Exploring Possibilities

I am an activist, I have come to accept this fact. I am inspired by the thought that somewhere, somehow, truth and justice will triumph. I believe in the underdog and I have already been won over by a cause. What is my cause? Speaking to the hearts and imaginations of young women, challenging them to find their voice and having found that voice to be deliberate and strategic about how it is used, because invariably the quality of our human experience is judged by our ability to empathise, to connect, to make meaning out of our life experiences. I see Web 2.0 as an ally, a potential platform from which I can begin a conversation with young women. I am excited because this is not limited to young women in Jamaica, Web 2.0 has given me the opportunity to connect across, cultures, geographical divides, social strata and to conquer unfair power dynamics. I am excited by the possibilities, Web 2.0 makes the idea of a global village a very real possibility.

Women's marginalized presence in the mainstream media has created the opportunity for women across the world, regardless of race, gender or economic status, to begin to think about themselves and their power in radically different ways. Women can and should speak for themselves, so Web 2.0 gives women the power to speak for themselves. It offers to those who are hesitant to engage mainstream media the privacy to speak their truth. The global women's movement benefits from the rich laboratory of information which now becomes accessible, it offers to the global women's movement the opportunity to build a global support base and to shed light on its progress, Social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, if strategically used present opportunities for women to become involved in critical global conversations.

To me Web 2.0 is about empowerment and transformation, it is about leadership and progress but more than anything else it is about helping women to find their voice and to become advocates for other women. I am excited by the idea that Web 2.0 is not focused on the typical requirements of traditional media, I am excited at the fact that its focus is on women at the 'grassroots' and I am even more excited at the prospect of the impact on women across the world.