Women around the world share their stories about using social media for social good.

1. WorldShapers
women using the web
to shape, influence &
change their worlds

2. Who are WorldShapers?
Women are helping to shape the world in many
unique and creative ways.
And WorldShapers aren't just keeping it local, they
are embracing the power of technology and social
media to make a bigger difference, and shape their
world.
Dream big, and start taking those small steps that
will get you there. Worldshapers are women just
like you and me.

3. “Women have a unique ‘lens’ with which to view
children’s socio-emotional health, understanding
how pop culture is defining kids before they even
have a chance to define themselves”…
Amy Jussel
Founder/Executive Director of Shaping Youth USA

4. What started as playground duty turned into a media
movement and the birth of Shaping Youth. For 3 years I
volunteered weekly at lunchtime, witnessing a living lab of a
media/marketing saturated culture, impacting what kids eat,
how they act, what they wear.
Was it me, or was there zero accountability in how these
messages are landing on kids? Overt sexualization,
consumerism, body image and behavioral cues became
‘cultural currency’ to elevate social status, right along with
media devices themselves. The APA study validated my initial
findings of the damage wreaking havoc on kids’ psyches, and
I knew women would ‘get this’ immediately. So I started
documenting the experience to lead change in this arena using
film footage, my blog, hands-on counter-marketing games
with kids and social media as a distribution channel. (cont…)

5. Women have a unique ‘lens’ with which to view children’s
socio-emotional health, understanding how pop culture is
defining kids before they even have a chance to define
themselves. And so the Shaping Youth community grew like
the cornstalks in the ‘Field of Dreams’ movie, “If you build it,
they will come,” as women expanded the conversation via
Twitter, text, mobile/social using inclusiveness to roll forward
with unstoppable momentum, much like the viral video
‘The Girl Effect.’
Women add fresh voices, new perspectives, solutions and ideas
that bring along humanity, not just any one gender. I can’t wait
to take it to the next level and begin a massive mind shift
toward a brighter worldview for us all…Wanna help?
Amy Jussel
Founder/Executive Director of Shaping Youth USA

7. “Online communities aren't just about finding
people from high school. The new wave of
online communities are focused on social issues,
cause areas, and making social change.”
Amy Sample Ward
Director of community and content at Netsquared
and nonprofit consultant @amyrsward UK & US

8. I am a nonprofit technology consultant and the Global
Community Builder for NetSquared . I'm dedicated to
supporting and educating the progressive social change
sector about evolving technologies that cultivate and engage
communities.
The value of community is multiplied exponentially when
moved online. With social technologies, we have the
potential for communities to form anywhere online.
Comments on a blog can turn into a discussion, then a
topic of a new blog or wiki with many authors. A Video on
YouTube can inspire video, audio, and text responses from
millions of others. Online we are no longer bound by time
and distance in the same way we are in offline communities
(cont..)

9. Online communities aren't just about finding people from
high school. The new wave of online communities are
focused on social issues, cause areas, and making social
change. There are applications, platforms, even specific social
networks dedicated to providing ways to find others that care
about similar issues, promoting opportunities to take action
to friends, and sharing in the creation of calls to action with
organizations.
The effect of this networked approach to social activism
means that we can crowd source solutions to real social
problems. Anyone can post proposed solutions online and
find collaborators, get feedback, and even find funding to put
the idea into action. By aligning communities around cause
areas and leveraging our networks to take action, we empower
all of our communities to come together; and together, to
solve issues in unprecedented ways.
Amy Sample Ward
Director of community and content at Netsquared
and nonprofit consultant @amyrsward UK & US

10. “I've had many moments when my thinking
about the nature of learning - true learning - has
been transformed, changed and transformed
again. The members of this community give
generously of their expertise - its a genuine gift-
giving community, where people share their
stories, their knowledge, and their time ”
Dr Angela A Thomas Author Youth Online,Sydney University
anyaixchel Australia

11. Throughout my career I have been involved in a number of
research projects related to the use of virtual worlds for
educational purposes. I have focused on the intersection of
online role-playing, new media literacies, fan fiction, digital
culture and issues of identity, the avatar and the body.
Over the course of a seven year research project I studied
young people's use of online communities and published a
book "Youth Online: Identity and Literacy in the Digital Age”.
More recently I have been involved in research projects with
adults set in the virtual world "Virtual Macbeth“ and the
"Persephone" which used Secondlife to explore literary texts.
My aim with each project has been to demonstrate how
educators can use digital culture and social media to create
stimulating and engaging experiences for a generation of young
people who were born in a digital age. (cont…)

12. Being part of the wider educational community inside Second
Life has offered me great opportunities to learn and grow as an
educator. I've been inspired, motivated, and challenged by my
colleagues there. I've had many moments when my thinking
about the nature of learning - true learning - has been
transformed, changed and transformed again.
The members of this community give generously of their
expertise - its a genuine gift-giving community, where people
share their stories, their knowledge, and their time - and out of
this, great things, creative things, and a tremendous sense of
accomplishment can grow. In turn for all of the fascinating
things I have learned from others, my aim too is to share what
I can with my community and give back what I can. I hope
that my work interests and inspires others.
Dr Angela A Thomas Author Youth Online,Sydney University @
anyaixchel Australia

13. “The use of a website, film, blogs, art exhibitions
and engagement of people who are highly
talented in these fields was the main reason for
the success of the efforts - together they were
able to use current communication platforms to
engage women throughout Australia. Of course,
it's always the generosity of people that makes
amazing things happen!”
Anita Pahor, Australia

14. I have often marveled at how influential movies are, but I
was often saddened that the shape of their influence could
often be to desensitize the audience around issues such as
violence, rape, abuse, etc.
When I was asked to develop a platform for Australian
women to learn about poverty in India and some
economically based solutions to it, I thought it might be
interesting to make a film/documentary. I was humbled
to find a director, co-producers and film crew that were as
excited as I was about using film in this manner. (cont…)
Anita Pahor, Australia

15. Before I knew it, we were in high profile Australian womens'
homes filming them, asking their perspectives on global
poverty and soon after that, we were following their
adventure around India. A story emerged before our eyes and
the feature length documentary In Her Footsteps was born.
Over the year, this platform known as Women's Opportunity
raised just shy of $1 million dollars for the development of
microfinance initiatives.
I think the use of a website, film, blogs, art exhibitions and
engagement of people who are highly talented in these fields
(Karbon Productions, Jimmy Too Design, Wonderwebby
and others) was the main reason for the success of the efforts
- together they were able to use current communication
platforms to engage women throughout Australia. Of course,
it's always the generosity of people that makes amazing things
happen!
.
Anita Pahor, Australia

16. “Across the world young people are making
important contributions as world citizens,
productive workers, entrepreneurs, consumers
and agents of change”
Annie Le Cavalier
Director Vibewire Youth Inc. @vibewire Australia

17. My journey with media & technology as a powerful tool for
transformation started back in 2001 whilst working in
Montreal, Canada, as an educator with marginalised youth. I
was always looking for innovative ways to make learning fun
and engaging. Whilst playing around on a Hi8 video camera
one day, I noticed I immediately had everyone’s attention—a
rare occurrence. The more I used the camera, the more
dynamic and constructive our sessions became. Spelling bee
turned into beats and rhymes, poetry turned into improv
theatre, and home economics turned into episodes of Ready,
Steady, Cook.
During this time I also conceived and implemented a
community portal for the kids at a time when Drupal was just
starting up. The aim of my work was always to provide
opportunities and platforms for them to shine; to tell their
stories; to showcase their brilliance and consequently to
impact their self-esteem and build confidence. (cont…)

18. My current work at Vibewire here in Australia, is no different.
Vibewire exists to support young people to shape their world
through social and creative expression & entrepreneurship.
Vibewire acknowledges that across the world young people
are making important contributions as world citizens,
productive workers, entrepreneurs, consumers and agents of
change.
We are dedicated to encouraging and stimulating an
entrepreneurial spirit by unlocking the talents, imagination
and creativity of youth as drivers of change, addressing
important economic, environmental and social issues within
their communities.
Annie Le Cavalier
Director Vibewire Youth Inc. @vibewire Australia

19. “We use digital story telling in a new way. A way
where the unsung heroes in the world’s poorest
countries can showcase their innovative
solutions to solve extreme poverty to a global
audience via video and web tools. These heroes,
individuals, have changed million of lives and
protected hundreds of thousands areas of natural
habitat. Sawa Heroes hold valuable lessons for all
of humanity”
Daphne Nederhorst
Founder and Executive Director of SAWA Canada

20. I started SAWA Global because I had a dream to find
exceptional unsung grassroots leaders (SAWA Heroes) from
the world’s poorest countries that have found innovative
local solutions to global challenges.
By empowering them to use simple video and web
technology I thought they could showcase their successes to
a global community and gain access to their own global
mentors (SAWA Mentors). SAWA has now been running
for almost two years with over 300 volunteers and works in
60 countries worldwide. (cont…)

21. SAWA’s Dream is to connect millions of SAWA Heroes
from the world’s 50 poorest countries to a global
audience for direct virtual mentorship and connect
millions of people around to world to work together with
these local heroes to solve the world’s urgent challenges.
We use digital story telling in a new way. A way where the
unsung heroes (SAWA Heroes) in the world’s poorest
countries can showcase their innovative solutions to solve
extreme poverty to a global audience via video and web
tools. These heroes, individuals, have changed million of
lives and protected hundreds of thousands areas of
natural habitat. Sawa Heroes hold valuable lessons for all
of humanity
Daphne Nederhorst
Founder and Executive Director of SAWA Canada

23. “With new applications and developments every day,
the social web offers unlimited potential and power
to change our world for the better.”
Debra Askanase, CEO,
Community Organizer 2.0.
Social Media for Non Profits @askdebra Jerusalem

24. I am a Community Organizer at heart. While I spent many
years working in nonprofit organizations, I never strayed far
from my roots as a community organizer. In every position,
from Program Director to Executive Director, I
incorporated the basic elements of community organizing:
listen to your stakeholders, ask them what they want, engage
them, organize them, and learn from every single
stakeholder. Then, bring them together to create real
change. That is the power of community. (cont…)

25. When I began to realize exactly what social media is - a
platform for worldwide conversation and participation - I
immediately saw the connection to community organizing. I
founded Community Organizer 2.0, a social media strategy
firm, to unlock the potential of social media for even the
smallest nonprofit organization. With new applications and
developments every day, the social web offers unlimited
potential and power to change our world for the better.
Today, I'm still a community organizer, but in a digital
world. It is my pleasure and honor to work with nonprofits
to find, listen to, engage with, learn from, and and harness
the power of stakeholders in the global era, through the
platforms of social media. This is the power of community
today.
Debra Askanase, CEO,
Community Organizer 2.0.
Social Media for Non Profits @askdebra Jerusalem

26. “We are discovering how visual language can work
on the web with new visualization technologies”
Eileen Clegg
Founder of Visual Insight @eileenclegg USA

28. “What started with some online buzz in various
social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr,
YouTube, and on our blog, extended offline to
fundraising events.
The result? People everywhere, raised money and
awareness for a micro lending organization in
Kenya to the tune of $15,000 while nearly tripling
the traffic to its website”
Jyl Johnson Pattee Co-Founder of Mom It Forward @jylMom

29. In September 2008, I got on Twitter with a few blogging
friends. We were all newbies and wanted to learn the Twitter
ropes together. What started as a tutorial-based girl’s night
out with four women turned into a weekly ritual with up to
500 party goers. In the beginning, I loved the tangential chit
and chat nature of the events. But after seeing the growing
community, I found myself wanting to do more and connect
with women in different, more meaningful ways. In
November, we had our first fundraiser—a virtual food drive
for feedingamerica.org
The results were tremendous and we noticed a passion and
excitement for the concept of connecting online over
something as simple, yet as powerful as charity. That was
when momitforward.com was born - a social-media driven
community committed to changing the world one mom at a
time. We recognize that change starts within and therefore,
we are dedicated to the improvement of moms in all aspects
of their lives—self, their families, and the communities in
which they live.

30. . The influence women have is amazing. Recently, we ran a
fundraiser to help fight poverty in Kenya. What started with
some online buzz in various social media channels like
Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and on our blog,
extended offline to fundraising events.
The result? People everywhere, raised money and awareness
for a micro lending organization in Kenya to the tune of
$15,000 while nearly tripling the traffic to its website. The
generosity of more than 300 financial contributors and teams
all over the U.S. is astounding and shows me that with
passion, buzz, and a giving heart, we truly can change the
world!
Jyl Johnson Pattee Co-Founder of Mom It Forward @jylMomIF USA

31. “Moms can make a huge difference because they
care so deeply about children and families; almost all
our volunteers are women and moms.
Our foundation was started by a mom who went
back to her daughter’s orphanage and found a child
dying of heart disease. From that first visit 6 years
ago, we are now helping over 1,500 children a year,
many of these now adopted into families”
Karen Maunu, Associate Executive Director,
Love Without Boundaries Foundation @karenmaunu_lwb USA

32. I volunteer full-time for an all volunteer nonprofit that
helps children in China. We have over 140 volunteers all
around the world. Because we are a virtual foundation,
technology is how we are able to efficiently work together.
Social media is how we keep our loyal followers up to date
on the children in our programs.
We have learned that moms can make a huge difference
because they care so deeply about children and families;
almost all our volunteers are women and moms. Our
foundation was started by a mom who went back to her
daughter’s orphanage and found a child dying of heart
disease. (cont…)

33. From that first visit 6 years ago, we are now helping over
1,500 children a year, many who are then adopted into
families. Through education, we are working to change
attitudes both in the US and in China regarding children
with special needs.
Our goal is to empower local citizens in China to help
children in their communities. Placing special needs
children into foster care families changes preconceived
ideas. In addition, we also provide medical care to
children in the rural countryside. We found that helping
these poorest of families actually can prevent orphans.
Karen Maunu, Associate Executive Director,
Love Without Boundaries Foundation @karenmaunu_lwb USA

35. “The international support for this movement has
been overwhelming and has been accelerated by
media coverage and through the internet. The
involvement of women in trekking, a profession
traditionally dominated by men, is helping to push
the boundary of gender equality and inclusion”
Lucky Chhetri, Founder,
Empowering Women of Nepal - EWN Nepal

36. Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN) was founded with
my two sisters Dicky and Nicky Chhetri. This NGO’s
primary goal is to improve the lives of disadvantaged
women in Nepal and it seeks to offer empowerment for
women through the involvement with the trekking industry.
Each year we train a new generation of highly skilled and
qualified women trekking guides who have opportunities
for fair employment and self-sufficiency, which also
impacts the development and the social evolution of
communities within Nepal. (cont…)

37. The international support for this movement has been
overwhelming and has been accelerated by media coverage
and through the internet. The involvement of women in
trekking, a profession traditionally dominated by men, is
helping to push the boundary of gender equality and
inclusion.
Providing the opportunity for women to pursue skilled jobs
over the laborious tasks traditionally assigned to them helps
to create a society in which women are not only depended
on for essential survival, but also a community in which
women are valued.
Lucky Chhetri, Founder,
Empowering Women of Nepal - EWN Nepal

38. “Thanks to technology, winning hearts and minds
is now easier as it has powered sharing and
collaboration on a mass scale.”
Marigo Raftopolous - Management Consultant,
Serious Games evangelist @marigo Australia

39. Making a difference in our world starts with passion and
passion is the precursor to winning hearts and minds to
inspire change. Thanks to technology, winning hearts and
minds is now easier as it has powered sharing and
collaboration on a mass scale. So as long as we are
passionate about our world in our own hearts, we all have
the tools to make a difference.
My consulting business revolves around knowledge capture,
capability building and inspiring action. And these are the
same tools we can all use to reshape our worlds to
overcome poverty and social injustice. My current focus is
on the development of serious games and e-learning tools
on sustainability and human rights issues. Much of the
recent progress that I have made in this space can be
directly attributed to the exponential growth in my
connections to thought leaders through blogging, Twitter
and social and professional networks. (cont…)

40. However despite my love of technology and social media, I
still get a buzz out of receiving a letter from one of the
children I sponsor from India, Bangladesh or Ethiopia.
Light-weight paper envelopes arrive in my letterbox,
battered from traveling from the other side of the world,
laden with a row of mysterious colorful stamps and with
handwriting scrawled by a hand unfamiliar with our
language. One day these children will be sending me an
email, SMS, video, podcast or will meet with me in a virtual
world. But until then I’m treasuring these tactile treats from
the past.
Marigo Raftopolous - Management Consultant,
Serious Games evangelist @marigo Australia

41. “Together we understand more. We stand strong.
We hold each other up when all else feels hopeless
or we fear we will never be heard.
Women have been at the forefront of community.
They have been the waves of change, flowing over
the rocks of challenge and organizational inertia.”
Nancy White
Founder, Full Circle Associates @NancyWhite USA

42. Over the years I have been involved in an amazing array of online
gatherings where women, coming together online have catalyzed
change by sharing ideas, solving problems and supporting each other.
In each of these cases, the connection of women ACROSS diverse
contexts has been elemental.
The March of Dimes Share Your Story community is a nexus of
support and learning for parents who have or have had a child in the
neonatal intensive care unit. An ongoing set of women have fostered
connections, soothed grieving hearts and sifted through information
to give a parent the bit that they need "right now." The network is
cemented together by their unique experiences parenting or losing a
very sick newborn baby. No one else understands the way they do,
and it is only through finding and 'being with each other"
electronically can this community be more and do more than any one
family could ever do.

43. Across the globe, women in the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research care about
and attend to not only how we feed the world, but about the role of
women in agriculture to produce food for their families. Seeking to
increase the diversity of its researchers and scientists, and to keep a
focus on the unique issues of
gender in international agricultural research, these women organize
online events to connect across their disciplines and geography,
creating consultations and deeper understanding of the role of
gender, of each others’ work and each other as resources. By weaving
their network online, they can see the larger tapestry and their threads
in that fabric. Together we understand more. We stand strong. We
hold each other up when all else feels hopeless or we fear we will
never be heard. Women have been at the forefront of community.
They have been the waves of change, flowing over the rocks of
challenge and organizational inertia. I am grateful to be a steward of
some of these conversations. These women have been been my
teachers.
Nancy White
Founder, Full Circle Associates @NancyWhite USA

45. “Games was what pulled my sister and I into the tech
world. There was something escapist, compelling,
creative about games. We decided to design our
own- spending hours and hours learning Basic,
learning fundamental design”
Phaedra Boinidiris
CEO and Co-Founder of WomenGamers.com USA

46. Of course women play games! As silly as it sounds, when
we launched WomenGamers.com 10 years ago, half our
mail had the subject line “Women don’t play games”. My
parents, being technophile IBMers, had computers and
consoles all over our home, stuffed full of the earliest
videogames available on the market.
Games was what pulled my sister and I into the tech
world. There was something escapist, compelling, creative
about games. We decided to design our own- spending
hours and hours learning Basic, learning fundamental
design. To play the latest games, we needed to know our
computer’s limitations inside and out. We started
community MUDS, joined guilds, blogging before there
were blogs.

47. When we were in our 20s, we decided to start the portal
dedicated to women who play games knowing that there
were others like us, disenfranchised, disconnected. More
emails: “If you don’t like the games men make, why don’t
you make them yourselves!” A nugget of truth in the
words- so we started the first scholarship for women to
pursue degrees in game design and development.
And now that Nintendo has taken a public stance
embracing women back into their marketing fold, we turn
to 'serious games' as a way to engage, train, teach the next
generation…never forgetting their allure, their power.
Phaedra Boinidiris
CEO and Co-Founder of WomenGamers.com USA

48. “It's time to restore the planet's bounty and create
.
well-being for everyone knowing that we are all
connected, dependent upon and truly invested in
each other”
Sandy Skees, President and Founderwww.communication
@sandyskees USA

49. Women are consensus builders, collaborators and
conciliators whose skills at team building and
cooperative problem-solving are the skills our fractured world
needs. We can bring people together to leverage technology
as we re-image every aspect of our planet and its social
structures.
The time has come to see technology as a means to an end
rather than the end itself. It's time to restore the planet's
bounty and create well-being for everyone knowing that we
are all connected, dependent upon and truly invested in each
other
Sandy Skees, President and Founder
www.communications4good.com @sandyskees USA

50. “Loan capital has been raised primarily online from
nearly 1000 donors, most notably TweetsGiving,
which raised over $11,000 in 48 hours from the
Twitter community.
The funds raised from TweetsGiving have now built
a classroom in Tanzania where the Twitter handles
of donors are painted on the walls.”
Stacey Monk CEO and Co-Founder Epic Change @stace

51. I was inspired to create Epic Change by "Mama Lucy"
Kamptoni, a Tanzanian woman who used income from
selling chickens and eggs to build a school in her village.
When we met, I wondered what might be possible if her hope
and hard work were connected with the financial resources
she needed, and whether her inspirational story, and others
she shared from her community, might be assets she could
use to fund her efforts.
From these ideas, Epic Change was born. We make interest-
free loans to grassroots changemakers like Mama Lucy, then
help them share their “epic” stories of hope in ways that
generate income for repayment so that loans may be paid
forward to create “change” in communities across the globe.
(cont…)

52. So far, Epic Change has loaned nearly $70,000 on our
prototype project to expand Mama Lucy’s school. As a
direct result, the student population has tripled to over
300 children and the school recently ranked
#1 of 117 schools in Arusha on national exams.
Loan capital has been raised primarily online from nearly
1000 donors, most notably TweetsGiving, which raised
over $11,000 in 48 hours from the Twitter community.
The funds raised from TweetsGiving have now built
a classroom in Tanzania where the Twitter handles of donors a
.
Stacey Monk CEO and Co-Founder Epic Change @staceymonk USA

53. You can make a difference
oo Follow the links in this ebook to check out the projects that speak to
you, where you feel a sense of connection, to learn more. Connect up
with other worldshapers on Twitter. Tweet or blog about the things
that inspired you in this ebook #worldshapers.
How have these stories changed the way you think, feel, act? Start
doodling and sharing your ideas for your own world shaping project.
This ebook has been created using a Creative Commons
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WorldShapers is a Wonderwebby project originally created for Opportunity International Australia

54. http://www.flickr.com/photos/oddwick/3451297089/