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International Movement for Resilience, Authenticity, and Activism (IMRAA): A Coalition of Women for Women

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  • Catherine Meadows
  • Fatima Baloul
  • Amna Baloul

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I.M.R.A.A. Co-Founders:

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Dual Meaning

  • Imra’a (امرأة) = Woman in Arabic

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  • I’m Raw= I’m authentic and at my most natural state of being

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Background

  • In each of our personal life journeys, we often seek to express the most genuine, liberated version of ourselves.

  • Females experience universal themes of challenges in life, simply in different contexts. Yet, these difficulties are more often kept inside of us from fear of judgement.

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  • Thus, the act of acknowledging, sharing, and connecting on the premise of these universal themes is a powerful experience which normalizes these hardships and empowers us to limitlessly move forward.

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Purpose

  • To exist as an inclusive organization which welcomes culture, religions, race, ethnicity, political views, etc. to unite and connect on the basis of female empowerment

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  • To empower females towards embracing their innate greatness and fostering the most powerful, authentic versions of themselves.

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  • To provide females with the mental tools for navigating common societal pressures

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MISSION STATEMENT

To promote mindfulness and action towards female empowerment via international youth-led clubs and initiatives in order to develop the rising generation of women around the world.

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Defining Key Words

  • Re·sil·ience: The ability to recover and experience personal growth from adversities in life in various forms; buoyancy

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  • Authenticity: The quality true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.

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  • Activism: The practice of intentional action or involvement in order to bring about social change .

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Framework

  • Mindfulness- A form of meditation which is best defined as an awareness that forms through paying careful and purposeful attention towards the present moment without judgement (“Jon Kabat-Zinn: Defining Mindfulness,” 2017).

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  • United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)- A set of 17 goals selected by leaders globally at the United Nations in 2015 in order to improve the world in specific ways by 2030 (“Sustainable Development Goals,” n.d.).

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UN Sustainable Development Goals

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Structure & Activities

  • Sisters Discuss
    • Circle discussions centered around a prevalent theme chosen by IMRAA members in which the topic is first led and presented in any form, a discussion is carried out, and a tangible outcome/ action-oriented method to address the issue is ultimately shared

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  • Guest Speakers

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  • Self- defense courses

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  • Mindfulness Retreat

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  • Documentaries with follow-up guided discussions

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  • Suggestions from everyone!

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Sisters Discuss Example Topics

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  • Self-love & elevating confidence
  • Forgiveness towards others and the self
  • The power of “I am”
  • Body positivity
  • Social media & mental health
  • Mental health & navigating life through mindfulness (Anxiety, Depression, etc.)
  • Selfishness vs. putting yourself first
  • Self-comparison (in person, social media, etc)
  • The Law of Attraction
  • The importance of gratitude
  • Manifestations

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Tangible Outcome Examples

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  • Each Sisters Discuss will incorporate tangible practices/ actions to come away with for students to incorporate into their own life, such as:
    • Positive Affirmations
    • Guided Meditations
    • Vision Boarding
    • Journaling techniques based on the Law of Attraction

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IMRAA Branches In Progress

  • Thomas A. Edison High School
    • Fatima Baloul

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  • University of Virginia
    • Tehmeena Salahin

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  • University of Dayton
    • Kylie Moellering

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Trajectory--- The Bigger Picture

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  • To become a Non-Profit Organization and network of groups centered around female empowerment and individualized based on the specific needs of a female community

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Global Implementation

  • Individualized chapters which meet the needs and desires of each community, united by female empowerment
    • Select a key focus area/areas which are most pertinent to your female community
    • Select activities which are most relevant to your chapter and develop new activities as needed
  • Develop a committee of board members
    • Available IMRAA constitution
  • Present to your institution!

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International Pilot Project

  • Create & connect international female empowerment clubs across the USA and Ghana in order to :
    • Provide a support network of women for women
    • Co-launch campaigns and initiatives
    • Encourage global citizenship

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Social Media

  • Group Page on Facebook
    • Search IMRAA: International Movement for Resilience, Authenticity, and Activism
  • Instagram
    • @imraaatwm
  • LinkedIn
    • https://www.linkedin.com/company/imraa-the-international-movement-for-resilience-authenticity-activism/?viewAsMember=true
  • New website
    • https://imraacoalition.wixsite.com/imraa
  • Blogging our progress on Teens Dream
    • Non Profit; The Global Colab Network
    • Empower youth to achieve the UN Sustainable Development goals
    • https://www.teensdreamcolab.org/

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Social Media

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  • New website!

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  • Blogging our progress on Teens Dream
    • Non Profit; The Global Colab Network
    • Empower youth to achieve the UN Sustainable Development goals
    • https://www.teensdreamcolab.org/

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Thank you!

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Any Questions?

Comments?