Bloghers ACT
June 12, 2007
There’s a new initiative for women going on right now over at BlogHer called BlogHers Act.
BlogHers Act will take on two things –
1. Making a difference on a single global cause
2. Identifying the top four issues that women online want the U.S. Presidential candidates to address in order to win our votes in the ‘08 Election.
Imagine the opportunity that’s in all of our hands right now.
All of us know the positive, productive, monumental ACTION of bloggers, especially women bloggers, when rallying around a problem, an issue or an event. Since we started blogging a few years back, we’ve witnessed – and been so lucky to be a part of – countless moments, big and small, when bloggers worked together to make a difference.
There’s more details if you follow the link above. Basically, you blog your opinions, tag with “BlogHers Act,” and leave the link to your post as a comment to the post linked above. Or, if you’re not a blogger, you can simply comment your opinion on that post. Here’s a week one round-up. And the deadline’s this Friday, June 15th.
So if you want to participate, sit down right now and blog it, or add your comment today!
OK, as some one from outside the US, my ability to influence the first bit is small. However, the global issue for me is something easier. For me, one of the most important global issues is literacy. It has been shown that where women in particular can read and write, then infant/child mortality rates reduce, education levels rise, and the earning power of people increases.
I also heard a saddening statistic a few years ago, which I hope isn’t true. Only 2% of Americans read 5 or more books *a year*.
Can we not promote reading within our own communities, and also arrange for reading and literacy to be promoted in communities less well off than our own?
June 12, 2007 at 6:59 pm
I’m all with you on that literacy goal! That 2% is a scary number, and sad to say, there were probably some years there when I was a teenager that I was amongst the 98%. Have you checked out what Oprah has done with literacy, escpecially in the case of women and children in poverty around the world? We can do it if we just put our minds to it.
June 12, 2007 at 7:19 pm
I like your idea of the literacy goal as well and think it’s an intriguing and probably effective way of empowering women. Are you at all familiar with the org Women for Women ? I think they have a good model for helping to achieve this through community outreach, and also through convincing men that it is to their advantage to have literate wives and daughters.
June 12, 2007 at 7:22 pm
@David – I am aware of what Oprah is up to at sort of a distant level, but think that it can be done at a much lower level of community too. One group I belong to has set itself a target of collecting £1200 this year to set up a library in India, and help fund someone to go in and work there. It’s this sort of thing – teaching people to read, and letting them have access to the materials afterwards that works
June 12, 2007 at 7:25 pm
@Lizzie – no I wasnt aware of them, no. If you havent already, I may post their details across to blogher, as a possible resource to use – thanks!
June 13, 2007 at 6:16 pm
I would believe the 2% statistic as only 42% of college graduates in the U.S. ever read a single book after graduation
I don’t know if my DH finishes 5 books a year as he works crazy hours but he does read books on a regular basis and also every issue of “The Economist” and “Foreign Affairs” cover-to-cover.
December 13, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Thanks!,