The power of Web 2.0

Web 2.0 has the power to create a local and global social change for women. It provides a platform for everyday women – someone like me to build a collaborative online network that supports our own empowerment movement. Web 2.0 brings women a hope for change. Without hope, there is no solution.

No matter where we live in our world today, we can be connected through the Internet. With Web 2.0, girls and women who have access to the Internet can share their own stories, bring together online supporters of their grassroots work, exchange ideas for how to solve problems and keep things REAL. The good news is that we can do this from where we live! – a sustainable solution to creating the global women’s empowerment movement.

Web 2.0 also offers a sanctuary or oasis when facing challenges. It gives us inspiration. Sometimes, we just need to know that we are not alone or we need courage to continue our work, especially women like me who work independently and often don’t see supporters in our immediate environment.

Web 2.0 has the power to change my world. I manage a project called “If She Can Do It, You Can Too: Empowering Women Through Outdoor Role Models.” This project is dedicated to promoting women’s involvement in education, science, environmental conservation and adventures in nature. It is my hope that all people will be inspired to overcome any challenges in order to reach their dreams by sharing photography and stories of diverse women around the world. When I learned about Web 2.0, I was the most excited about the possibility to enter the world of citizen journalism. Currently, I share my project through other social media such as my own website (www.mihoaida.com), blog, YouTube and Facebook. Through Facebook, I know that I have 235 fans following my project. But I want more than that. With web 2.0, I would like to create a global network of women who can utilize my project for their own community empowerment. I want to know how my project impacts women’s lives and inspires them.

It is empowering to think about what Web 2.0 will bring me. It will provide me an opportunity to train myself as a citizen journalist, creating a new audience and engaging them more effectively. It will enable me to reach my project mission through sharing my project with more women around the globe. I am ready to dive into this new challenge: the world of citizen journalism, using English as my second language. By doing so, it is empowering not just for myself but also for my students who are English language learners. For them to see me being successful in writing and publishing in English, I want them to think, “If She Can Do It, I Can Too.”