Tag Archives: violence against women

“Savor the Season” by Stacie Kenton

Blog, Domestic Violence, energy, gratitude, life, women, , , ,

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“Tis the season,” so it is said.  For some, it’s a season of joy.  For others, a season of sorrow.  And yet for others, it’s a season of chaos and the feelings of the “unknown.”  At Indrani’s Light, we teach a workshop series called, “Live A Brighter Life.”  One of the modules focuses on self-care.  We talk about daily routines and ways to practice self-care that can be accomplished at a moment’s notice.  One of those ways is using the outdoors as an outlet and release of negative energy, or absorb the beauty of nature to fill your spirit up with happiness and joy.  Whatever your need is in the moment, nature is calling your name!

stacie-kentonOur Director of Relationships & Executive Administrator, Stacie Kenton, wrote an amazing blog this month to get us through the end of the year.  It can many times be a stressful time for us, and we need a reminder to take care of ourselves.

In her personal blog, “Savor the Season,” Stacie gives us 4 tips to connect with nature:

  1. Take it outside
  2. Take full advantage of sunny days
  3. Savor the season’s pleasures
  4. Be present

We encourage you to GO HERE and enjoy Stacie’s full blog.  As Stacie says here …. “I hope you choose to live in this winter and not just through it.”

Break the Silence: LIVE CALL with Indrani

Blog, Domestic Violence, life, Podcast, women, , , ,

indrani-in-india-2Indrani Goradia has just returned from India after continuing her global mission to end violence against women and girls. She visited a different city on this trip, and brought back some lessons from her experience there. Indrani was able to teach our Live A Brighter Life classes to groups of women and men, who did a phenomenal job in participating and learning about boundaries, saying “No,” guilt and shame, and most importantly, self-care.

This trip to India was special. Indrani wants to share her experience, and some of the feedback she received from the men, in particular. The lessons Indrani learned from India brought her back home with an urgency to “Break the Silence.”indrani-in-india

As we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness month here in the United States, we need to make real change, and stop domestic violence globally. We MUST talk openly about the issue, not just on Facebook, or YouTube, or when standing in front of big audiences.

We need to break the silence and talk with each other, openly and honestly. Daily.

 

If you want to join Indrani for this LIVE CALL on Thursday, October 20th, 2016 at 10am PT | 1pm ET, all you need to do is use the following information (no email address or option required):

live-call-with-indrani-oct-2016rConference Dial-In Number:
(605) 562-3140
Participant Access Code:
694881#
Canadian Caller Instructions:
Dial: (559)546-1400
Then proceed with regular conference line numbers above.

If you would like to receive a reminder about the call, and hear even more from Indrani, you can sign up for the call here:

http://indranislight.org/break-the-silence/

We could also use your support in spreading the word about this live call with Indrani. You can use the following text on Facebook, twitter, or your social media platform of choice to get your friends and family involved in stopping the silence.

  • Facebook Post |  Stop the Silence: Join me on October 20th at 10am Pacific Time to listen to Indrani Goradia speak about the newest lessons she has learned about ending domestic violence globally http://bit.ly/2ewKDPf
  • For twitter | Stop the Silence: October 20th Indrani Goradia shares what she has learned about ending domestic violence globally http://bit.ly/2ewKDPf

 

Love and light,

Team ILF

 

 

LABL Podcast 21: “Make It Stop” Campaign featuring Indrani Goradia

Blog, Domestic Violence, Podcast, Uncategorized, , , ,

Welcome to Episode #21 of the Live a Brighter Life Podcast!

In this episode of the Live a Brighter Life Podcast, Indrani is featured as the 2015 Keynote speaker for Population Services International’s “Make It Stop” Campaign in Trinidad.  She was accompanied by Actress/Singer, Mandy Moore, as they promoted a groundbreaking campaign to stop violence against women.

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In this podcast, Indrani speaks about:

  • How we can morph our stories into something that will move the world to a better place.
  • The POWER of one.
  • How Indrani did not realize she had been abused as a child until she had her own child.
  • Violence against women is a pandemic, and does NOT discriminate.

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How does this podcast resonate with you?  Are you ready to help us END domestic violence? Remember the POWER of ONE!

Please share on Twitter @Indranis_light  #MakeItStop #brightlife

Are Statistics Killing the Fight Against Gender Based Violence?

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sad-girl-236769_128030% of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of violence by their partner…

OR

… 2 weeks after getting married Alice’s husband began telling her that she was worth nothing, no one else would ever want her, and she was lucky that he had decided to marry her. Alice finally decided to leave, 20 years later, when her husband got angry and put his fist through the wall, missing her head by inches.

38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner…

OR

… Ellen did not have dinner ready when her husband came home one night. He went to the shed, retrieved an axe, entered the home, and proceeded to assault his wife with the axe putting her in the hospital with multiple injuries. Years later, when Ellen’s husband was released from jail, Ellen took him back into her home to continue their life together.

Statistics or stories.

Which has a greater impact? Which makes the situation of Gender Based Violence feel more real to those who are not directly involved?

What if all of the numbers being collected, compiled, and shared, are not only, not the answer, to ending Gender Based Violence, but are part of the problem?

Numbers make things less messy, more sterile, something to read, then nod your head, perhaps making a “tsking” sound before moving on with your day. Or, even worse, numbers can be something that are misunderstood or used to minimize a problem:

“30% of women, well that is less than half of all women, so should we really be throwing more money at this problem?”

“Stats show that the number hasn’t been increasing over the years, so it isn’t a growing problem”

One of the most impactful events in the past year on Gender Based Violence awareness was not a new percentage of people affected, it was Ray Rice punching his girlfriend in the head on camera.

From Statistics to Stories

What if, instead of using calculated numbers, the fight against Gender Based Violence focused more on telling stories?

Instead of a sterile stat spoken in a news clip, 365 personal stories were collected from women about their personal experience with Gender Based Violence, and one of these stories was spoken (and witnessed) on the news every night?

What if, instead of compiling a stat like 30% of women, actual real time numbers were tracked to provide a clearer story? A website or phone number that abused women could visit or call and quickly register that they were just abused, creating an ongoing tally of how serious this problem is.

30% is a stat, knowing that on Monday 10,000 women had reported being abused, but by Tuesday 11,250 women had been abused helps numbers tell a story that people can better understand and take action on.

What if, we stop letting the numbers distance us from the problem and start to live these experiences with the women suffering on a day to day basis?

Could a focus on stories instead of statistics make a big difference in the goal of eliminating Gender Based Violence?