This blog has moved

Posted by Alia on Thursday, April 29, 2010

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Emerge Global Founder is a finalist for 2010 DOSomething Award!

Posted by AEI-Brookings Redistricting Reform Project on Thursday, April 08, 2010

Congratulations to our Founder, Alia Whitney-Johnson! She is one of fifteen finalists for the 2010 DOSomething Awards.

Do Something Awards are given to pivotal "do-ers" in their field, cause, or issue.

Five of the finalists will go on to be rewarded with a community grant, participation in a live VH1 TV show, media coverage and continued support from DoSomething.org!

We're so proud of you Alia! Good luck with the next round in May... Let's win this $100,000 for the girls of Emerge!

See DOSomething's Facebook post about Emerge Global and announcing Alia as a finalist here!

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Sale at the MIT Museum: April 9th from 6-8pm

Posted by Alia on Thursday, April 08, 2010

Dear Boston-area friends,

Come out and support Emerge Global while learning about the latest international innovations emerging from MIT! Emerge Global is hosting a jewelry sale tomorrow night in conjunction with International Development Night @ the MIT Museum. Come out and see the girls latest creations, meet some of our new volunteers, and catch-up with our Founder, Alia, while she visits Boston from the UK!

Best of all, get ready for an exciting networking opportunity that promotes social awareness about pressing global issues such as poverty, public health, education, and mobility.

5th Annual
International Development Night @ the MIT Museum
Building N51/265 Massachusetts Avenue
TOMORROW! Friday, April 9th
6pm-8pm

Hosted by the MIT International Development Network (IDN) and run in collaboration with the Harvard International Development Conference (IDC): http://www.harvard-idc.com/

We cordially invite you, your family, and friends to this inspirational evening of discovery and fun. Light refreshments will be served.

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Who's Who at Emerge Global: Introducing Six New Emerginistas!

Posted by Alia on Wednesday, April 07, 2010

We are excited to say that we have six new dynamic Emerginistas joining the Emerge Global team. Learn about them below!

Betsy Greer - Communications Director
Betsy Greer is a writer, researcher and maker who has spent the past 7 years writing about the therapeutic benefits of craft and activism. In combining these two forces to form craftivism, she has helped open a global conversation on how creativity and positive change can help both individuals and communities. After spending a decade moving between England and North Carolina she received her MA in 2004 at Goldsmiths College and now lives in the southeast US. Believing in Emerge Global's mission to use creativity as a tool of transformation and therapy, she's excited to use her communications experience to help it, and those involved, grow.

Safia Ktiri-Idrissi - Sponsorship Coordinator

Safia Ktiri-Idrissi is originally from Casablanca, Morocco. She graduated from Texas A&M University-Kingsville with a Bachelor of Science in International Business Management. In college, she was a Resident Advisor and a member of the Women's Enrichment Committee as well as the Gender Equity Committee. While living in San Antonio, Texas, she was a Big Sister in the Big Brother Big Sister Organization. She is currently employed as a Contract Specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture Livestock and Seed Commodity Procurement Branch in Washington, DC. She is a self-starter with an optimistic outlook on life. Her passion lies in her belief that a woman should always have a choice and the means to support herself and her decisions. She embraces Emerge Global's mission to give girls practical skills to not only assist in generating a fund source but also to give them a voice and power over their destiny.

Morgan Sacco - Operations Director
Morgan grew up in the greater Sacramento, CA region and is a recent graduate of Boston University. In the fall, she will begin pursing her Master’s degree in public affairs. During her youth, she spent many summers visiting her grandmother in Westchester County, outside of New York City. It was that experience and the encouragement from her father that led her to Boston University. While studying economics and international relations, she interned for Congresswoman Doris Matsui and at the African Presidential Archives and Research Center. She was drawn to Emerge Global, inc. because of its unique and effective method of lifting young women out of poverty by using their own skills. Furthermore, Morgan is excited to employ her creativity and good eye for design while making strategic decisions in sales, marketing, and product development.

Rachel Sceviour - Sales and Administrative Officer
Rachel Sceviour is currently working at Harvard University as a Staff Assistant for Transportation and Administration and Finance. Rachel previously worked at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts as the assistant for the Medical Director and VP of Clinical Services. She has also been involved in Massachusetts politics working on numerous campaigns and interning in Congress. She is excited to be getting involved with an organization that is so clearly passionate about reaching out and helping young girls who have survived abuse and rape and being able to be a part of their path to self discovery and empowerment.

Balimkiz Senman - Outreach Officer
Balimkiz Senman was born and raised until the age of 11 in Ankara, Turkiye. She recently graduated from Wellesley College in May '09, completing a major in Neuroscience. She currently works in the Pathology department of Harvard Medical School as a research assistant and hopes to start medical school in September 2011. She first became involved with Emerge Global in 2008 and has been working to establish a chapter at Wellesley College. This year, as the Outreach Officer, she hopes to widen this goal and initiate the involvement of other campuses across the US.


Wendy Wen - Strategic Partnerships Officer
Wendy Wen currently works as an Analyst at The Blackstone Group in its Technology Mergers and Acquisitions Group, where she helps corporate clients explore a range of strategic issues such as entering new markets, competitive positioning, and maximizing shareholder value. Previously, Wendy worked as a summer analyst in the Industrials Investment Banking Group at Goldman Sachs.

Wendy graduated MIT in June 2009 with a dual B.S. in Economics and Management Science. At MIT, Wendy was the co-founder and Director of External Relations for MIT International Development Consulting (MIT IDC), a student-run organization that provides MIT students with the opportunity to work on NGO-backed international development projects. Wendy had also served as President of American Red Cross Team and Network (ARCTAN), where she helped organize blood drives, CPR/First Aid classes, and monthly trips to volunteer at the local food pantry. In addition, Wendy is highly involved in Alpha Phi Sorority, where she currently serves as Alumni Advisor and previously served as Director of Marketing Alpha Phi and Director of Alumnae Relations. Wendy is passionate about Emerge Global's mission and is eager to apply her professional and business skills int his developmental and entrepreneurial context.

Oldies but goodies
Yes, the rest of us are still around too... :)

Nirukshi de Lanerolle - Bead Program Coordinator, Emerge Lanka Foundation
Ellen Sojka - Strategic Advisor, Emerge Global
Lyndz Steeves - President of MIT Emerge Global Chapter
Rachael Pool - Sri Lanka Country Director, Emerge Global
Jennifer Van Winkle - Programs Director, Emerge Global
Raffaela Wakeman - Director of Resource Development, Emerge Global
Alia Whitney-Johnson - Executive Director, Emerge Global

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MIT Emerge Global College Chapter

Posted by lyndzsteeves on Monday, March 29, 2010

Hi Everyone!


My name is Lyndz Steeves and I am a junior at MIT, double majoring in Urban Studies & Planning and Political Science. I am currently the President/Treasurer of the MIT Emerge Global College Chapter, and I am excited to announce that we have a a very wonderful and dedicated team of officers this year, who have some great ideas for our chapter's growth and impact on campus! Check it out :)



Hi! I'm Grace Yao, a junior in biology here at MIT. I am the Public Relations Officer for the Emerge Chapter this term, which means I will be working on establishing graphic images for the organization and creating flyers and other materials to promote events. Hopefully, the MIT Emerge chapter will grow this semester and find sustainable support within the faculty and administration, as well as continue to have successful sales on campus!



Hi, my name is Pia Pal. I'm a senior at MIT double majoring in Electrical Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences. This term, I'll be the Lotus Table Director for the Emerge Chapter, which means that I'll be looking into organizing a roundtable event meant to foster discussion about issues around women's rights and roles in international development. I'm really excited about it, and am hoping that eventually we might be able to even organize a bigger event that includes other institutions in the area in the coming terms.


Hi, My name is Danielle Whited and I am a junior at MIT majoring in Mechanical Engineering. For the Spring '10 semester, I am serving as the Fundraising Coordinator for the EG Chapter. I am super excited for our upcoming bake sale this semester, and we are already considering a much larger project for the Fall term involving a movie screening and all the women's groups on campus! Stay tuned for some exciting events!

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Celebrating International Women's Day with WIN

Posted by AEI-Brookings Redistricting Reform Project on Sunday, March 14, 2010

On March 8, International Women's Day, Emerge Global was invited to celebrate with the WIN Nonprofit Network in Washington, D.C. We've got quite a contingent in the D.C. area nowadays, and so this event was the perfect opportunity to introduce Emerge Global to the area. I sold jewelry with the help of Natalie, an Emerge Board member, Brittany, a WIN volunteer, and our newest Emerginista, Safia. I also gave a presentation about Emerge Global (my first Emerge presentation! I was quite nervous).

In addition to our gracious hosts, the WIN Nonprofit Network and the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, we were fortunate to have as a venue the historic Sewall-Belmont House, which was a very appropriate location, given the occasion.

WIN organized a great evening, with inspiring speeches by Sima Osdoby, Senior Partner of Global Concepts & Communications, and Kathy Korman Frey, the Chief Hot Mamma of the Hot Mammas Project. What a great way to introduce Emerge Global to Washington, D.C.!

A big thank you to the incredible women of WIN, George Washington University, the Sewall-Belmont House, and of course everyone who came to celebrate International Women's Day with Emerge Global! Read more »

Thank you, Vagina Monologues@MIT!

Posted by AEI-Brookings Redistricting Reform Project on Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Here at Emerge Global, we're always looking for new ways to participate in the local community. This month, we had the opportunity to be the beneficiary of MIT's production of the Vagina Monologues! The Vagina Monologues brings together a diverse group of people from the MIT community, with vastly different backgrounds and interests, united under the common goal to stop violence against women. All proceeds from the MIT production go to local anti-violence organizations helping them to continue and expand their core work. Grassroots movements like V-Day have made significant progress to educate the public and raise awareness about the impact of violence against women. The Vagina Monologues joins their efforts. Hosted on Valentine's Day weekend, the MIT chapter of Emerge represented Emerge Global at the Vagina Monologues productions, selling Emerge jewelry and answering questions during the event.



We are happy to say that the Vagina Monologues was a huge success this year, selling many more tickets than last year and raising $8100 for Emerge Global! We also sold $253 dollars of jewelry and spread the word through a large stack of pass-it-on cards. The crowd consisted of dedicated Emerginistas as well as many new faces, so our story touched hundreds of new hearts. Our supporters loved our new, bold colors and tags, and were especially excited to hear that we had expanded our program! The Vagina Monologues volunteers staffed our booth on Saturday and Sunday and did an excellent job, with very little prep, so a huge "Thank you!"

Thank you to everyone who attended the event and to the production staff. Everyone at Emerge Global is so grateful for your support! Read more »