Webinars on Gender-based Violence Share Young Women's Voices for U.S.-Russia Public Diplomacy

    NEW YORK, NY, October 01, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- To connect U.S. American and Russian young women, along with the professionals who work with them, in dialogue on gender-based violence (GBV), the NGO Footage launches the six webinars of its innovative public diplomacy project, WebinHERS, on October 6, 2020, at 12 pm ET (see full schedule below). Funded by a Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program Award from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and implemented by Eurasia Foundation, the educational and interactive webinars are available to the American and Russian public for free on Zoom (see registration links below). Sessions share findings from human-centered design research conducted with hard-to-reach young women and organizations across both countries.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 19-66% of women ages 15-24 worldwide have experienced physical and sexual violence. The goal of WebinHERS is to build upon Footage's original and evidence-based methodologies (see Girl-talk-Girl) to raise awareness, foster dialogue, shift perspectives, and build sustainable skills in communication and leadership among young women. It also offers a platform for information on GBV—considered the shadow pandemic of COVID-19 (UN Women). The dates for the webinars are as follows:

For public attendance, USA:
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, 12 pm ET, "Geographies of Equality and GBV"
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, 12 pm ET, "Geographies of Identities and GBV"
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, 12 pm ET, "Dialogues of Compassion and GBV"

For public attendance, Russia:
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, 6 pm Moscow, "Geographies of Equality and GBV"
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020, 6 pm Moscow, "Geographies of Identities and GBV"
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020, 7 pm Moscow, "Dialogues of Compassion and GBV"

On October 13th (12 pm ET and 7 pm Moscow), a private webinar will also be available for organizations across both countries to share their work and learn from each other about innovations in addressing GBV and providing services for young women. Organizations may contact [email protected] to inquire.

Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton, Executive Director of Footage, says, "WebinHERS serves as a model for...Russians and Americans to better understand each other's societies and an insidious human rights issue preventing young women and communities from reaching their full potential."

For additional details, contact Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton at [email protected].

About Footage: Founded by five women PhD colleagues at Cambridge University, Footage designs innovative, evidence-based programs that use local technology and expressive multimedia tools to improve well-being by bringing the underrepresented voices and experiences of young people into conversations on the world's most challenging issues.

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