MUSE CONFERENCE 2018
Each year, Muse Conference brings together an amazing array of visionaries, artists, global thought leaders, and every-day activists. This year was no different. In the morning we heard from an 11 year old journalist in Palestine, and we closed the afternoon with a 96 year old activist who is still going strong. Each year, I am in awe of all the ways our presenters are creating positive change in their lives, in their communities and in our the world. Some are front-line activists, others are artists, teachers, athletes, student leaders. Each year, I leave Muse Conference feeling more hopeful about the future, more committed to this work, and more grateful to be surrounded by so many who inspire me. Here is a brief recap of some of the inspiration shared by our Muse Conference 2018 presenters:
We muse be grateful for our ancestors.
Then find our passions, find our peeps, use our voice.
As long as we are breathing, we belong anywhere we damn well please.
We have to remember that we do have a voice, we just need to speak louder.
And show up.
And stick our big ass into places where people say we don’t belong.
As our teens reminded us, it’s their lives on the line.
Can we let the message of an 11 year old Palestinian activist fill our heart?
Women have voices that need to be heard.
Here I am a fiery girl, an honest and kind girl, underestimated, overjudged, my own hero at the end of the movie.
Many of us were awkward teens with awkward dreams.
Your voice doesn’t speak in proverbs on the first try.
Just meet, eat, and activate.
It ain’t nothing but a step for a stepper; you gotta keep on stepping.
Ask yourself this: where does your greatest joy intersect with the world’s greatest need…go there.
And be the light of kindness in the shitty, dark internet; indeed in the shitty, dark world.
We need human connection.
I wish when you were lonely, I could show you the astonishing light of your being.
We need to be loving to do this work.
This is a movement of mass healing.
We must keep a repository of joy because
Sometimes this work is overwhelming,
but we learn more when we make mistakes.
In the end as Betty says, “I think the secret is to live in the now…at 96 years old, I am continually living in a state of surprise.”
MEET THE MUSE: Reflections from Teen Muse Ella Knowlton
What inspired you to travel to Zambia?
I was inspired to travel to Zambia by a lifetime of wanting to do something influential with my life, to try and make a difference in somebody else’s’ life and when the opportunity arose I knew I had to take it.
Did the trip live up to your expectations? Explain.
The trip exceeded my expectations. From safaris to schools, each day was new and exciting.
MEET THE MUSE: Reflections from Teen Muse Charlie Stuermer
What inspired you to travel to Zambia?
My last trip to Africa really opened my eyes to a whole new culture and I really wanted to go back and experience that again.
Did the trip live up to your expectations? Explain.
It not only lived up to my expectations but ended up being my favorite trip I have ever gone on and something I will remember for the rest of my life.
What did you learn about issues affecting girls in rural Zambia?
I learned that in Zambian girls aren’t really accepted as equal when it comes to sports and to be a part of a team with girls in our group playing against the kids in the schools was super cool. The guys were amazed at how well they could play and they really began to accept them as part of the team.
MEET THE MUSE: Reflections from Teen Muse Vivian Nye
What inspired you to travel to Zambia?
I knew that I didn’t have much planned for summer, and I had heard a lot about the trip from a few different people, so I decided to apply. I think the idea of getting to work with girls and women was what really interested me.
Did the trip live up to your expectations? Explain.
Honestly, I didn’t have any strong expectations going into the trip, but I definitely had a good time! I felt like I got to have a lot of meaningful conversations as well as make new friends.
MEET THE MUSE: Reflections from Teen Muse Caroline Stuermer
What inspired you to travel to Zambia?
I went the previous year and the strong connections that I made with all the kids in the schools that we visited inspired me to come back because almost every kid would ask “When will we see you again?”
Did the trip live up to your expectations? Explain.
The trip EXCEEDED my expectations. I was surprised at how many activities were packed into each day and being my age, I get bored really easily but I was never bored on this trip. I was constantly taking in new information or being able to observe a completely different culture.
MEET THE MUSE: Reflections from Teen Muse Rohan Sinha
What inspired you to travel to Zambia?
This was my second trip to Zambia, so I will touch on what inspired me to go both this time and my first time. The first time I went, I wanted to see both the differences and similarities between my life and those who live in Zambia. I was shocked at the magnitude of both. Moreover, I was excited to be part of an incredibly strong group of women and to learn from great leaders from all over the world. This time, I was excited to revisit the places in which we left memories and to see our friends and locals – Tafara, the school children, and the progress made. Furthermore, I was intrigued by the idea of a teen-trip to Zambia; we had made a lot of advancement talking with the children from a more adult perspective, but how could we relate if we were all (basically) the same age? When considering from whom we can learn, both as travelers and the Zambians, it is important to learn from both adults and children. These questions, coupled with the incredible time I had during my first trip, the phenomenal local people, and the outstanding experience as a whole inspired me to travel back to Zambia.
MEET THE MUSE: A Conversation with Teen Muse Baronie Pardue
What inspired you to travel to Zambia?
I think what inspired me to go to Africa was that I really wanted to learn and experience a new culture. I’ve traveled around the world and I’ve seen so many place but never one quite like Africa.
Did the trip live up to your expectations?
The trip totally exceeded my expectations… I went with low expectations just ready to go with whatever happened and was prepared for the worst. But I never really felt uncomfortable or scared or anything. The whole thing was magical and a wonderful experience.
What did you learn about issues affecting girls in rural Zambia?
I think a problem is the absence of a proper sex education. I think that it’s really important to learn about you’re body so that you can be comfortable and these girls just didn’t really have that. And most of them also didn’t really have a parental figure to talk to and there was no one with a good knowledge to answer they’re important and basic questions.
MEET THE MUSE: Conversations with Teen Muse Will Stuermer
What inspired you to travel to Zambia?
My mother inspired me to travel to Zambia
Did the trip live up to your expectations?
The trip lived up to my expectations but was still very different then i thought it would be. The experience left me with a different sense of accomplishment than I expected.
What did you learn about issues affecting girls in rural Zambia?
I learned that the issues that affect girls in rural Zambia are actually very similar to the issues seen in the states, but they just have no place to talk about them and get help.
MEET THE MUSE: Conversations with Teen Muse Lauren Hough
What inspired you to travel to Zambia with World Muse?
Initially I was hesitant to go on the trip. I worried that the impact I would have as a young, white woman wouldn’t be well received and would feel meaningless. However what really kicked-started the wheels in my brain to go on the trip was hearing from Alice and Amy about their experiences working with girls in Zambia. Through Alice’s personal story I gained a better understanding of the situations and issues present in Zambia, and through Amy’s work I saw the ways that through listening and talking we could help bring awareness of the problems girls in Zambia are struggling with to both Zambia and the U.S.. Also, consistently talking to Amanda throughout the year about her experience kept the inspiration alive.
MEET THE MUSE: A Conversation with Teen Muse Lila Reinecke
What inspired you to travel to Zambia with World Muse?
Working on social empowerment projects for the last couple of years and focusing on girls’ and women’s empowerment, I realized I had been limiting myself to only the things I could see inside my community. I realized that there was this entire other level of discrimination against girls and women in other countries, and that if I wanted to have a real perspective I needed to go to the front lines and see how it truly is for some of these girls. I wanted to experience the similarities and differences between the cultures.
What did you learn about issues affecting girls in rural Zambia?
The issues affecting girls in rural Zambia are mind boggling. There are so many misconceptions and lies that they believe about their bodies, birth control, periods, and menstruation. So many things stood out to me I can’t even write them all down. A few were that no one uses tampons because they are told it means they are not pure and clean anymore and that it will hurt their bodies, and when I told them that I used tampons they looked genuinely concerned for my well being. Also a massive issue in rural Zambia is that when girls bleed they can’t go to school because they don’t have feminine hygiene products or they feel too sick. This got me really fired up because I realized that women in the U.S and first world countries use birth control even if they aren’t sexually active to stop or lessen their periods, but in Zambia that is so looked down upon because they think it means they are sexually active before marriage and that they will hurt their bodies and never be able to have babies.