Mothers from around the world are raising their voices and rallying their social networks as one of the most powerful forces for positive change for women and children. Beginning on International Women’s Day, moms and their friends came together as part of an innovative series of online conversations to share stories, advice, and inspiration about motherhood as part of the Global Mom Relay, a revolutionary virtual relay with a goal of improving the lives of women and children around the globe.
Created by the United Nations Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, BabyCenter, The Huffington Post, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Mom Relay unites the power of mothers with the power of social media to raise awareness and funds to improve the health and welfare of mothers and children globally. This “virtual relay” consists of 60 days of online conversations, bringing together networks of people around the world to join in the relay by commenting, sharing stories, making donations, and taking action. It represents a movement of people who are anxiously engaged in the face of startling statistics about women’s and children’s health—nearly 7 million children under the age of 5 will die from preventable diseases each year, and every two minutes, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy. The Global Mom Relay will connect people to take action and change these statistics.
The next to last event of the Global Mom Relay concluded in the Mom+Social Conference on May 8th in New York City held at the Tribeca campus of the 92Y, and coincided with the launch of Save the Children’s annual State of the World’s Mothers report. The purpose of the event was to gather and share the top issues that women and men shared through the global conversation that ensued.
The line-up of speakers ranged from superstar celebrities who give back, like Jennifer Lopez, Christy Turlington Burns, and Brandy, to dignitaries like the first lady of the United Nations Mrs. Ban Soon-Taek and Ariel Pablos-Mendez of USAID. With poets, artists, and innovators in between, topics ranged from global health solutions and the emerging role of cell phones, to empowering women from the inside out. At the time of the conference the Global Mom Relay had inspired over 850,000 shares, with a day and a half yet to go.
Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles delivered the keynote address, presenting the findings of the agency’s 2013 State of the World’s Mothers report. The results were staggering. According to the report section, “Surviving the First Day,” it is estimated that every year more than 1 million babies die on the day they are born, making a baby’s birth day the most dangerous day of life in almost every country in the world—including the United States. The goal of the Save the Children Foundation is to eradicate these concerning statistics through social media. Miles firmly stated that “Digital media and technology are becoming increasingly powerful tools to improve the health of moms and their babies.”
With current statistics on social media use, it is no wonder why Miles’ organization, along with the others taking part in the Mom Globally Relay, are using social media as their primary outlet. According to report released by BabyCenter, a leading pregnancy and parenting mobile and web destination, moms are 20 percent more likely to use social media than the general population. Ninety-one percent of moms now use social media regularly—a 20 percent increase since 2010.
Moms are one of the most powerful forces in our world. They shape the future of our society by looking after the health, perspective, and opportunities for families, communities, and the world. And digital media has given mothers everywhere new opportunities to share, learn, advocate, and create change for the health and security of their families—and for other mothers worldwide. The power of social media as power for change was evident, and the message of the day was that it is up to all of us to do what we can to bring attention and promote action towards the goals for the future, and for the health of the world’s women and children.
Calie Hill is the assistant editor for the Diplomatic Courier. She graduated from Utah Valley University with a bachelor degree in Political Science and an emphasis in international relations.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2013 print edition.
a global affairs media network
Mom+Social Summit: Updating the Status of Women and Children's Healthcare Globally
July 11, 2013
Mothers from around the world are raising their voices and rallying their social networks as one of the most powerful forces for positive change for women and children. Beginning on International Women’s Day, moms and their friends came together as part of an innovative series of online conversations to share stories, advice, and inspiration about motherhood as part of the Global Mom Relay, a revolutionary virtual relay with a goal of improving the lives of women and children around the globe.
Created by the United Nations Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, BabyCenter, The Huffington Post, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Mom Relay unites the power of mothers with the power of social media to raise awareness and funds to improve the health and welfare of mothers and children globally. This “virtual relay” consists of 60 days of online conversations, bringing together networks of people around the world to join in the relay by commenting, sharing stories, making donations, and taking action. It represents a movement of people who are anxiously engaged in the face of startling statistics about women’s and children’s health—nearly 7 million children under the age of 5 will die from preventable diseases each year, and every two minutes, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy. The Global Mom Relay will connect people to take action and change these statistics.
The next to last event of the Global Mom Relay concluded in the Mom+Social Conference on May 8th in New York City held at the Tribeca campus of the 92Y, and coincided with the launch of Save the Children’s annual State of the World’s Mothers report. The purpose of the event was to gather and share the top issues that women and men shared through the global conversation that ensued.
The line-up of speakers ranged from superstar celebrities who give back, like Jennifer Lopez, Christy Turlington Burns, and Brandy, to dignitaries like the first lady of the United Nations Mrs. Ban Soon-Taek and Ariel Pablos-Mendez of USAID. With poets, artists, and innovators in between, topics ranged from global health solutions and the emerging role of cell phones, to empowering women from the inside out. At the time of the conference the Global Mom Relay had inspired over 850,000 shares, with a day and a half yet to go.
Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles delivered the keynote address, presenting the findings of the agency’s 2013 State of the World’s Mothers report. The results were staggering. According to the report section, “Surviving the First Day,” it is estimated that every year more than 1 million babies die on the day they are born, making a baby’s birth day the most dangerous day of life in almost every country in the world—including the United States. The goal of the Save the Children Foundation is to eradicate these concerning statistics through social media. Miles firmly stated that “Digital media and technology are becoming increasingly powerful tools to improve the health of moms and their babies.”
With current statistics on social media use, it is no wonder why Miles’ organization, along with the others taking part in the Mom Globally Relay, are using social media as their primary outlet. According to report released by BabyCenter, a leading pregnancy and parenting mobile and web destination, moms are 20 percent more likely to use social media than the general population. Ninety-one percent of moms now use social media regularly—a 20 percent increase since 2010.
Moms are one of the most powerful forces in our world. They shape the future of our society by looking after the health, perspective, and opportunities for families, communities, and the world. And digital media has given mothers everywhere new opportunities to share, learn, advocate, and create change for the health and security of their families—and for other mothers worldwide. The power of social media as power for change was evident, and the message of the day was that it is up to all of us to do what we can to bring attention and promote action towards the goals for the future, and for the health of the world’s women and children.
Calie Hill is the assistant editor for the Diplomatic Courier. She graduated from Utah Valley University with a bachelor degree in Political Science and an emphasis in international relations.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2013 print edition.
