppression will continue. So we will do something. 
In this episode I share three ways you can get involved in building feminist solidarity through a global media movement. 
Shownotes:
Become a sponsor at girlsglobe.org/sponsor
Girls' Globe membership at girlsglobe.org/membership
Share your expertise with the global feminist media movement at info@girlsglobe.org

Latanya Mapp Frett: Young Feminists Lead the Way

The episode features a conversation between Shiphrah Belonguel, a Girls' Globe Fellow, and Latanya Mapp Frett, President and CEO of Global Fund for Women.
Latanya shares her personal journey into feminist grant-making, highlighting her experiences growing up as a black woman in the United States and her dedication to justice.
A turning point in her career occurred in Ethiopia, where she realized the importance of centering work around the actual needs of marginalized groups, particularly in sexual and reproductive health.
Latanya emphasizes the significance of changing hearts and minds to disrupt systems and advocates for a common narrative on sexual and reproductive health for women and girls. She discusses how Global Fund for Women involves adolescent girls in advisory roles, integrating their perspectives into the organization's governance and digital presence.
The conversation touches on the challenges of the online space, emphasizing the need to protect young activists from online violence.
Shiphrah concludes the podcast by asking Latanya for a message to young activists and feminists worldwide. Latanya encourages them to continue voicing their concerns, emphasizing the importance of their voices in creating a feminist future.
 

Nisha Anand: Building Bridges for Social Justice Movements

Nisha Anand is the CEO of Dream.org, a nonprofit organization that brings people together across racial, social and partisan lines to solve some of the toughest problems in the US and beyond. She is also the Political Director of Rebuild The Dream, an organization fighting for an economy that works for everyone. In essence, Nisha works at the intersection of criminal justice reform, green economics, and tech equity to create a better future for all.
For over twenty years Nisha Anand has been a social justice activist and leader. She has seen movements and organizations rise and fall. She uses what she has learned to support leaders, organisers and changemakers.
In this episode, we dive deep into the ways we can have meaningful conversations and social justice movements in a highly polarised world. Nisha shares personal stories of what has shaped her as an activist and into becoming a  bridge-builder. She speaks about her work with Dream.org.
Nisha says that "The humanity that connects us must be stronger than what has been created to divide us".
Learn more about Nisha and her work
nishaanand.org
Ted Talk: go.ted.com/nishaanand
dream.org
Justice Innovation Prize: https://www.justiceinnovationprize.org/
 

Kim Smouter: Anti-Racism, Big Tech and Europe’s response to Israel-Palestine

Kim Smouter, the Executive Director of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR). Kim is a policy and advocacy expert with nearly 20 years experience advocating social causes including LGBTQIA+ rights, employment, education and social affairs, civic space and dialogue, and digital rights.
Previously, Kim has held senior and leadership roles in the European Parliament, the European Network of National Civil Society Associations, and ESOMAR, the global trade association for opinion polling businesses. He holds a master’s degree in European Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree in European Studies and is a graduate of the University of Maastricht.
In this conversation, Kim shares a story of what brought him to working with social change and justice. We talk about the challenges in Europe as Islamaphobia, anti-semitism, anti-immigrant sentiments and hate speech are on the rise. Kim shares how the European Network Against Racism works and how they work to combat discrimination and racism.
This conversation was recorded at WebSummit, a tech conference gathering more than 70,000 people in Lisbon, Portugal to meet and discuss the future of tech. From AI to startup pitches, talks on climate and democracy, and networking sessions and masterclasses, the conference has an important role in shaping how the industry prioritises human rights, equality and democracy.
I ask Kim about the role of tech in championing human rights and what he sees as the main barriers when big tech seems to be doing the exact opposite.
In light of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Kim addresses the calls to action that ENAR published for European leaders. We talk about the intersection between political conflicts, technology and the discrimination we see.
Learn more about the European Network Against Racism at enar-eu.org.
Find all episodes of the Hey Changemaker! Podcast and nominate a guest at girlsglobe.org/changemaker.

Spogmay Ahmed: Feminist Foreign Policy

In this episode of the Hey Changemaker podcast, you’ll hear a conversation from the Girls’ Globe Solidarity Studio. Girls’ Globe’s Advisor Felogene Anumo speaks with Spogmay Ahmed in a conversation centered around feminist foreign policy.
Spogmay Ahmed is the Senior Policy Advisor for the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative.
In this capacity, she helps manage the Global Partner Network for Feminist Foreign Policy and the Coalition for a Feminist Foreign Policy in the United States, and provides overall policy and advocacy expertise for civil society, governments, and multilateral organizations.
Prior to joining the Collaborative, Spogmay served as Senior Global Policy Advocate at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), handling ICRW's portfolio on feminist foreign policy globally and in the United States. She has provided policy analysis and advocacy leadership in multilateral spaces, including the United Nations, G7, and G20.
Through her years of experience, Spogmay has gained a multifaceted understanding of the multilateral system - previously working with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand and the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN in New York. Spogmay holds a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University and a BA in International Affairs from the George Washington University.
In this episode, Spogmay clarifies what Feminist Foreign policy is, and shares her own story of how she got involved in this work and what inspires her to work for gender equality and racial and social justice. She speaks about what gives her hope, despite the many crises that the world is facing right now.
We hope that this conversation can inspire you to look at your own government’s engagement in foreign policy. That it can help you see foreign policy in a new light - and help you see new ways to engage in global and international issues.
We’re so grateful for Spogmay’s generous participation in the Girls’ Globe Solidarity Studio, and for our wonderful feminist activist Felogene Anumo for leading this conversation.   

Dr. Taveeshi Gupta: Boys, Men, Fathers and Gender Equality

Dr. Taveeshi Gupta is the Director of Research, Evaluation and Learning at Equimundo. Her expertise lies in understanding the role of gender norms in perpetuating violence against women and children, creating inequitable home and workplace environments, and reinforcing inter-generational transmission of harmful gender identities for boys and girls.
In this conversation, Dr. Taveeshi Gupta speaks with Julia Wiklander about the new State of the World's Fathers report and about the status of men and gender equality. They speak about the impact of the digital world on boys, their ideas of gender equality and why we must involve boys in the gender equality work. Taveeshi shares personal stories of what brought her to work with men, boys and masculinities in the first place. She shares what brings her hope and how she stays motivated to continue this important work. 
Taveeshi has been trained in rigorous mixed methodological research and is widely published. She is part of the Lancet Commission's Scientific Advisory Committee on Child Maltreatment and Violence Prevention and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Embracing Carers group. Before joining Equimundo, she worked as an independent consultant with Overseas Development Institute, UNICEF ROSA, Plan International, and Harvard’s Kennedy School. She has a BA and MA in Psychology from University of Delhi, and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from New York University.
Learn more from the research:
State of the World’s Fathers 2023 report 
International Men & Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) (2022)
Global Boyhood Initiative: The State of UK Boys (2022)

Dr. Brenda Oulo - What does it mean to have agency?

Dr. Brenda Oulo is a feminist researcher specialising in multidisciplinary topics related to the well-being of adolescent girls. As the co-director of the Girls Agency Lab (GAL), Dr. Brenda leads an initiative that spans across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Rwanda. In addition, she's currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Health Economics and Decision Science in the esteemed Wellcome Trust program at the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield.
Agency, as Dr. Brenda knows all too well, is a vital construct that empowers girls to effect change in their own lives and communities. It's a key outcome of empowerment and life skills programs, yet finding a standard measure has proven to be a challenge.
But what is agency?
In this episode, we'll delve into Dr. Brenda groundbreaking work, exploring the importance of agency, its impact on girls' lives, and the quest to develop a meaningful and validated measurement. We speak about our own lives and Dr. Brenda shares personal stories of her own journey of empowerment and her relationship with agency.
This conversation really is a journey into the heart of change - where it all really begins. Dr. Brenda Oulo helps us to begin to uncover the pathways to enhancing the agency of adolescent girls, and the agency in our own lives.