VOF Week 4: (Vision Questing)

My Life Vision

My over-arching vision for my life, my community and the world, is to work toward the empowerment of women and oppressed communities. I yearn for the day where women are brought to the proverbial decision-making table to develop policies and shape communities that recognize the roles and equal contributions of men, women and children, in society. A day where women and vulnerable individuals can walk this earth free of violence, harassment and discrimination, and can exercise the agency to decide who they share themselves with—intimately, emotionally, physically—and to control their own destinies.

As my over-arching vision is lofty and far-reaching, I recognize that more tangible interim goals are necessary. In that regard, I aim to empower women and break down entrenched patriarchy through various means. First, I hope to facilitate cross-cultural interchange to increase the awareness of socially, economically, and politically privileged persons, regarding the reality that we do not all walk the same path on this earth. To the contrary, every day people struggle to survive, to avoid armed conflict, to locate clean water, to obtain viable employment, to realize their true gender identity, to avert infection of HIV and other rampant diseases, etc. And an individual’s destiny is determined, to some extent, by where he or she is born and to what body he or she is born in to.

Second, I aim to break down confined notions of gender. All too often women and girls are denied opportunities based on inaccurate assumptions that one’s sex comports with immutable physical and psychological characteristics, as well as boxed in by limiting gender “norms.” Along similar lines, those who experience sexuality and gender identity as divergent from the majority are persecuted worldwide. But sex and gender are artificial notions that deny the depth and variance of the human existence. As such, the more work that is done to break down these artificial categorizations, the more we can liberate every individual to reach their full potential.

Finally, I want to unleash confidence within every young person to take charge of their lives. To recognize the limiting life forces at play, but then to subsequently stand against those structural constraints. As youth hold the key to a different, more just future, it is essential that we arm them with the tools to realize change in their own lives and within society at-large.

Acting as a World Pulse Correspondent – A Means to Realize my Life Vision

Should I be selected to be a World Pulse Correspondent, I would be provided but one means to work toward my life vision. I imagine my role as including reporting on and exposing the realities of women and oppressed communities, as well as giving voice to these people, as a means to empower them. Through this process I could elucidate the complexities of human existence to a wider audience and prevent people from essentializing the “other,” the unknown. I also believe that through my writing, I could erode traditional notions of gender through highlighting divergent lived experiences and provide a source of accessible role models to encourage youth.

On a personal level, I believe that acting as a World Pulse Correspondent would enable me to develop my voice in more professional and effective manner, obtain access to logistical support, and locate others who are similarly motivated to tackle gender inequality head on. Additionally, World Pulse provides a unique portal to a readership that would not otherwise be within my reach as an individual.

Why I Want to be a World Pulse Correspondent

I want to be a World Pulse Correspondent for a few simple reasons:

• To develop my Web 2.0 skills
• To be inspired by similarly motivated individuals
• To engage in cross-cultural communication
• To satisfy my thirst to connect with others from different walks of life
• To be a part of a colorful community that is united by similar values

These are my hopes. These are my dreams.