The Power of 100,000 Letters

[Gayle]

100,000 letters are powerful. I propose we pick an equality issue and all send an activist email once a month. We could start by joining Malala in advocating for girls’ education. Yemen and Pakistan have shocking illiteracy rates for girls. Let’s start with Pakistan because Yemen is war-torn, a failed state. In the process of writing a book about global girls’ activism, I’ve collected lots of information we can use and started a small Open Doors Literacy Program taught by university students in NW Pakistan. Our students told me government teachers too often don't come to class or villages only have schools for boys. Please join me in emailing Pakistan’s prime minister to ask that he increase government spending from less than 10% of the budget in order to get youth in good schools. The female literacy rate for youth in Pakistan is 61% compared to 79% for males.
http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/1-f...

Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
info@pmo.gov.pk

[Gayle]

Dear Prime Minister Sharif,
Recent development work emphasizes the importance of girls’ education to improve their earning potential, have the number of children they can afford to educate, and better health outcomes. Yet about 40% of your girls are illiterate. Pakistan is second-to-last place in worldwide rankings of gender equality, according the to Global Gender Gap Report 2012. Part of the problem is 42% of primary schools don’t have working toilets and over half don’t have working electricity.[i] Less than 10% of your budge is spent on education. Village girls I Skyped with didn’t go to school either because the government provided no girls’ schools or teachers didn’t show up or they hit the students. You might be interested in reading my interview with an illiterate village girl who lives near Peshawar, who describes her life as limited and unhappy. (http://globalyouthbook.wordpress.com/...) Only one-third of Pakistani young people are in primary school, therefore extremist Madrassas provide an affordable alternative for some boys. You may know popular singer, Shehzad Roy who rides on a motorcycle filming schools to show his TV viewers the deplorable condition of schools in his show Chal Parha, “Come, Teach.” Educating girls pays off in many ways, economically and morally. Please advise as to your efforts to educate both girls and boys.
Thanks, Gayle Kimball, Ph.D.

[i] Mosharraf Zaidi, “How Pakistan Fails Its Children,” New York Times, October 14, 2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/opi...

http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/1-f...

[Lynn]

Thanks for posting; here is an issue close to my heart: the higher incidence of poverty & other forms of discrimination against elderly women as opposed to elderly men; a couple of good websites:

https://www.wiserwomen.org/index.php?...

http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/poverty

Another issue affecting elderly women is loneliness; it can be even worse if you live in a rural area such as I do, where older women are expected to just be happy with the role of grandmother and churchlady.

[Gayle]

Robert, thanks for taking action!! I look forward to your ideas for the next month's letter campaign. We could keep on girls' education in another country or focus on child marriage in India.....

[Elena]

Yes this is amazing

[Gayle]

*Supplemental information and updates and place to comment: http://globalyouthbook.wordpress.com/
You might find these resources useful, gathered writing my global youth activism books.
*Photos of global youth and their homes: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?se...
*Interviews with global youth: www.youtube.com/user/TheGlobalyouth?f...
*Literacy project in Pakistan taught by college students: http://opendoorsliteracyproject.weebl...

[Simon]

Amazing idea!
This is a perfect idea to share your opinions with leaders and to spread them.
If you (or we) can start doing this more often, we can really accomplish something I think :)

Thanks for sharing your idea, it's awesome!
-Simon <3

[Gayle]

Let's write a letter a month. Easy to do and can make a difference.

[Simon]

Gayle wrote: "Let's write a letter a month. Easy to do and can make a difference."

Totally agree!

[Gayle]

Simon wrote: "Gayle wrote: "Let's write a letter a month. Easy to do and can make a difference."

Totally agree!"

Let's share copies of our letters here.

[Simon]

If I finish one, ill comment it here for sure.
Expect a copy next month ;)

[Myrthe]

Excellent idea, Gayle! Will there be a date on which we try to send as many e-mails as possible, or do we just randomly send some?

[Melle]

I absolutely love this idea. Grassroots feminism at its best!

[Cali]

I'm totally in! Not sure if I will have time this month but count me in for the next letter! I really love this idea! :)

[Gayle]

Myrthe wrote: "Excellent idea, Gayle! Will there be a date on which we try to send as many e-mails as possible, or do we just randomly send some?"

Everyone send as soon as they can. The letters can be simple and to the point.

[Gayle]

Calixta wrote: "I'm totally in! Not sure if I will have time this month but count me in for the next letter! I really love this idea! :)"

It could just take 10 minutes....

I'm thinking we should pick a developed country issue next month to make the point that sexism in an issue here as well. Ideas?

[Cali]

this I am French I'll say France because I know there is quite a lot of sexism and real differences between men and women but then I don't really know about what it is like in other countries... :)

[Simon]

I'm not sure if I can contact first ministers, but I can start with contacting the major of Antwerp (big city in Begium) because it's more likely that he will respond.

[Gayle]

Simon wrote: "I'm not sure if I can contact first ministers, but I can start with contacting the major of Antwerp (big city in Begium) because it's more likely that he will respond."

Let's all focus on Pakistan's prime minister this month. What would you like to change in Antwerp?

[Simon]

Yes, I will definitly send one to Pakistans prime minister: problems there are much worse than here so change is more urgent there.

In Antwerp a woman is still seen as a sex symbol: men whistling and touching them.
Common problems but I still think there too much in this world.

[Fiza]

thank you Gayle for sharing this. I only just saw this thread bow, but I will definitely educate myself further, and join you with others to bring about a change. The issue of girls education is something that I feel very strongly about.

[Gayle]

Fiza wrote: "thank you Gayle for sharing this. I only just saw this thread bow, but I will definitely educate myself further, and join you with others to bring about a change. The issue of girls education is so..."

Looking forward to seeing a copy of your letter!

[Gayle]

Simon wrote: "Yes, I will definitly send one to Pakistans prime minister: problems there are much worse than here so change is more urgent there.

In Antwerp a woman is still seen as a sex symbol: men whistling..."

maybe we can think of a symbol or phrase like "Whistle if you're a feminist" and put it on T-shirts and backpacks...

[Simon]

We can try to create a design and then send it to people of te heforshe campaign. If they like it, they can maybe put it in their store.

[Myrthe]

Simon wrote: "We can try to create a design and then send it to people of te heforshe campaign. If they like it, they can maybe put it in their store."

Ooh yes, that would be great! Perhaps we should make a new thread about that?

[Gayle]

Simon wrote: "We can try to create a design and then send it to people of te heforshe campaign. If they like it, they can maybe put it in their store."

a logo with an equal sign? =
But what about the whistle?
Other ideas for a graphic? Simon, will you contact the HeforShe store?

[Simon]

Like Myrte says, maybe we should create a seperate thread about it? I can do that?

Equal sign sounds nice but if we want to send it to the heforshe store, we should probably do something with the heforshe logo.
Maybe like designing the logo so it looks like it whistling and then the slogan.

[Gayle]

Another idea is to make a stencil to post online that people can cut out and use to paint in the spaces with fabric paint.
Is anyone a graphic artist who can design the logo?

[Simon]

Gayle wrote: "Another idea is to make a stencil to post online that people can cut out and use to paint in the spaces with fabric paint.
Is anyone a graphic artist who can design the logo?"

There is a current thread for a logo but I'm not sure when this will end and the official logo is going to get selected so maybe we should wait?

[Gayle]

Is there someone you can ask?

[Simon]

To ask when the logo is going to selected?
Maybe to one of the mods, but I think they are busy with other stuff and I dont think Emma is going to wait much longer.

[Simon]

And I didn't even ask :DD
Thanks for the reaction, we'll just wait :)

[Gayle]

Let's look for an artist to make a stencil to put online that simply has the equal sign and "Whistle if U R A Feminist." Let's start with that and can build. Any refinements?

[Simon]

Gayle wrote: "Let's look for an artist to make a stencil to put online that simply has the equal sign and "Whistle if U R A Feminist." Let's start with that and can build. Any refinements?"

Seems like a fine plan to me :D

[Gayle]

I have the word out. My dance teacher has a graphic artist friend in London, he's going to contact her. It should be a quick job for an artist. Besides paint, bleach on a black shirt would work.

[Simon]

Maybe something with the color purple/pink?
As I get from the current book: purple stands for freedom and we can use pink because its also in the heforshe logo.

[Gayle]

or with a stencil people could pick their own colors

[Simon]

Yeah we could do that!
Should we propose heforshe to produce them or are we going to create a nonprofit shop our own with the whole book club?

[Gayle]

Simon wrote: "Yeah we could do that!
Should we propose heforshe to produce them or are we going to create a nonprofit shop our own with the whole book club?"

When we have the stencil, we can simply post it here at no cost. People can post photos of their shirts on Instagram.

PS. I'd like to see more letters to Pakistan about girls' education. If people want more background, I can send info from my book-in-progress about global girls' issues and activism. I invite anyone to critique chapters of interest.

[Myrthe]

Hi, just coming back to the main topic: is there any template for a letter? Many people might not have the time to write an e-mail themselves, but if we had a template to edit into our own words, I think it would be easier and hopefully, more people will send an e-mail then!

[Gayle]

Thanks. You can use some variation of the letter I sent, see above.

[Fiza]

Gayle wrote: "Fiza wrote: "thank you Gayle for sharing this. I only just saw this thread bow, but I will definitely educate myself further, and join you with others to bring about a change. The issue of girls ed..."

Did you post something similar on a different thread too? I remember posting my letter and the count earlier. I couldn't find that thread.

So here's my letter:

Dear Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif,

I am writing to you to respectfully ask that you consider increasing government spending on literacy, especially female literacy. I know you are aware that literacy is crucial for social and economic well-being, yet progress on this goal has been very limited.

The girls and women in our country are part of our future. From mothers, to sisters and daughters, they play strong roles in the community and family. If we were to educate them, it will not only improve their lives, but also satisfy the roles they fulfill and of the people in their lives. These girls and women will contribute by earning income, educating other family members, making informed decisions, and even for running their households. Indeed, empowering girls and women through quality education is the smartest investment for social justice and the economy. You will see the benefits of such an investment in Pakistan when the very same girls contribute towards the betterment of their communities and families. Together, the whole country will be on the road to progress.

The first step would be to start a budget and a fund in order to build schools for girls. It is important to encourage families to send their girls to schools, and those who are unable to afford should be admitted in for free, or for a minimum affordable fee. This leads to another important consideration of appointing responsible and passionate individuals to head the project. I am confident you will take appropriate and immediate steps to rectify the situation.

I hope you will take this matter seriously, and work diligently towards the progress of our country so that Pakistan is among the top 50 countries with the highest literacy rate.

[Gayle]

Whistle

If UR A

Feminist

=
Stencil Directions:
Copy this in Word Stencil Font, largest (72) for 1st and 3rd line. 36 for 2nd line. Print on cardboard or other strong paper. With a razor blade, cut out the black letters. Tape on shirt, backpack, etc. Paint with fabric paint or bleach black fabric. Post a photo of your work on OSS Instagram. Or I can email you the right size in a pdf. I don't know how to make it big on this site, do you? Looking forward to photos, gkimball at csuchico dot edu

[Gayle]

Fiza wrote: "Gayle wrote: "Fiza wrote: "thank you Gayle for sharing this. I only just saw this thread bow, but I will definitely educate myself further, and join you with others to bring about a change. The iss..."

That's a strong well-written letter!

[Gayle]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v...

Here's a link to the full size stencil

[Gayle]

What do you think of a monthly T-shirt slogan and stencil as well as a letter?
March 8 is International Women's Day. Their website offers a pledge
http://www.internationalwomensday.com...

Suggestions for a slogan and letter for March around 3-8? Perhaps,

"Pledge for equality on 3-8"

[Gayle]

Members can start sharing the pledge for equality organized by International Women's Day on their social media networks.

[Sandy Bergeson]

Lynn wrote: "Thanks for posting; here is an issue close to my heart: the higher incidence of poverty & other forms of discrimination against elderly women as opposed to elderly men; a couple of good websites:
..."

And even if an older woman lives in a more urban setting, we are invisible. I never thought that this would be the case with me. I am a quirky, outgoing, smart, chatty business woman who engages socially. But as I walk through the world, people don't even see that I am standing there. I am about to be 70.
There is a great scene in the Jane Fonda/Lilly Tomlin show "Frankie & Alice" (about 2 older women). They are standing in a grocery store trying to get someone to wait on them. Jane Fonda finally screams at them, "What??? Am I invisible?????" That scene validated what I had been trying to explain to people (while getting the subtle eye roll from younger women who think it's just a whiney older woman." You see, once a woman is not considered to be a sexual being, she loses her value except as grandmother or church lady.

[Gayle]

Re: letter to PM of Pakistan about girls' education, any responses? A member reported, "Five days later I get an email saying the PM didn't get my mail. Did you get a similar response?" I haven't gotten any response. Should we try again and ask for a response?

[Gayle]

Another worthwhile petition to sign is sponsored by Oxfam and points out that poverty is sexist.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/winnie-...

Reminder about the International Women's Day pledge for equality
http://www.internationalwomensday.com...