Empowering Women Entrepreneurs

Transcription

1 ... empowerment has come to the women of Bangladesh -- even the poorest women in Bangladesh. It s tremendous. It s a dramatic change that has taken place. Women have access to money. They can now plan. They can now dream. Their children are in school.... New communities are emerging. A new generation is emerging. ~ Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder, Grameen Bank & 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate FLOW and partners invite you to participate in a powerful, global program to advance global peace, prosperity, and well-being by empowering women entrepreneurs in developing communities world-wide.

2 The Opportunity The success of Grameen Bank and other microcredit institutions prove that, when provided access to capital and appropriate support, women, their families, and communities flourish. As reflected by Dr. Yunus and Grameen Banks s recent award of the Nobel Peace Prize, the microfinance model of lending is sowing the seeds of entrepreneurial culture among millions of women around the world and moving them from poverty to prosperity. For the past several centuries, the combination of entrepreneurial culture and Economic Freedom have repeatedly created tremendous wealth, lifted millions of people out of poverty, and fostered profound innovation and evolution of technology, culture, and human capacity. We envision a world overflowing with peace and prosperity, co-generated through the entrepreneurial energy of women in developing countries, the marketplace, and a conscious culture of communication and collaboration embodied by women and men around the world. To profoundly advance women s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment in the developing world, we are launching Empowering Women Entrepreneurs - an ongoing outreach, education, and engagement program, which celebrates the role women entrepreneurs play in economic and social development, calls attention to the emerging global, women s economic empowerment system, and facilitates broad-based engagement with the system. Respect for women is a prerequisite for success of countries in the modern world. In the dynamic 21st century no society can expect to flourish with half its people sitting on the sidelines, with no opportunity to develop their talents, to contribute to their economy or to play an equal part in the lives of their nations. ~ Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State 2 Copyright 2007 F.L.O.W., Inc.

3 The Program Empowering Women Entrepreneurs is designed to: Build on the success of the microfinance movement by weaving a rich fabric of mentoring, networking, education, and economic freedom to expand women s entrepreneurial and employment opportunities. Raise awareness of the issue of women s economic empowerment to a level comparable to that of Global Warming and AIDS, with resultant attention and resources directed towards supporting women entrepreneurs and advancing a global women s economic empowerment movement. Celebrate effective programs and initiatives in developing communities throughout the world, as well as organizations and programs that support them. Catalyze collaborative, multi-sector support for effective, existing programs that empower women entrepreneurs; and for new programs that fill gaps in local, regional, and global women s economic empowerment systems. Engage local, regional, global participants more deeply in local and regional women s economic empowerment programs and systems. Serve as a long term, ongoing, global education and outreach platform, through multiple channels. 3 Copyright 2007 F.L.O.W., Inc.

4 Summary of Program Elements To effect sustainable, systemic change requires a long-term, ongoing, integrated, systemic approach. Empowering Women Entrepreneurs integrates multiple channels of activity, designed to make ongoing impressions and to engage global audiences through media, events, retail outlets, and other communication and engagement channels. Events An ongoing series of highly interactive, engaging events, designed to be modular and scalable. Will include a marketplace of ideas and opportunities for action. Launch events: Austin, TX November 30 San Rafael, CA December 7 Concerts, galas, and other special events to generate awareness, funds, and other resources. Television & Radio Documentary film, with Bob Chitester of Free to Choose Productions, producers of Free to Choose, with Milton Friedman. Ongoing series of long and short form radio programs; repurposed for classrooms, internet and other media channels. Produced in collaboration with the Mainstream Media Project. Education & Classroom DVD-based lesson-programs; distributed by Izzit Media, reaching more than 84,000 teachers (1 out of every 4 social studies teachers in America) and 13 million students; with supplementary on-line content. Various levels of curricula. Internet The Empowering Women Entrepreneurs web infrastructure will facilitate: Access to information, education, training, and other resources and pathways to action. Dialogue, collaboration & engagement through online community and collaboration facilitation tools. Alliance & Integrated Marketing Program Empowering Women Entrepreneurs is designed to facilitate collaboration between various non-profit and corporate partners, drawing on their individual assets, resources, and capabilities, and addressing their individual needs and objectives, while advancing the shared objectives of the program. Media partners will provide programming and advertising time and content. Retail partners will provide point-of-sale exposure and opportunities for action. Other corporate partners will provide product and promotional tie ins, distribution channels, and access to stakeholders. Non-profit partners will provide content, credibility, access to stakeholders and relationships. Ongoing grass-roots marketing and public relations will provide sustained, extensive exposure for the program and program partners. 4 Copyright 2007 F.L.O.W., Inc.

5 Empowering Women Entrepreneurs An Integrated, Outreach, Education & Engagement Program Advancing a Global Women s Empowerment Movement 5 Copyright 2007 F.L.O.W., Inc.

6 FLOW designs its programs and events to be deeply engaging, and to facilitate learning and catalyze action. Empowering Women Entrepreneurs is designed to appeal to and engage women of all ages, and others who want to support women worldwide to elevate the conditions of their lives for themselves, their families, and communities. The EWE events build on FLOW s experience with its Peace Through Commerce events in FLOW s Peace through Commerce program embraces collaboration, diversity, ethical business and other principles you may also hold sacred...it was exciting to interact with people from different walks of life. We had shared values, energy, enthusiasm and openness in common, and a belief that together we CAN change the world. It was invigorating and inspiring, to say the least! ~Margarita, Peace Through Commerce-DC, 9/30/06 Fantastic mix of people -- from all walks of life, all ages, all backgrounds, and a great mix of ideas about what peace REALLY means. Manifesting peace in the world seems at once daunting, imperative, and inevitable. We generated excellent ideas about how to move it along, perhaps a bit more quickly. ~Bob,PTC-DC, 9/30/06 Summary of Benefits to Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Program Partners As reflected in the overview of program elements, Empowering Women Entrepreneurs is designed to facilitate collaboration between various organizations, leveraging their resources and capabilities to address the program objectives, and the needs and objectives of program partners. Partner benefits include: Ongoing association with and collaboration in a powerful long term program, with significant potential to make a meaningful difference in the world by advancing the global women s economic empowerment movement. Engagement with important audience and opportunities for mutually beneficial collaboration with a growing network of partners, and opportunities to engage customers, employees, and other stakeholders in the program. Access to content and opportunities to present content. Brand and social equity-building opportunities. Brand and product promotion, and long term business development opportunities. Custom elements to address specific marketing and business development objectives, and to optimally leverage partner assets and capabilities. Lead funding partners will also receive: Exclusive rights to use the EWE logo and program imagery. Broad category exclusivity and pass-through rights. Positioning and brand integration into all program streams and lead sponsor positioning of at least one primary program element. 6 Copyright 2007 F.L.O.W., Inc.

7 About Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Program Partners Program producer FLOW is a non-profit corporation, founded by innovative educator Michael Strong and John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, dedicated to liberating the entrepreneurial spirit for good, promoting entrepreneurial initiative and focusing it on the goals of sustainable peace, prosperity, and happiness for all, in our lifetime. flowidealism.org With support from FLOW Founders Circle Members RSF Social Finance creates social benefit through innovative approaches to working with money that reflect the highest aspirations of the human spirit. RSF fosters relationships, collaboration, and community building as the basis for the movement of money and the cultivation of living economies. Yogi Tea offers a product line of more than 50 delicious, purposeful herbal healing teas, formulated according to Ayurvedic principles with organic and natural herbs and spices to support the health and well-being of the body, mind and spirit. Zaadz is a conscious social networking site and a company merging spirituality, capitalism and technology to change the world by inspiring and empowering people to live at their highest potential. Zaadz is home to the FLOW and Peace Through Commerce on-line communities. Photos by Nurjahan Chaklader of Grameen Bank, Bill Crandall, James McIntosh & Women for Women International Partners in Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Fall 2007Events The Crossings Rotary International San Francisco Chapter and Bay Area Region GIVE Foundation World of Good Educate Girls Globally Motto Magazine GlobalGiving Women s Edge Coalition AIESEC Sweet Riot Planned in consultation with the U.S. Department of State s Office of the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State for Women s Empowerment, and the Women s Empowerment Working Group. For more information, contact Jeff Klein FLOW, Executive Director & Chief Activation Officer Jeff@flowidealism.org Copyright 2007 F.L.O.W., Inc.