through media arts, Her{connect}Her FOSTERS compassion AMONG COMMUNITIES AND ENGAGES YOUNG REFUGEE AND MIGRANT WOMEN IN cultivatING theIR innate belonging, agency, and resilience.
How it works:
The Platform:
Online: A digital storytelling site that builds a connecting network among vulnerable young women and offers a safe space for the public to grow in understanding and empathy.
Offline: An evidence-based program in which young women communicate their experiences using arts-based methods and mobile phones in order to understand their strengths, needs, hopes, and perspectives. Through discussion, young women find similarities among their stories, mitigating their isolation.
The Program:
1. Young women build pertinent skills in communication, technology, advocacy, and creativity, economically empowering their futures.
2. By sharing their experiences and assessing their needs, young women foster healing and self-determination, elevating their roles as leaders in their lives, their communities, and the world.
3. What they share provides insights for effective, localized, gender-specific responses to refugee crises and immigration issues as participants are considered experts and change-makers.
PartnerS & TESTIMONIALS:
Maison des Femmes de Paris is a feminist organization based in Paris, France that combats violence and discrimination against women. The organization has been advocating for the rights of women for more than 30 years.
A Drop in the Ocean provides immediate and direct aid to refugees, focusing on helping children and their mothers upon arrival in Europe. Since its founding in September of 2015, the organization has coordinated more than 4,000 aid workers in Greece, where aid is highly needed.
Nola Ellen Education, Training, and Consultancy is founded and run by Nola Ellen, an expert refugee youth practitioner, facilitator, and consultant with 15 years of experience working as a specialist with children and communities who have experienced trauma, exploitation, loss, or displacement. As our collaborator in the U.K., she has these words to say:
“I had the pleasure of working alongside Kristen (Executive Director, Footage Foundation) when she was rolling out Her{connect}Her in the U.K. in early 2017. I was truly impressed with Kristen’s approach to engaging and empowering young women in this unique and beautiful programme. Kristen radiates passion and warmth, and she approaches every aspect of her work with sensitivity and care. She is a true professional and an expert in her field. The young women I introduced Kristen to told me they felt taking part was a very positive experience for them. It can never be easy to share such personal and traumatic life experiences, but they spoke so fondly of Kristen. One young women told me she felt like she’d known Kristen forever. All of the women shared how comfortable Kristen had made them feel. Her{connect}Her has the potential to touch so any lives. It’s not only truly empowering for the women who share their stories, but it also speaks directly to the hearts of listeners globally, building deeper connections, understanding, bridges, and compassion. I would love to see Her{connect}Her grow and continue to touch and influence more lives."
PROGRAM OUTCOMES & PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK:
Quantitative and qualitative evaluations show:
100% of participants felt that as a result of Her{connect}Her, sharing their story can make a positive difference in the lives of others.
100% of participants felt an increase in compassion toward themselves as a result of sharing their story.
100% of participants believed they could apply skills learned through Her{connect}Her to gaining or advancing employment and empowering themselves economically.
60% of participants saw their resilience and strength as a result of taking part in Her{connect}Her.
80% of participants gained a better understanding of their leadership potential in their families and communities.
100% of participants would recommend taking part in Her{connect}Her to friends who have left their homes.
We asked participants:
What did you enjoy?
"Creating the storyboard of my personal story/experience, because I enjoyed the process of narrowing down my story from a three year period to the five most important minutes that defined these three years."
How do you feel about yourself after Her{connect}Her?
"I feel more strength in me... I can now maybe talk about this to someone else again, share my experience, which I didn't do that often... I'm a little bit more open to this kind of process of talking things out."
Do you feel you have given something to other women?
"Yes, I think so, because I really want other people...to gain or have a good lesson from my own case, so that they won't be depressed and they move on with their life."
"I hope so. I hope it does reach somebody who felt like me ten years ago. And, she doesn't need to stay in that relationship with whoever it is. Your future might look blank at that point, but once you take a big step, there will be a guiding light."
FundERS & Awards:
Giv.NYC by GivKwik: We were voted a top ten nonprofit in New York City and pitched Her{connect}Her at Giv.NYC where we placed fourth and were awarded a Vodafone Americas Foundation Give Away Award.
Crowdfunding Backers: Generous support of our #10Days10Voices1World (2016), #OpenPlatformSharedHumanity (2017), and #MappingHope (2018) crowdfunding campaigns have allowed us to implement Her{connect}Her in Sweden, France, the U.K., and Greece, as well as conduct a scoping mission at the border of Italy and France.
Film by Kristina Langhein. Music by Capital Jay. © 2017 Footage Foundation. All Rights Reserved.