Independent Women Meeting - March 2008

Regional Meeting - 7th to 9th March 2008

Independent Women Meeting Australasia

Independent Women Meeting North America

Independent Women Meeting Europe - The Witches Council

Regional Meeting Locations:
     Australasia: Cochin, Kerala, India
     Europe: Brugge, Belgium
     North America: Chicago, IL, USA

Regional Meeting Dates:
     Australasia: March 7th - 9th 2008
     Europe: March 7th - 9th 2008
     North America: March 7th - 9th 2008

The Beginning

So I wonder, this is maybe totally crazy and impossible to arrange, but wouldn't it be fun if we tried to arrange an Independent Women Meeting?! :D - Tota, 6/10/2007

This is how it all began, with a simple and ambitious post from Tota, known on CouchSurfing as Tota and Fhein. Positive comments congratulating her great idea immediately flowed in and the project was born. One user stepped up and suggested adding regional meetings to the global idea. Another came forward with possible dates while even more suggested a subgroup, event organization skills, and some light web-savvy. As of today we have 20 members in the Independent Women Meeting subgroup who are committed to making this dream happen.

The Independent Women group is the 4th most active group under the People category on CouchSurfing. Women come here to discuss topics ranging to and from silly moments, safety while traveling, postcard exchanges, lessons learned to be a better host, and the desire to drop all commitments and just travel! It is therefore no surprise that such a group would embark on this momentous, if slightly difficult (however very rewarding) journey to unite the corners of the globe in sisterhood.

But what are the specifics, exactly...?

Specifics

Global Meeting

Global Meeting Location: Kerala, Mumbai, Goa, India / Thailand / Malaysia (most likely in India)
Global Meeting Attendees: Undecided

Map

Example of Map

This map serves many purposes. First of all, it lists all of the current members of the Independent Women Meeting group and gives both their real name and username, when both are available. It also pinpoints their location on a global map. What better way is there to see where all of these wonderful women are in relation to each other? The moderators Tota and Kalliope are mapped in green while the other members are mapped in blue.

Secondly, the map lists possible meeting locations with a yellow airplane symbol. If you click on the airplane, you will see estimated flight costs from each of the women's regional locations. (So far only Austin, Chicago, and Köln.) The costs are given in American dollars, do not include taxes, and were all made with the website www.cheapoair.com. Better and worst deals are likely to be found elsewhere. This will be a simple way to judge the fairness of meeting locations and will become even more useful when the global meeting location is chosen. Members may also choose to travel by train or automobile when possible.

The map can only be modified by Brittany (username Lorenallen) because it is linked through her personal gmail account. Any suggestions, additions, or corrections to be made on the map can be sent to her profile here.

Access map here.

Agenda

Everyone loves a party, but what kind of terrible waste would gathering all of these lively ladies together be if we did not have any goals to accomplish? The following ideas have been proposed as agenda topics to fill the spaces between our introductions, food, and fun.

1. CS Specific Gender Issues:
    a. Safety for Female Travelers
    b. Female Representation in CS Leadership
    c. Writing Honest and Helpful References
2. Strengthening the IW Community
    a. Ensuring CS Women are Aware of the Group
3. Cultural Differences

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