The Half the Sky Movement is cutting across platforms to ignite the change needed to put an end to the oppression of women and girls worldwide, the defining issue of our time. Inspired by journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book of the same name, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide brings together video, websites, games, blogs and other educational tools to not only raise awareness of women's issues, but to also provide concrete steps to fight these problems and empower women. Change is possible, and you can be part of the solution.
To date, supporters of the movement have donated more than $5 million to organizations helping women and girls; more than 1.1 million people have played the Facebook game; and more than 1,500 campus and community ambassadors have hosted screenings, held panel discussions, and educated members of their communities about the issues facing millions of women and girls and the inspiring individuals and organizations that are working for a fairer, freer world.
Issues
- Economic Empowerment
- Education
- Forced Prostitution
- Gender-based Violence
- Maternal Mortality
- Sex Trafficking
The Series
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide includes a four-hour film broadcast in the United States and abroad, shot in 10 countries: Cambodia, Kenya, India, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Liberia and the U.S. Traveling with intrepid reporter Nicholas Kristof and A-list celebrity advocates America Ferrera, Diane Lane, Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, Gabrielle Union and Olivia Wilde, the series introduces women and girls who are living under some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable — and fighting bravely to change them. Their intimate, dramatic and immediate stories of struggle reflect viable and sustainable options for empowerment and offer an actionable blueprint for transformation.
Half the Sky Broadcast partners share background about the process of filming "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide," including a note on the filming process.
Web
The Half the Sky Movement has two hubs for content on the Web, at PBS.org and halftheskymovement.org. These partner sites will feature new and original content as well as a blog, social media feeds, celebrity and crew diaries and up-to-date information about Kristof and WuDunn's continuing work related to the issues. Visitors can engage with the issues, connect with our 30+ partner NGOs and become advocates themselves.
Educational Tools
The project includes more than 20 short advocacy and educational videos on a variety of issues, in addition to the television series. These video modules were designed in partnership with the Half the Sky Movement and partner NGOs, and they will be used by these NGOs to engage constituencies, communities, local governments and opinion leaders on key gender issues. Each video covers a critical issue in a way that best serves the organization’s goals and helps to directly build their operational and outreach capacities.
Independent Lens ITVS Classroom Curriculum
For high school and college classrooms throughout the United States, the producers of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide are working with ITVS’s Community Classroom program to create dynamic educational resources to inspire young people to engage with the most pressing issues facing women and girls worldwide. Custom lesson plans will draw on content from the Half the Sky Movement website as well as the television program to provide a media rich learning experience that will connect students to the lives of the women and girls featured in the project with their own. Resources will include film modules and lesson plans based on each of the theme areas addressed in the mini-series.
Production
The PBS documentary Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide was produced by Show of Force along with Fugitive Films and Artemis Media Ventures. A new series is in development and will broadcast in fall 2014. Games for Change is producing the Facebook game, which launched in March 2013, along with mobile games.
