At the very beginning of social media, we saw that it could be used for so much good - create connections between people, challenge hierarchies and structures of power. However, we now know that social media, owned by tech billionaires, puts profit over people and planet every day. So, how do we make an impact in this difficult online landscape? 

Julia is the founder of Girls' Globe, and has worked in the intersection of digital media and social impact for the past 13 years. She's a tech enthusiast, entrepreneur, activist and empath - and encourages strategy and care for your own time and energy as you navigate your communications priorities. 

She will also be hosting a free webinar on how to navigate digital communications in 2025 as a changemaker - you can sign up here. 

Episode 64. The Hey Changemaker! Podcast is back! 

So far, the podcast has reached listeners in over 70 countries, with more than 50 guests speaking on a range of issues related to human rights, equality, politics, peace and justice. 

In this episode Julia talks about: 

The Hey Changemaker! Podcast is for activists, advocates, entrepreneurs, communicators and people who care deeply about our shared world. It will continue to be a space to share stories, insights, tools and inspiration. 

Contribute with your comments or guest suggestions here: juliawiklander.com/podcast

Subscribe to Julia's emails here: juliawiklander.com/notes 

This is a different episode of the podcast with host Julia Wiklander speaking about the global feminist solidarity movement, building resilience in the midst of deep pain, and why she started the podcast.

This is an episode to remind us of why we’re doing this work.

She talks about what feminist solidarity really means - and what inspired her to start Girls’ Globe to amplify the voices of so many people who go unrecognized or unheard.

Julia encourages us that our voices matter and how important it is to reflect on our values and to let them lead in all aspects of our work - including our communications. Her new course Strategic Storytelling for Changemakers is an opportunity to create a powerful communications strategy that is aligned with our values and purpose, defined by our powerful stories and the people we want to reach.

Beth Woroniuk is currently a Senior Fellow with the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative. Until earlier this year, she was the Vice-President, Policy at the Equality Fund.

Beth has worked to advance gender justice and feminist approaches to policymaking for over 35 years. She has advised and worked with bilateral aid agencies, women’s funds, UN entities, international NGOs and feminist organizations, strengthening their work on gender equality and women’s rights in numerous contexts and countries.

Beth has developed analytical tools, supported policy development, carried out research, blogged, conducted evaluations, organized, lobbied and testified before the Canadian Parliament. She is particularly interested in analyzing resource investments in gender equality and feminist movements, feminist foreign policies and women, peace and security.

In this episode Beth shares her own stories, perspectives and reasons for hope. 

Julia and Beth talk about resilience as feminist changemakers and the multiple crises that we’re facing in the world. Beth gives us insights into the challenges, and the wins that we’re seeing as a global feminist movement. She shares amazing advice for young women who are moving into the feminist advocacy space today.

Hassina Sherjan is the Founder and CEO of Aid Afghanistan For Education. She has over 30 years of experience in education, business, communication, and journalism.

Hassina is a co-author of “Toughing It Out in Afghanistan,” published in February 2011, and has published various op-eds in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, USA Today, and more. She is a member of the Board of Advisors at Samuel Hall, and a Global Ambassador for The International Alliance for Women (TIAW). She is also a 2023 GlobalGiving Community Voices fellow.

In this conversation, Hassina Sherjan shares her own story of coming back to Afghanistan 19 years after leaving the country at the age of 19.

Julia and Hassina talk about her work to strengthen efforts for education and girls’ education in particular, throughout the many years she was active working in Afghanistan.

Hassina speaks about the shock and aftermath of the Taliban takeover in 2021 and how her work for education in Afghanistan continues in a different form.

Elizabeth Dartnall is the Executive Director of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI). She has 25+ years of expertise in health systems, mental health, and addressing violence against women and children.

Liz is an experienced global health specialist. Her career encompasses roles in both government and research in a range of countries across the world. Since 2006, she has overseen the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) and successfully transitioned it into an independent NGO with the backing of multiple partners. Committed to feminist, ethical, and equitable approaches, Liz continues to lead research and policy initiatives that play a key role in building a violence-free world for women.

Liz sits on a number of international advisory groups, including the Global Women’s Institute leadership council, and serves on the board of the MenEngage Alliance. She is committed to redressing the deep inequity in the investment in research on violence against women and violence and children between the high income and low and middle income countries (LMICs) and supporting researchers and practitioners in LMICs to undertake priority driven, impactful, rigorous, feminist, and ethical research.

In this conversation Liz shares her personal story of childhood experiences that what brought her to this work working with addressing violence against women and children.

We talk about funding for the gender equality and women’s rights movement and about collective care. Liz talks about the vicarious trauma that people working in this field experience and how SVRI is implementing collective care in all parts of their work.

Learn more about SVRI and the SVRI Forum. 

Laura Somoggi, Co-CEO at Womanity, is an international development expert with a focus on gender equity, social impact, and trust-based philanthropy. A feminist and strong advocate for devolution of power through equitable partnerships, she has overseen programmes with a presence in 15 countries. Coming from a colonised country and a family of refugees, the decolonisation of knowledge and development is especially personal to her.

Laura joined Womanity in 2017 to lead their efforts to prevent violence against women and girls. Her diverse career includes a decade in journalism in Brazil and another decade managing global partnerships in the corporate sector with international NGOs and UN agencies. Laura also serves on the board of Right to Be (formerly Hollaback!).

In this episode, Julia and Laura speak about hope and resilience in the face of backlash, the status of gender equality around the world and about decolonizing development. Laura shares her own stories - including about her career move - and talks about the work of Womanity at large and in Afghanistan specifically. 

Learn more about Womanity here.

Amé Atsu David is the Regional Co-Director for Africa at the Global Fund for Children. 

Amé is a human rights activist and an advocate for adolescent girls. She joins us in the Girls' Globe Solidarity Studio and shares her call to action and her thoughts on feminist solidarity. 

Global Fund for Children is a member of Girls' Globe, read more about their work here. 

Neha Gurung is a human rights lawyer from Nepal.

Neha is the Co-founder and Head of Legal Aid and Advocacy at the Citizenship Affected People's Network, Nepal. She is also currently the Co-Lead at the Global Movement Against Statelessness.

In the Girls' Globe Solidarity Studio, Neha shares parts of her story. She speaks about how she was affected by statelessness and her calls to action for others. Neha shares what feminist solidarity looks like to her.