Story creates context…Context highlights relationship…Context and relationship change behavior and lead to holistic and connected action…Connected action becomes a force for restoring /re-storying the world. – Christina Baldwin, “Storycatcher”.
One of the highlights of my summer was a gathering of eight highly engaged women for two short days of dialog at the sea in Little Compton, R.I. There are many stories shared during that gathering that touched my soul and sit in my heart.
I want to share one of them here because it is such an example of the power of one person’s passionate dream becoming more than she could have imagined. It is the story of “World Pulse”, now an international network connecting women and men across boundaries and building a pulse of women’s empowerment across the globe.
Ellen Wingard told us this story as she is herself intimately involved in the project, being a member of the working-board. Her passion, enthusiasm and commitment to World Pulse caught all of our attention. By the end of her story I knew I had to blog about this because World Pulse is creating a revolution for women around the world.
As a global media source we tackle difficult issues; as World Pulse, we never leave our readers without a solution that is working somewhere in the world, and we tell these stories from the perspective of powerful, leading women.” – Jensine Larsen, Founder of World Pulse
As a young journalist in Burma and the Amazon, Jensine Larsen discovered that some of the world’s most important stories are rarely mentioned in the mass media. In 2003, at age 28, she founded World Pulse as a nonprofit media organization in order to launch a bold and beautiful new magazine, one that would cut to the heart of global problems through the eyes of women and highlight solutions already underway.
Today World Pulse has expanded to an action media network powered by women from 190 countries. Women from nearly every country in the world use World Pulse to speak out and connect. Their stories are being picked up by the BBC, CNN, TED, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the UN, the Huffington Post, and more. By networking on the World Pulse site, women are finding jobs, starting new programs and businesses, launching women-only cyber cafés, and finding international speaking opportunities that are changing their lives and lifting their communities.
I especially was taken by the unique Editorial Cycle of Empowerment that is the structure behind the life changing power of World Pulse.
Here are the seven aspects of the Cycle of Empowerment – each one supported by some part of the World Pulse network:
1. Oceans of untapped women’s voices worldwide. 2. Voices rise by sharing stories through internet community, “Pulsewire”. 3. Community encouragement lifts confidence. 4. World Pulse Magazine features stories for world to see. 5. Readers take action and connect. 6. New Connections provide resources and solutions. 7. Tidal wave of collaboration and change.
Looking at evolutionary trends, I have learned that sustainability is deeply tied to social justice and a thriving, meaningful life. This is exactly what World Pulse is managing to achieve through connecting people’s stories and passion to resources of all kinds. It is not only monetary resources that are needed. It is mentoring, skills for writing, articulating and spreading stories, support and encouragement in difficult times, exposure and potential to be heard. The network presents an opportunity for both the giver and the gifted. It connects people across boundaries – both far and near.
I love the holistic combination this network provides: encouraging self-care, sports for women, news from women’s perspective, stories of initiatives that work, training of citizen journalists, global gatherings and international events, arts, music and film, actions you can take for global change.
Uniting millions of women worldwide into a powerful force for change. This is what World Pulse sees as its future mission. They are far on their way to making it happen.
Check it out! The Magazine is beautiful and inspiring. The Website is dense with possibilities (potential for translation into about 70 languages!). The profiles are eye-opening. This is the future. I have jumped on the band-wagon and supported this initiative. I believe it is one way we can begin to unite the world- through hearing each others stories and forming caring relationships. This creates empathy, which some are saying is the most important quality needed to transform our world.
World Pulse puts emphasis on women being leaders. The stories feature women who are doing something valuable for their community wherever they are. You can see some of their stories here. Send in your own!
As Christina Baldwin speaks in the introduction, stories are the key to restoring the world.
Story creates context…Context highlights relationship…Context and relationship change behavior and lead to holistic and connected action…Connected action becomes a force for restoring /restorying the world. – Christina Baldwin, “Storycatcher”.