Wilde International Network Newsletter April 2013

Gosh, itâ€™s already April... that was quick, donâ€™t you think? Canâ€™t you just see that time waits for no one and will move on whether youâ€™re ready or not? You better know it!

Now, did you take advantage of the many female centered events that took place during March, all in the name of International Womenâ€™s Month? Despite the snow, rain and cold that is, and itâ€™s causing so many to feel depressed â€“ this lack of sun. But Iâ€™m not going to harp on about the weather because not only is it a really typical British thing to do, itâ€™s also very boring and in the bigger scheme of things â€“ the least of lifeâ€™s problems.
It gets better.

I just love the innovation and the creativity that I see when I attend expos such as Natural November, the WOW Festival, Day of the Goddess and 2Inspire. The variety of businesses, mostly female led and the services and products on offer prove the myth of us being consumers and not manufacturers is fast heading for extinction, and might I say where it belongs.

What Iâ€™ve noticed about women in business is that we tend to start businesses based on our values and integrity. Natural November, The Wow Festival, Day of the Goddess, 2Inspire, and of course, Every Woman Inspired, (EWI) were all established by women with the good and wholesome intention of awakening the true potential of women, enabling them to make life and the world a better and safer place for themselves and their families.

I know the founders of Day of the Goddess, Redhed and Ama Sade do a lot of work in womenâ€™s refuges and around raising awareness of the rape crisis in the Congo, and EWI work tirelessly to eradicate the domestic and sexual abuse of women and girls through arts and enterprise.

The overall commonality that joins all these female led enterprises, is that they offer a platform of empowerment, inspiration and enterprising opportunities for women, and men with a service for women. That is true creativity.

I come across a lot of personal, business and motivational coaches, all with their own unique message, filling their own niches in the market and Iâ€™m left more impressed with the universe and its ability to inspire such creativity, such similarities, yet the awe-inspiring versatility to be unique. There is always room for a new idea that brings its own uniqueness.

We got this bright and breezy email from the director of Phenomenal Woman In Power, based in Canada.

"Hi, Wonderful to see this - sisterly organization on the move.
Please see our site at www.phenomenalwomaninpower.com

Charlene Fagan
Phenomenal Woman in Power"

Every Woman Inspired

Thanks again for the emails and congratulatory sentiments sent after our Every Woman Inspired International Womenâ€™s Day newsletter went out... and to all those who quite rightly pointed out that they should have been included as a woman who rocks, the WIN and EWI Team agrees with you. Thank you also for your suggestion of making this a monthly celebration of inspirational women, I believe we have enough female movers and shakers in the world to enable that to happen. By the way, I do hope youâ€™re joining us in Jamaica!

Womenâ€™s Fiction Prize

I noticed that Zadie Smithâ€™s new novel, N-W is among this yearâ€™s long list for the Womenâ€™s Prize for Fiction. You remember Zaidie, right? The youngster who wrote White Teeth that was also made into a TV series. I donâ€™t know about you, but Iâ€™m yet to really enjoy reading one of Zadieâ€™s books. That however doesnâ€™t mean sheâ€™s not talented, the girl can certainly write. May be N-W will change my mind as it sounds like a world Iâ€™m familiar with.

A Good Read for Spring

Maya Angelouâ€™s new book is by far her most personal, Mom & Me . . . Me & Mom, about life with her mother, who was absent from Mayaâ€™s early life, but who however managed to rekindle her relationship with Maya later on. This is a must read.

Happy Birthday WIN

This month Wilde International Network (WIN) is 13 years old. When four women, including myself first sat at a kitchen table and put our dream and vision down on paper, most of us being writers, poets and journalists meant our original mission was to provide a platform for African and Caribbean female writers to get the much needed exposure they deserved, and to promote the works of personal and inspirational female coaches, empowerment drivers and enterprise leaders.

And weâ€™ve had our successes over the years in assisting new writers who have gone on to be published and personal coaches who have attended our training and gone on to launch their own companies. Our victories have been awe-inspiring in these years, and so have yours.

Over the years our work has given us the privilege of sharing womenâ€™s stories, some intimate, sad, happy and inspiring. We have exposed some of the stories and truths about violence against women and girls and supported amazing activists across the globe that has campaigned to change laws to improve the lives of women and girls. But we still have a long way to go in using our creative and empowerment tools to end violence against women and girls.

In fact the UN says that one out of three women on the planet will be beaten or raped in her lifetime. Looking at it in that way means one billion women plus. That is simply insane and unacceptable, I know you agree.

The launch of Protect the Girl Child Campaign will be held on Sunday 13th April at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith and I do hope you will attend. It will bring together organisations and groups who work with women and children, and individuals who support the fight against violence and sexual abuse of women and children.

It will be a day of presentations on domestic abuse from womenâ€™s groups and organisations, poetry performances, readings, dancing and drumming. Check the website for more information and let me see you there.

And thatâ€™s me for now... I leave you with a quote:

Let your dreams be bigger than your fears, your actions louder than your words and your faith stronger than your feelings.

More health, wealth, love and joy!

April Issue