World Partnerships, Inc.

The group of eight professional women could not have been more diverse; yet their stories could not have been more aligned. Each had fought systems opposed to their authentic selves, suspicious of their indigenous cultures and wary of their desire for education and advancement. And each was heroic, in her own right. Once again, we had the distinct honor of hosting Hidden No More, a celebration of women in STEM (and STEAM) whose collective talent, intellect and willpower creates real change, worldwide. This IVLP program identifies cohorts of promising women in STEM worldwide, and immerses them in United States systems. After Tampa Bay, they were heading to Boston to tour MIT. Representing Samoa, Kazakhstan, Ghana, Nepal, Italy, Australia, Brazil Mauritius, the women joined us in Tampa Bay to meet scientists, academics, artists, innovation strategists…even a woman astronaut. They also took time to impart their own wisdom. A shared generosity of spirit was evident in a reception sponsored by the St Pete chapter of Women in Tech & Entrepreneurship. Hosted at our shared space, Thrive DTSP, the evening featured empowering thoughts about resilience and passion. Exchanges between women here and their global counterparts were exciting to witness. Each of the visitors also shared their advice to young STEM thinkers. Noted Tiahni from Australia: “We collectively have agreed to never tear down other women, only to build them up. I see the sign in this room. Together we thrive. It’s just so true.” Added our Samoan entrepreneur: “When we paddle together, we paddle further.” #IVLP #ThriveDTSP

World Partnerships’ mission is made so real, every time we welcome a new group to Tampa Bay. In September of 2023, 24 working journalists from 23 countries spent an intense few days exploring current trends in media in the United States…and discussed parallels with their own home countries. We’re very proud of participant Aniekeme Finbarr of Nigeria, whose proposal was selected to receive the United States Department of State IVLP Impact Award. The distinction supports his efforts to launch a training program for 60 Nigerian journalists. Finbarr credits much of his success to contacts forged here with Al Tompkins, retired Senior Faculty, The Poynter Institute For Media Studies Inc, Robert Lorei, Managing Editor, at Florida This Week, WEDU-TV, mike deeson, founder of Deeson Media and retired WTSP-CBS senior investigative reporter, and @Mohamed Maher, U.S. correspondent for Egyptian media outlet, AlMasry AlYoum. Check out this article to understand more about Finbarr’s experience and award-winning project:https://lnkd.in/eEbr_feX