WAKE: Women's Alliance for Knowledge Exchange

A beautiful start to the new year has us looking to the future again with hope and optimism! - https://mailchi.mp//support-brave-bold-activists-in-4796889

Welcome to the newest member of the WAKE team, Zaineb Saied! Zaineb is joining us as our new Program Manager, helping WAKE as we prepare and implement Tech2Empower USA. We feel so lucky to have Zaineb on the team and she even has a very special Tech2Empower connection- her mom participated in Tech2Empower USA 2019 with her nonprofit Muslim Women's Organization! Zaineb graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Nonprofit Management. She has always been drawn to organizations with a dedication to creating diverse and inclusive, collaborative spaces that do good in the community. She is so excited to be joining the WAKE team where she can continue to fight for a more equitable future. And we are so excited to welcome her aboard

Being a @wakeintl #Tech2Empower volunteer Advisor is an incredible opportunity to share your skills to benefit social justice and women's rights leaders across the country tackling critical issues like: *Reproductive rights and justice* *LGBTQ+ rights* *Voter rights and political participation*... *Criminal justice reform* *Combating gender-based violence* *Immigrant rights, advocacy, and services* *Racial justice, especially issues affecting women and girls of color* *Climate justice* Sign up now to join #Tech2Empower USA as an Advisor! Create a team of friends/ colleagues to join you and together let's get to work on creating a more equitable future through the power of technology! Visit http://bit.ly/t2e21advisor to register today! #tech2empower #socialjustice #womensrights #tech4good #volunteer #activism #makeadifference #techforgood

Wishing a bittersweet goodbye, along with lots of love and luck for the future to our WAKE teammate, @stinalacey Christina joined the WAKE team in 2019, helping to prepare and implement Tech2Empower USA that year. After that her organizational skills and passion for social justice causes and a more equitable future (not to mention her Spanish fluency) helped us to design and deliver some incredibly impactful Tech2Empower programs abroad in Rwanda and Guatemala, in US cities like New Orleans and Washington, DC and even online. We are so excited to see all the future holds for you, Christina and feel lucky to have had you on our team these past couple years. Thank you for everything you have done for WAKE and for your continued advocacy for gender justice and equity around the globe

We are once again asking you... to take action for social justice and women's rights by joining us this spring as a volunteer Advisor for Tech2Empower USA: Virtual Impact Challenge for Social Justice! Grab your squad and sign up at http://bit.ly/t2e21advisor #tech2empower #volunteer #nonprofit #socialjustice

Happy #NationalVoterRegistrationDay! Election Day is quickly approaching and the issues our community cares about most are on the ballot this year. Reproductive justice is on the ballot. Voting rights is on the ballot. Racial equality is on the ballot. Healthcare access, climate action, lgbtq+ rights and immigration protections are on the ballot. The future of our democracy is on the ballot. Here's what you can do TODAY, to make sure we speak up for these vital issues and mor...e: **Go to vote.org right now and make sure you are registered to vote! Changed your name? Moved homes? It's important to be sure your information is up to date! **Not registered? Register to vote right now! It only takes a minute. **Spread the word! Reach out to your friends and family to be sure they're registered as well. **Sign up as a volunteer and get others registered too! Groups like whenweallvote.org can help you get started Change can only happen when we demand it in the streets AND at the ballot box. So use your voice and together let's fight for the things we care about! #whenwevote #tech2empower #empowervoters #womenvoters #whenwomenvote #useyourvoice #election2020 #registertovote #feminism #civilrights #racialjustice #womenlead #womensrights

We mourn the loss of a true leader and champion for women’s rights and gender equality. Rest in power Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception. -#RBG . .... #rip #ruthbaderginsburg #feminist #icon #womensrights #equalityforall See more

"As a first generation immigrant and a mother of 2 young daughters, I've mainly focused on my own work and family for the past few years. This trip gave a new perspective to reflect on my life, and give back by sharing my experience and helping others." -Christine Zhou, Senior Software Engineer, Google, Tech2Empower Guatemala Advisor

Last fall, the WAKE team and a new delegation of 19 tech Advisors returned to Anitgua and Lake Atitlán for our second Tech2Empower Guatemala program. This time, Advisors worked directly with 29 social impact leaders from 5 women-led social enterprises, collaborating on impact projects identified as in critical need of support by the organization leaders. Projects focused on needs like digital marketing strategies, website development, pitching funders, and financial planning,... which will all help these enterprises grow and benefit their communities. We were so inspired by the organizations that joined us for the Impact Challenge and hope you will check out and support the work they are doing for women and communities in Guatemala: Asociación CDRO, Cojolya Association of Maya Women Weaversa, BIT Planeta Verde, @colectivolemow, Mosan - Saneamiento Sostenible. We were also thrilled to partner again with our friends at Maia - Impacto infinito and their incredible Girl Pioneers for the Tech2Empower Day for Girls. MAIA Impact is a school for indigenous young women which takes a holistic approach to education with a community-focused curriculum that engages the entire family, integrates mentorship, and provides ongoing peer support, in order to establish an environment where students are able to succeed. Advisors led these young leaders in sessions on topics like safely navigating social media, critical thinking on the internet, website building with Google Sites, leadership skills, and exploring careers in technology.

"It has been said that when women support each other, incredible things happen. Never has this statement been more true than to describe my experience with Tech2Empower. The initiative is immersive and transformative in such a way that I witnessed personal and professional networks growing all the while souls were enlightened. I am forever changed from my Tech2Empower experience. " -Kara Harrison, Founder SHEbd, Tech2Empower Advisor

Happy Women’s Equality Day! This year we are commemorating 100 YEARS since the certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote BUT, let’s be clear, in actuality, not all women in the US were able to access that right and the suffrage movement actively neglected the civil rights of women of color. It would be decades before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally turned the promises of the earlier amendments into a real guarantee of a right to vote. And EVEN NOW many still face heightened challenges to access their Constitutional right to vote. #womensequalityday #womensrights #100years #19thamendment #righttovote #votingrights

When women run for office, women win. And our Tech2Empower DC Impact Fellowship nonprofit partner, Running Start, is putting in the work to build a new generation of women leaders who will run and win. A team of 9 Tech2Empower Advisors from 6 top companies traveled to our nation’s capital to engage with and mentor groups of dynamic young women aspiring to become the future leaders of our democracy and provided hands-on support to Running Start as they seek to scale their Elect Her initiative to benefit a greater number of young women across the country. While in the US Capitol they learned more about women’s political history and future, engaged with leaders from peer nonprofits also working to support women in politics, and even contributed as facilitators during one of Running Start’s Elect Her training events for college-aged women.

"This experience gave me a new perspective of how life after Katrina is in NOLA. It really made me feel empowered seeing how many strong black leaders there are in this community trying their hardest to make a difference. It empowered me to go back and figure out how I can make a difference." -Leslie Alvarez, Tech2Empower Louisiana 2019 Advisor WAKE Advisors contribute their professional skills and resources to every Tech2Empower program. But they also take a lot back with them too. Through collaboration, Advisors build a deeper understanding and appreciation for the experiences of women in a different community, while establishing meaningful connections and building alliances.

Tech2Empower returned to New Orleans in 2019 for our 2nd NOLA based Impact Fellowship, this time in support of Citizen SHE United, an incredible nonprofit organization building an aligned base of Black women who inform, advocate for and enact a collective policy agenda to address the needs of Black women across the state. With a focus on Collective Action for Equity and Social Justice, Tech2Empower Advisors collaborated with Citizen SHE and its community by working with lead...ers from local nonprofits focused on social justice issues, and schools and programs serving disadvantaged or underrepresented youth. Advisors and community leaders engaged in focused discussions on impact work in New Orleans and how to effectively leverage technology to create, share and amplify stories to increase equity, social justice, and collective power. We are so thankful to Nia Weeks of CitizenSHE for hosting Tech2Empower for this 3-day program, and introducing us to an impactful community of leaders and changemakers fighting for a more equitable New Orleans. You can check out and support some of these organizations below: Citizen SHE United Women with a Vision, Inc. Brothers Empowered to Teach Initiative No Dream Deferred NOLAVATE Black Rise My Child One Book One New Orleans Liberty's Kitchen New Orleans College Track Café Reconcile Rooted School

What kind of support do women who are leading change need in order to amplify their work? How can technology, women's leadership, and knowledge exchange converge to advance women’s rights and opportunities? Questions like these inspired WAKE to design the Tech2Empower Impact Challenge. Over the course of 2-days at the Impact Hub Kigali, Tech2Empower Advisors and women from 5 Rwandan women-led Social Enterprises, teamed up on in-depth project work as part of the Tech2Empower R...wanda Impact Challenge. For Starlight Africa, that project focused on story building and coaching to refine their pitch of making STEM training accessible in rural areas and rolling out women-centric business models through the creation and sale of solar lanterns, getting them prepared for their next round of investor meetings. Ariane Umuringa, the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Starlight had this to say following their collaboration on the Impact Challenge: Our experience with Tech2Empower was amazing. We got a very good team of advisors. What we loved most is that we made our own rules that guided the whole workshops and we focused on what we needed most. We were able to achieve our goals and everyone in the team contributed to that. We loved the collaboration we had with Advisors and the friendship we created."

"I gained a lot of motivation for what I have accomplished before today. External motivations are there, in YouTube and social media, but the motivation that is within your action, of what you have committed and what you have done before, those are the real motivation that keeps me going. They helped me discover what I really want and to realize that I didn't choose wrong my career path in technology." -Liliane Umwizawase, IT Student, Akilah Institute Young women are POWERFUL. If we give them the tools and the space to dream big, they will accomplish remarkable things

The young women and girls around the world we have had the privilege to get to know through #Tech2Empower inspire us with their drive, their energy and their ability to foster change. In honor of #YouthDay, we want to celebrate all the young leaders around the world who are striving daily to build a better future To all the girls and young women who have joined us over the years for our #Tech2Empower Day for Girls- We are so excited to see the world you will create! ... Akilah Institute Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village FAWE Rwanda Maia Impact Starfish One By One Chicuchas Wasi School for Girls GAL School The Harpswell Foundation

The impact Tech2Empower Rwanda had on us is incalculable and we were incredibly excited to return this fall to reconnect with the community we built in Kigali. Though COVID-19 has postponed our next visit, we always love to look back and reflect upon the work we did together in May 2019. Our team of 15 Advisors got to collaborate with 21 incredible social enterprise leaders from 5 impactful organizations: KosmoHealth, Resonate, Starlight Africa, The Playground Hub, and AKW...OS - Organization of Women in Sports. These powerful teams of women are doing remarkable work in their community and we feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to get to know all of them. We also hosted our Tech2Empower Tech + Career Day for Girls with the 190 impressive students from our local partner Akilah Institute, FAWE Rwanda and Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. We cannot say enough about this incredible week of collaboration and look forward to returning in 2021! #tech2empower #rwanda #socialimpact #girlseducation #kigali #socialentrepreneurs #techforgood #women4good #womenintech #volunteer See more