Voices to End FGM/C Website

Voices to End FGM/C Cohort #8 Online Digital Storytelling Screening
2024-03-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Please join Sahiyo, Asian Women’s Shelter, and Silence Speaks for an online screening premiere of new work from Voices to End FGM/C! We’ll share nine videos, offer an overview of our participatory storytelling methodology, and facilitate a Q&A session with some of the storytellers whose work will be showcased.

Date: Wednesday March 27, 10 am Pacific / 1 pm Eastern, U.S. time.

Register now to reserve your spot!

Survivors Speak: Stories of Healing and Action
2023-11-28 19:00 - 20:00 UTC
Please join Sahiyo, Asian Women’s Shelter, and Silence Speaks for an informal one-hour webinar on trauma-informed storytelling to address gender-based violence.
For more than a decade, we’ve been supporting survivors of domestic violence, female genital cutting and mutilation, and other forms of abuse in sharing their stories as short digital videos. In recognition of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (November 25-December 10), we’ll be sharing stories from this body of work and offering an overview of our trauma-informed theory and practice.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 28, 4 pm Pacific / 7 pm Eastern (U.S.)
Register now to reserve your spot,and please share this announcement with friends and colleagues!

Gulabi Stories to host screening of Voices to End FGM/C videos
2023-09-05 19:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
We invite you to join our interactive discussion on the Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling project. This project is mobilizing a critical mass of storytellers and activists from across the globe by bringing people together to share and heal from their experiences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), connect and grow as leaders in their own communities, and create short videos calling for an end to this harmful practice. During this session, we will get a chance to watch some videos and talk more about this harmful practice and how it impacts those living in the U.S. as well. This screening and discussion will be hosted by Gulabi Stories in collaboration with Sahiyo, StoryCenter, and Asian Women’s Shelter.
Register today: https://tinyurl.com/33pwnev3
Date: Tuesday, September 5th
Time: 7 to 8:30 pm ET / 4 to 5:30 pm PT

In-person Day 3 & 4 - Voices to End FGM/C Cohort #8 - Hybrid Digital Storytelling Workshop
2023-08-26 08:00 - 2023-08-27 17:00 UTC
Sahiyo and StoryCenter are happy to announce we’re hosting our first hybrid-format Voices to End FGM/C Digital Storytelling Workshop this August 2023! During this workshop, each participant will learn to create their own video through the use of voiceover audio, still images, and video clips. This participatory media process will be guided by facilitators from Sahiyo, StoryCenter, and Asian Women’s Shelter.
Online Workshop Dates: Tues, Aug 15th & Tue, Aug 22nd (via Zoom)
In-person Workshop Dates: Sat, Aug 26th & Sun, Aug 27th
In-person Workshop Location: Oakland, California.
Who Can Apply: Individuals living in the U.S. who have experienced FGM/C, as well as family members, friends, advocates, and others living in the U.S. who would like to share a story about the impact of FGM/C in their lives.
Application Link: https://bit.ly/VoicesWorkshop2023.
Application Deadline: June 1st
TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE for all who are accepted into the program and in need of financial support to attend the workshop!
To learn more about the Voices workshop experience, watch our behind the scenes video.

Online Day 2- Voices to End FGM/C Cohort #8 - Hybrid Digital Storytelling Workshop
2023-08-22 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)

Online - Day 1 Voices to End FGM/C Cohort #8 - Hybrid Digital Storytelling Workshop
2023-08-15 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)

International Digital Storytelling Conference 2023
2023-06-20 08:00 - 2023-06-23 17:00 UTC | Washington D.C.
Voices to End FGM/C: Using Personal Storytelling for Women’s Rights Advocacy
For centuries, individuals around the world have been reluctant to talk openly about the women’s rights violation of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), for fear of being ostracized by their communities, labeled as victims, or jeopardizing their relationships with loved ones implicated in the practice. Since 2018, Voices to End FGM/C, a collaboration of Sahiyo and StoryCenter’s Silence Speaks initiative on human rights, has used a trauma-informed approach to engage survivors and activists in the U.S. and around the world in telling their personal stories of FGM/C. Voices supports storytellers in healing, connecting in solidarity, and growing as leaders in the movement calling for an end to FGM/C. In a panel moderated by Voices co-founder Mariya Taher at the International Digital Storytelling Conference 2023, the following individuals will highlight the value of our work within health, criminal justice, and community support contexts:
Karen McDonnell, faculty, George Washington University. Karen coordinated a Voices workshop focused on the health impacts of FGM/C and is an expert on training health providers on the issue.
Angela Peabody, Executive Director, Global Women Peace Foundation. Angela, born and raised in Liberia, is a Voices alumna who has for years been listening to women share their stories of FGM/C.
Sunshine Bayor, Voices workshop participant. Bayor, born and raised in Chad, attended the health-focused Voices workshop and will share her experience of telling her story of FGM/C. (Additional panelists to be determined based on whether or not they can travel to the conference.)

Voices to End FGM/C Fall 2022 Cohort Video Screening
2023-05-09 16:00 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
On May 9th, at 4:00 PM EDT, we’ll be hosting a screening of the newest Voices to End FGM/C videos, developed out of Sahiyo, Asian Women’s Shelter, and StoryCenter’s October-December 2022 digital storytelling workshop with survivors and advocates against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Along with viewing these poignant stories, some of which have yet to be released to the public, attendees will hear from some of the storytellers themselves about their experiences.
Since January 2021, due to limited in-person events resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Sahiyo and StoryCenter have hosted digital storytelling workshops on a virtual platform. In the fall of 2022, we invited 7 U.S.-based advocates and/or survivors of FGM/C to share their stories. The Asian Women’s Shelter also collaborated with us for this workshop. The Voices to End FGM/C project supports storytellers in sharing and healing from experiences of FGM/C, connecting and growing as leaders in their own communities, and creating short videos calling for an end to this harmful practice.
Amy Hill (StoryCenter), Mariya Taher (Sahiyo), and Orchid Pusey (AWS) will moderator this event. Our panelists include storytellers Catherine Cox and Farrah Dalal.

Register here: https://bit.ly/Fall2022Screening

Voices To End FGM/C Fall 2022 Workshop Videos Closed Screening
2023-03-28 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
On March 28 – 7 to 8:30 pm ET / 4 to 5:30 pm PT Sahiyo will host a closed screening of our newest Voices to End FGM/C videos for those participants who took part in our Voices to End FGM/C Digital Storytelling Workshop in Oct/Nov 2022.
Zoom Link will be sent to all participants.

Voices to End FGM/C 7-week virtual digital storytelling workshop
2022-10-24 - 2022-11-28 | Zoom
The application for our fall 2022 Voices to End FGM/C online digital storytelling workshop is open! The workshop is scheduled for 4-6 pm Pacific / 7-9 pm Eastern (U.S. time), on six Mondays starting Monday, October 24 and continuing through Monday, December 5, 2022 (no meeting Monday, November 21, Thanksgiving week). It’s open to those who have experienced FGM/C, as well as family members, friends, advocates, and others who would like to share a story about why it needs to end. During the workshop, each participant will learn to create their own simple video through the use of voiceover audio, still images, and video clips. This participatory media process will be guided by facilitators from Sahiyo and StoryCenter.
If you’re interested in taking part, please fill out an application by Friday, October 7, 2022.
Here is the application URL: https://bit.ly/VoicesFall2022Application
Following the workshop, Sahiyo will support storytellers in publicly sharing their videos as part of our ongoing education and advocacy work to end FGM/C. If you would like more information about this powerful storytelling experience, please email Mariya Taher at mariya@sahiyo.org.To see digital stories from previous “Voices to End FGM/C” workshops, click here.

Voices to End FGM/C 2022: Spring Cohort Digital Story Screening
2022-08-24 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Join us for a screening of the Spring 2022 Voices to End FGM/C Videos from Sahiyo and Storycenter!

About this event

On Wednesday, August 24th, at 3 pm ET we’ll be hosting a screening of the newest Voices to End FGM/C videos, developed out of Sahiyo and StoryCenter’s Spring 2022 digital storytelling workshop with survivors and/or advocates of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Along with a viewing of these poignant stories, some of which have yet to be released to the public, attendees will get the chance to hear from some of the storytellers themselves about their work and their journey.
Voices to End FGM/C (Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting), a digital storytelling project created by StoryCenter and Sahiyo, aims to mobilize a critical mass of storytellers and activists from across the globe. Voices brings people together to share and heal from their experiences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), connect and grow as leaders in their own communities, and create short videos calling for an end to this harmful practice.

Jan/Feb 2022 Voices Cohort internal screening
2022-07-13 07:00 - 09:00 UTC
Our 6thVoices Cohort has completed its digital stories! Before we release them to the public, we will be hosting an internal screening for all alumni of the 6th cohort who attended the Jan/Feb 2022 digital storytelling workshop virtually.

Virtual Voices Alumni Reunion - Game Night
2022-07-08 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Sahiyo will be hosting a virtual reunion for all Voices To End FGM/C Alumni on July 13th. Our goal for this event is to continue to foster connection and community between our storytellers. We will be playing games and spending some getting to know one another across the 6 cohorts.
If you are alumni of the Voices to End FGM/C project and would like to join, email info@sahiyo.org for Zoom details.
