Voices of Our Future

2013 Voices of Our Future

Over 600 women applied from 101 countries for the fourth year of our citizen journalism and digital empowerment training program. The resilience, determination, intelligence, and passion exhibited by the applicants this year is truly inspirational.

Amidst a phenomenal pool of applicants, 31 women from 27 countries stood out—each one demonstrating exceptional leadership and vision with great potential to drive change. These grassroots women leaders are the voices of our future. Join us in welcoming the our newest Correspondents!

“Gaining skills in citizen journalism made me more empowered to make my voice heard.  I now feel the importance of the role I play by sharing the stories of my country with the whole world through World Pulse.” —Mirette Bahgat, 2012 Voices of Our Future Correspondent, Egypt

Over the next five months, these 31 women will receive training to help them actualize and vocalize their visions for change. They will gain skills in conducting interviews, writing and producing profiles, op-eds, and multimedia packages. They will also learn how to use social media as citizen journalists, streamline their online experience, and use mobile phones to support their social change work. 

Get to know these voices. Throughout the coming months they will be bringing first hand news and perspectives from regions as diverse as the United States, Democratic Republic of Congo, and the island nation of the Maldives—while focusing on opportunities to lift their communities.

Journeying Together

“The support that I got from my fellow Correspondent sisters increased my self-confidence a hundred times over…I have become more empowered as a leader.” —Rahel Weldeab, 2012 Voices of Our Future Correspondent, Eritrea

The 2013 Correspondents will navigate the training curriculum with their fellow Correspondents and World Pulse online community members by their sides, and the support of a growing network of Voices of Our Future alumni.

“I became a better writer with help from my Editorial Mentor. Most important was the confidence gained in my ability to communicate on critical issues and embrace my own writer's voice.” —Juliette Maughan, 2012 Voices of Our Future Correspondent, Barbados

To ensure success on this journey, each woman will also be paired with a personal Vision Mentor and Editorial Mentor. This year we considered nearly 150 mentor applications from women from all over the globe. These women are professional life coaches, mentors, journalists, authors, and bloggers. They are generously donating nearly 3,000 hours of their time and expertise to make this program a reality. The lasting relationships forged in the program benefit Correspondents and mentors alike. We have brought aboard our team 92 Mentors!

“I am proud to say that I am a World Pulse Vision Mentor—it's now on my resume that I am mentoring a young Kurdish woman from Syria. This seems to be my connection, however small, with one of the most agonizing present-day conflicts, and my chance to provide support to someone who is determined to make a positive difference for her people….”  —Sarah Whitten-Grigsby, 2012 Vision Mentor

Spirited Partnerships

This program would not be possible without the contribution, entrepreneurial spirit and generosity of our program partners The Global Press Institute, Op-Ed Project, Ellen Wingard, and Frank Smyth. 

Links:

• Meet the Correspondents

“There can be no full freedom of the press until women have an equal voice in the news-gathering and news dissemination processes” IWMF Global Report on the Status of Women in the News Media

There is not a single nation in the world where women have an equal voice. Across the globe, the challenges facing grassroots women leaders - such as gender-based violence, lack of education, inadequate health care, and political oppression - are compounded by societies and leadership that do not value the role of women in building solutions. Women comprise 51% of the world's population yet currently worldwide women hold only 17% of Parliamentarian seats, 15% of corporate "C-level" positions, 1% of media editors, and 20% of non-profit leadership.

We are at a remarkable place in history where new media has the potential to provide extraordinary opportunities for women to access, actively engage with, and drive global conversations. Women are taking to the streets in Yemen, Libya, and the Ivory Coast protesting injustice, political corruption and violence in their communities. But do they have the skills and knowledge to participate in regional and global conversations reshaping their future? Will their voices be heard, their protests addressed, their solutions implemented?

This year Voices of Our Future is preparing to launch its fourth annual citizen journalism and digital empowerment program three short months.  This year our application process is right on track to expose over 600 women to the basic principles of new media and women's empowerment through our month-long online application process. Once applications are completed, thirty women who demonstrate solutions-oriented writing and strong leadership skills are selected as Correspondents.

We are one again working with program partners (Global Press Institute and Op-Ed Project), Our staff trained the thirty Correspondents on the principals of practicing ethical citizen journalism. The learning in our online classroom are divided into four modules which focus on: conducting an interview and writing a profile; writing about a timely issue which affects their community and is related to larger global concerns; writing an op-ed; and writing a feature-length article which ties together the skills they’ve learned in the previous modules. Each learning module has an associated writing assignment, which Correspondents posted to our online community at World Pulse.

Social and digital media concepts and opportunities are integrated within each learning module.  Correspondents were taught how to: pitch stories online and offline; use blogging, Twitter, and Facebook; create podcasts; use mobile phones to access the internet; and how to use these new tools to amplify their voices.

The training provided during the Voices of Our Future program is strengthening and lifting

“World Pulse has helped me realize the potential of my voice. I have always known that I was born to write and to speak, but through World Pulse, and through seeing what impact my writing has had on women of different colours, creeds and countries, I am more convinced than ever that I can and will make a difference” 2010 Correspondent, Fungai Machirori, Zimbabwe

Impact:

In three years, Voices of Our Future has exceeded expectations: 

• Over 1700 women from 143 countries have been introduced to new media, citizen journalism and women’s empowerment concepts during the online application process.
• 90% of correspondents have completed the program, despite political turmoil and violence, natural disasters, technology challenges, and competing priorities for their time.
• 98% of respondents to our final surveys have reported an increase in confidence and empowered leadership; and 96% have reported increased knowledge in citizen journalism and new media.
• 20%: received new jobs and promotions as a direct result of our training.
• 30%: have started new NGOs and training centers that are reaching thousands.
• 35%: Met with local or national politicians.
• Correspondents have gone on to win prestigious awards including: the Kurt Shenk Reuters awards and a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize. They have been published in major media outlets and local media and television debuts in their homelands.

We are excited for our fourth year and our continued impact globally.