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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
300 Women Gather at the Inaugural
GATHER THE WOMEN CONGRESS
November 15,
2003: The Radisson Miyako Hotel in San Francisco was recently the site
of an international event, the Gather the Women Congress, held October
17-19. This event, with the theme of “Weaving a World That Works,” was
attended by 300 representatives from twenty diverse women's organizations,
and delegates from more than 20 countries including Kenya, Zambia, Israel,
Iraq, Brazil, Australia, Scotland, England, France, Poland, Canada,
and Mexico.
Gather The Women is a global project of Women of Vision and Action,
a non-profit membership organization based in the San Francisco Bay
Area of California (www.wova.org).
Using the technology of the internet and the power of grassroots activism,
Gather the Women seeks to invite the world's women into collaborative
leadership.
The goal of the Congress as defined on their website www.gatherthewomen.org
reads:
"Women everywhere are awakening to the realization that we have the
choice to see our current planetary story as a hopeless crisis or a
rare opportunity -- OUR opportunity -- to create a new story of compassion
and balance by stepping boldly into global leadership."
The need for women to collaborate to become a more effective voice for
planetary change was the defining agenda of the Congress. According
to Sandy Gaser, Media Coordinator of the event, "This was a unique process,
offering an opportunity for talent and resources to converge on existing
projects as well as holding a space for the imagination to soar. New
and innovative projects were conceived on site."
"This type of collective action is the future," Gaser continues. "Grassroots
volunteers are no longer in isolation, but can amplify their efforts
thousands-fold by connecting through the internet. The “hub” created
by Gather the Women brought together 300 delegates to this event, with
the potential to reach many thousands more through the memberships of
these diverse organizations."
The delegates at the Gather the Women Congress were reminded that the
time is now for change, for sustainability, for celebrating diversity,
and for looking to nature as a model for self-organization. The concept
of “crisis as an opportunity” ran as a strong thread through this gathering,
along with the theme of self-responsibility. The refrain, “We are the
ones we’ve been waiting for," rang out throughout the event.
In the words of one of the delegates, "Imagine a critical mass that
no longer accepts the old paradigms. Imagine that women have created
a new story for our time. It has begun."
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CONTACT:
Sandy Gaser
Congress Media Coordinator
Sandy@wova.org
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