Call for Submissions: Bridging Borders

The Maman Shujaa have set a wonderful example in World Pulse’s global community: You have united across diverse backgrounds and experiences to advance solutions, and you have used the World Pulse platform to reach out to women all over the world. You have expressed solidarity with women in Nigeria facing the threat of Boko Haram and contributed to global forums on climate change. World Pulse’s next emagazine will celebrate the power of these cross-border connections. We invite you to contribute by responding to one or more of the three prompts below. World Pulse will choose some of these submissions to include in our October emagazine, an email communication that goes out to our list of over 20,000 subscribers around the world.

Please post each submission as a World Pulse journal entry and add the tag: “Solidarity”

Deadline to be considered for our emagazine: September 4

Prompt 1: Write an open letter to a woman in another country

The Internet enables direct connection between women all over the world. We invite you to use the power of your voice to connect with women in other nations to bring about the change you hope to see in the world.

Write a letter to a woman in another country and post it in your World Pulse journal. You could write a letter to a woman in a country with high fossil fuel emissions about the climate change impacts that affect your life. Or you could address a letter to a woman in another conflict-affected country offering your support and solidarity. What are the greatest needs you see for people to come together across borders? Your letter may offer encouragement or request specific actions that you believe will make a difference in your community.

Who you address your letter to will depend on the message you want to share. You can address your letter generically. For example: “Dear survivor of violence in Syria,” or “Dear Indian women” You can even address the letter to a real person who you know. If you do, use their first name only or a pseudonym unless you have that person’s permission.

Why an open letter? A letter is an intimate and personal form of writing that can connect people on a human level. An open letter can have the same effect even though your letter will be visible to people all over the world. You may be surprised by how many different people connect with your message!

Prompt 2: Write an open letter to another woman in the DRC

Solidarity across national borders isn’t the only way to create change. Building regional networks of solidarity and support is important too! Contribute to a growing movement of women uniting across the Congo on World Pulse. Write a letter of solidarity to a woman in another part of the Congo. You can write about things that you have in common. Or, you can write about the things that separate you, and how you envision bridging the differences between you.

Take it a step further… Once you have published your letter in your public World Pulse journal, you can copy and paste this letter as a private message and send this directly to a woman in World Pulse network who lives in a different part of the Congo. Help build a network of solidarity across the DRC… one connection at a time!

Prompt 3: Share what you are doing to bridge borders

Borders can be geographical. Borders can also be invisible lines that separate those from different economic class, background, religion, or ethnicity. Borders can also be the taboos we grow up learning never to cross. Show the world how you are helping to bridge the borders that divides us!

a) Write a post in your World Pulse journal about what you or someone in your community is doing to bridge borders

or

b) Post a photo that shows activities that help bridge borders.

What’s next? Keep the conversation going!

Did a letter someone else wrote connect with you? Leave a comment on their journal post or send them a private message to let them know!