I am celebrating National Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day today by attending the #StateMeetup for the International Women of Courage (#IWOC) Award Ceremony which will be hosted by Deputy Secretary Higginbottom and First Lady Michelle Obama. Ten amazing women from around the globe will be honored for their exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk.
Dr. Nasrin Oryakhil, Director, Malalai Maternity Hospital Kabul
(Afghanistan)
Ms. Roshika Deo, Feminist and Political Activist, Be the Change Campaign (Fiji)
Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze, Bishop, Evangelical Baptist
Church of Georgia (Georgia)
Dr. Iris Yassmin Barrios Aguilar, Tribunal President, High Risk Court, (Guatemala)
Laxmi, Campaigner, Stop Acid Attacks (India)
Ms. Fatimata Touré, Etude, de Formation Femme-Action (Mali)
Dr. Maha Al Muneef, Founder and Executive Director, National Family Safety Program (Saudi Arabia) *To be awarded in absentia
Ms. Oinikhol Bobonazarova, Director, NGO Perspektiva Plus (Tajikistan)
Ms. Ruslana Lyzhychko, activist and pop artist, (Ukraine)
Ms. Beatrice Mtetwa, human rights lawyer (Zimbabwe)
After the Ceremony, I will attend a private policy briefing with a State Department official about U.S. engagement on international women’s issues.
Photo Credit: Twitter.com
I’ll be live tweeting about the event and sharing photos, podcasts, and videos from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Google+,Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine, and VoiceBo (podcast). I’ll post a blog recap of my adventures and lessons learned later this week.
Click here to watch the State Department’s live coverage of the #IWOC Award Ceremony at 11:30 AM EST. Follow @StateDept on Twitter and use the hashtags #IWOC to participate in the conversation.
Happy Yoga Monday! Happy March! Happy National Women’s History Month!
The power of Shakti, the feminine creative life force that keeps me going (known as chi or prana), continues to inspire my yoga practice and studies. While chanting the Shakti mantra MA (means mother) during my morning yoga practice, I felt a deep sense of gratitude for my female yoga teachers. So I decided to dedicate my yoga practice and Yoga Monday blog series to honoring my “yogini sheroes.” Click on the link to hear today’s podcast about my first yoga teacher, Gloria – http://voicebo.com/iTpreo.
Today is the last day of February. Where did the month go? The days moved by so fast. They were filled with aha moments, blessings I had not expected, conversations that made me dig deeper, days spent on the grind, evenings spent hanging out with friends, focused energy sessions during meditation and yoga, and gratitude reflections.
Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley (www.leighmosley,com); @digitalsisterhd Shootie Girl t-shirt by LaShaun Martin (www.shootiegirl.com)
This morning, I had a gratitude reflection about my Fierce Living practice. It inspired me to create #FierceLiving Friday, a weekly blog series that shares my thoughts on Fierce Living. For me, Fierce Living means being too bold for boundaries which starts from inside of the inside…. my spirit and heart. Click here to listen to today’s #FierceLiving Friday podcast.
Contact Information: If you are interested in one or more of the packages, please send me an email at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com to schedule a free 20-minute consultation call (available via telephone, Skype, and Google Hangout).
Today, my Digital Sister Janet Johnson sent me a Facebook email about the U.S. Department of State’s application for social media leaders to attend the International Women of Courage #StateMeetup on March 4 in Washington, DC. I met Janet while attending the White House State of the Union Social in January (see photo above where Janet is wearing a red sweater). Through several conversations, we discovered we share a passion for digital citizenship. I am deeply grateful to her for sharing the #StateMeetup information. Her act of sharing represents #DigitalSisterhood and the power of promoting Digital Citizenship (#digcitizen)!!!!
#StateMeetup Application
About #StateMeetups
#StateMeetups were created to expand the Department of State’s engagement efforts by inviting social media leaders to attend in-person meetings and engage with the Department through Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, and other social media channels.
About the International Women of Courage (IWOC) #StateMeetup
The IWOC Awards was created in 2007 to honor women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights and women’s equality. While in the United States, awardees participate in the International Visitors Leadership exchange program where they get to meet with their U.S. counterparts and leaders.
Social media leaders will attend the IWOC Award Ceremony, hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry with special guest First Lady Michelle Obama, at the Department of State on March. They will also participate in a policy briefing with a Department official about international women’s issues. I encourage you to apply to participate in the #StateMeetup. Visit www.state.gov/social for more information. The deadline is February 26 (today) at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Photo Credit: UN.org
My #IWOC #StateMeetup Application
My passion for women’s rights is the reason I applied for the #IWOC #StateMeetup. Click here to listen to my podcast about my application. My passion was ignited during my participation in the United Nations (UN) Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in 1995. Listening to former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” speech at the UN Conference on Women greatly influenced my passion. I have included an excerpt from my book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online, below that describes the impact of my participation and Clinton’s speech.
Excerpt from Chapter Four: A Game Changer: Beijing Women’s Conference
One of the benefits of following my heart and living my life passionately in Beijing was meeting women from all over the world. During the NGO Forum’s opening ceremony, I sat with a group of women from Brazil, India, Kenya, Korea, the Netherlands, Russia, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. As the ceremony ended, we stood together and sang Pat Humphies song, “Keep on Moving Forward.” Five lines from that song became my mantra and helped me fully embrace my conference experience as a series of life-changing adventures.
“Gonna keep on walking forward Keep on walking forward Keep on walking forward Never turning back Never turning back”
One of those life-changing adventures happened when I heard former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton give her famous “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” speech which included the following remarks:
“Those of us who have the opportunity to be here have the responsibility to speak for those who could not.
We need to understand that there is no formula for how women should lead their lives. That’s why we must respect the choices that each woman makes for herself and her family. If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, it is that human rights – and women’s rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely – and the right to be heard.”
Clinton’s words echoed what was in my heart, gave me a clearer understanding of why I was in Beijing, and helped shape my digital path. They came to life when I visited a conference art exhibit organized by the Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA), a national member organization of multidisciplinary and multicultural artists, art historians, students, educators, and museum professionals. While I was there, I struck up a conversation with several WCA artists who were overseeing the exhibit. We talked about WCA’s role as a NGO and founding member of the Feminist Art Project, the conference, their careers, and my life as a budding artist. Before we parted, they gave me their business cards and encouraged me to visit the WCA web site and join the D.C. Chapter.
Walking with Sharon into the NGO Forum’s Internet Café was another life changing adventure. It marked the first time I saw a diverse group of women sitting at computers. My face lit up with a smile as I realized how powerful women could be with Internet access. They were free to speak their minds, discuss their concerns, share information, build community, create web sites and coalitions to address their concerns, and launch advocacy campaigns that defied geographical boundaries. They were demonstrating what Clinton said in her speech: “Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely – and the right to be heard.”
Today marks the launch of the Digital Citizenship (#DigCitizen) Project’s profile series featuring social media leaders who participated in the White House Social (#WHSocial) for the State of the Union (#SOTUSocial) and French Arrival Ceremony.
Meet Jason Knoll
1) Tell us who you are.
My name is Jason Knoll. I am a High School History and Government Teacher from Madison, Wisconsin. To learn more about me, visit my blog, http://jasonlknoll.com and follow me as @jasonlknoll on Twitter.
2) Why did you apply to participate in the #SOTUSocial?
I applied to the #SOTUSocial to show my students that social media can be used an effective tool to engage with our elected officials and representatives.
3) Share one to five key moments you experienced while participating in the #SOTUSocial.
I thought it was really cool to be able to connect with people beforehand using #SOTUSocial and then meet them and talk with them during the event.
I had a 15-30 minute conversation with my congressman in the airport as we waited to board our plane to come back home.
As a result of me live-tweeting, some of my students also live-tweeted, which led them to have interesting discussions with their classmates.
4) What social media tools did you use to support your participation in the #SOTUSocial?
Twitter
5) After the #SOTUSocial, did you write or participate in any follow-up interviews for a blog, magazine, newspaper, radio station, or television station?
6) Did you learn any lessons while participating in the #SOTUSocial?
Social media is here to stay, so it is best to embrace it and learn how to use it.
Take a look at Twitter to see some really cool work being done in the field of digital diplomacy.
7) What does digital citizenship mean to you?
Digital citizenship means using social media to engage with others about serious topics (i.e. policy), whether it is with a friend or an elected official. It also entails sharing information with others so that they can be involved in the public sphere.
8) How are you planning to stay engaged as a digital citizen?
I’m comfortable right now using primarily Twitter and my blog to stay engaged, and that I do not currently plan on using any other major social media platforms.
9) Share several ways Americans can use their digital presence and online network to engage civically on a local, state, and/or national level.
Tweet to elected officials about an issue.
Participate in Twitter chats with government agencies.
Photo Credit: Twitter.com
PS: The first #digcitizen Twitter chat will be held on Tuesday, February 25 at 9:30 p.m. EST (one hour). The topic is “Lessons Learned from #SOTUSocial and #WHSocial.” Follow me on @anandaleeke and use the #digcitizen hashtag.
My Yoga Collage #1inspired by my study of Shakti energy and Kundalini yoga practice
Happy Yoga Monday!
Have you ever had a yoga study buddy to create more accountability and support in your yoga practice?
This month I realized I needed to create a yoga study buddy partnership to help ground my current study of the power of Shakti energy and Kundalini yoga in my home yoga practice. So I reached out to Benjamin, one of my best friends and fellow Kundalini yoga practitioners, via Skype to discuss my idea. Our conversation revealed that we are both on a journey to understand Shakti, chakras, Kundalini yoga, and living from our hearts. Since he lives in London and I live in D.C., we decided to use email for quick check-ins and information sharing (videos, web links, articles, music etc.). We also chose to schedule one or two Skype calls per month to discuss what we have been learning and noticing in our yoga practice and life.
My Yoga Collage #2 inspired by my study of Shakti energy and Kundalini yoga
As a result of my yoga study buddy partnership with Benjamin, I have been creating collages that illustrate how I feel about the power of Shakti in my yoga practice and life.
Photo Credit: Maya Fiennes
I’ve started watching YouTube videos that Benjamin sent me via email that feature Maya Fiennes, an international Kundalini yoga teacher. This week, I am using Fiennes’ root chakra and sacral chakra videos to enhance my morning practice.
Ananda with her yoga and chakra inspired art
Having Benjamin as my yoga study buddy has created more accountability in developing inspiring content for my weekly Yoga Monday blog and podcast. Click here to listen to today’s podcast which includes three yoga wisdom quotes, my poem about yoga and writing, and reflections on the power of Shakti in my yoga practice and life. OM Enjoy OM!
PS: Yoga and Reiki healing touch sessions are great ways to energize your spirit, heart, mind, and body for the Spring season. If you are in the DC area and are seeking to develop or strengthen a kind and gentle yoga practice for your daily life, reach out to me at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com. I have several slots opening up for my Spring yoga one-on-one sessions. I also have several slots opening for my Reiki healing touch sessions. Click here to learn more about my yoga and Reiki services.
Mark your calendar for the Digital Citizenship Project’s first radio program on February 23 from 8:00 p.m. EST to 9:00 p.m. EST on The Ananda Leeke Show. The topic is “How College & Graduate Students Express Digital Citizenship.” Click here to listen to the show.
This morning I woke up and decided to honor Creativity Thursday with a Creative Breakfast that included oatmeal with cranberries and agave in a cup decorated with Egyptian women and art (purchased during my 1995 trip to Egypt), a banana, a glass of decaf green tea, the Inspiration issue of Poets & Writers (January/February) magazine, and three quotes about creativity by African American artists, musicians, and poets that were published in my book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetical Memoir of Self-Discovery. Click here to listen to my podcast about my Creative Breakfast.
I chose to start my day this way because I needed to open my creative heart with some intentional moments of creativity. Why? I’ve been moving at a pretty fast pace over the past ten days with little time left to nurture my creative heart.
After I finished eating breakfast and reading three articles in the magazine, I took a few more moments to look through some of my fashion magazines for images I need for a collage I am planning to make to celebrate the spring season. When I finished collecting images, I realized my Creative Breakfast turned into a mini artist date at home. How cool is that?
Have you ever had a Creative Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snack?
What did you eat and do to make it creative?
PS: Check out two of my most recent Vine videos that celebrate creative journey.
Video 1 – My creative word mantras I use to write my books
Video 2 – The book that opened my creative heart — Danielle LaPorte’s The Desire Map
Opening Your Creative Heart Coaching Special Discount:
From February 1 to March 31, I am offering a special discount package on my creativity coaching services. See details below.
My Creativity Coaching Practice: Click here to read more about my approach and background as a creativity coach.
Discount Period: The creativity coaching packages must be purchased via PayPal by March 31, 2014. They must be used by July 31, 2014.
Contact Information: If you are interested in one or more of the packages, please send me an email at kiamshaleeke@yahoo.com to schedule a free 20-minute consultation call (available via telephone, Skype, and Google Hangout).
#SOTUSocial Group Tour of White HouseSocial media leaders at #SOTUSocial on 1/28/14
You develop a desire to SERVE even more.
My desire to SERVE has manifested as The Digital Citizenship Project, an online campaign that:
Utilizes a private Facebook group and monthly #digcitizen Twitter chats on the last Tuesday of each month to build community among the social media leaders who have participated in the White House Social events in ways that encourage and inspire them to continue to use their digital presence to support policies and programs that align with their passions and interests. The first #digcitizen chat will be held on Tuesday, February 25 at 9:30 p.m. EST (one hour). The topic is “Lessons Learned from #SOTUSocial and #WHSocial.” Follow me on @anandaleeke and use the #digcitizen hashtag.
Honors the great work of social media leaders by publishing profiles on my Internet Geek Tuesday blog series and conducting one-on-one and group interviews on The Ananda Leeke Show via Talkshoe.com. The first show will air on Sunday, February 23 at 8:00 p.m. EST. The theme is “How College and Graduate Students Embrace Their Digital Citizenship.” The guests will be announced later this week.
Shares information that encourages the general public to become active digital citizens through online engagement opportunities offered by the White House’s Office of Digital Strategy and Organizing for Action, and promotes President Obama’s policies, programs, and WhiteHouse.gov.
Launches and celebrates Digital Citizenship Month in July to encourage more Americans to embrace their digital citizenship (more details will be provided in March and April).
Ananda Leeke 