Novel Webinars to Include Young Women in U.S.-Russia Diplomacy Addressing Gender-based Violence

    NEW YORK, NY, May 12, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Footage Project (Footage) announces the launch of WebinHERS, an innovative project using technology to connect American and Russian young women and professionals who work with them in dialogue and education on gender-based violence (GBV). Funded by a Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program Award from the United States Embassy in Moscow and implemented by Eurasia Foundation, the nonprofit organization will provide six interactive webinars throughout the fall of 2020. It will design the webinars based on human-centered design research conducted with hard-to-reach young women and NGOs across both countries. Official webinar dates will be released at webinhers.org.

In both the U.S. and Russia, young women are a vulnerable population. The World Health Organization reports that at least 29-31% of women ages 15-24 worldwide have experienced physical and sexual violence. Historically, in both countries, young women with marginalized identities are more vulnerable to GBV than others. WebinHERS will investigate and spread awareness of their needs surrounding GBV, as well as their voices, inclusion, and access to information in addressing the global pandemic.

"In a globalized world, WebinHERS establishes understanding, respect, interest, and need among participating young women. It serves as a model for future technology and resources for peer-to-peer diplomacy, 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," said Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton, Executive Director of Footage.

WebinHERS builds upon Footage's award-winning Girl-talk-Girl program, which brought young women and organizations from the U.S. and Russia together to raise awareness of GBV, foster dialogue, shift perspectives, and build sustainable skills in communication and leadership.

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

About Footage: Founded by 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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