Community Across Continents
July 2022
A core tenet of WGLI is to build community. We know leveraging the power of collective effort is critical to fostering greater impact and lasting change. Today, communities even span continents; to that end, our founder Diana Ruiz recently met with a group of activists committed to promoting gender equality and LGTBQ rights in Azerbaijan.
The meeting was hosted by the International Visitor Leadership Program – the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Aimed at connecting current and emerging foreign leaders in a variety of fields with their American counterparts, the Department of State fosters relationships between like-minded professionals and philanthropists so that participants are able to create alliances, share resources, and develop allyships.
Diana met with Azerbaijani nationals representing various organizations dedicated to bettering their local communities through the elevation of women. One such organization, Baku Community Space, educates and provides resources to youth grassroots initiatives. Their focus includes women’s participation in the labor market and raising awareness around gender conflict, particularly for younger generations.
Also represented was QueeRadar, an initiative that identifies, publicizes, and combats LGBTQIA+ phobias in Azerbaijani media. QueeRadar’s co-creator Leyla Hasanova conducts training for journalists and other media professionals to educate on the sensitivities to consider when presenting queer-based content. Leyla also co-founded the Media’s Gender Monitoring project, which monitors gender-related content in Azerbaijani media and raises awareness on gender-based violence and how it is often legitimized through existing societal mechanisms.
The meeting centered on topics such as youth outreach, stakeholder engagement, and leveraging resources. The participants were able to exchange ideas and information on how to best optimize what will now be community resources among these organizations. When asked how she expects this meeting to impact WGLI’s work, Diana had this to say:
“These leaders are now part of our community… Any time they ask for something… we will reach out and help them locate a connection or resource. As an organization we will provide them with leadership development education to customize for their young leaders and women.”
An inspirational moment for Diana was when the participants connected as a community themselves: “Regardless of gender, country of origin or socio-economic background – we were united by [a] deep-seeded value that fueled our convictions to serve, to provide access, to represent.”
Diana plans to continue the expansion of our community through future participation in the International Visitor Leadership Program. In this way, WGLI will persist in our objectives to elevate women on a global scale and ensure they have an effective path to leadership within their fields, organizations, and communities.
Authored by WGLI Editor Amy Breshears Contact Info: aebreshears@yahoo.com
Featured Azerbaijan Leaders include:
Ms. Gular ABBASLI Program Manager, Baku Community Space
Mr. Emin ABBASOV Human Rights Lawyer, Independent Lawyers Network Public Association
Ms. Sabina AGHAYEVA Project Coordinator, Akinchi Media Platform
Ms. Leyla HASANOVA Co-Editor, Researcher, and Analyst, QueeRadar
Ms. Narmin KAMILSOY Project Coordinator, Human Rights House Network Osl
