Women Empowerment Alliance: Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Collaboration for a Sustainable Future

Women Empowerment Alliance: Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Collaboration for a Sustainable Future

The entrepreneurial spirit of eco-sustainability is driven by women. On March 8, a groundbreaking alliance emerges, bridging indigenous and non-indigenous women for the benefit of future generations.

Smily Academy, 08-03-2024

To contribute:: Gofundme

The rights of women are truly celebrated through impactful actions.

Today marks the commencement of a partnership between Smily Academy, the G7 Women’s official group, GammaDonna, B Women Italy, Way2Global, Dot Academy, and Goooders. This collaboration aims to support female empowerment, originating in Assam, India, and resonating globally.

Italy and Assam (India), March 7, 2024

One hundred women. Ten indigenous artisans leading ten female cooperatives, working together to create a regenerative development model. This collaboration involves significant Italian and international entities, overcoming cultural and gender barriers.

The visionary perspective of The Forest Man of India materializes in Smily Academy, featuring one of its 20 innovative eco-business projects dedicated to female empowerment. Cultivated in India, this initiative generates effects and alliances worldwide.

The initiative aims to engage organizations and individuals in the West, as well as the 400 million indigenous people across 90 countries represented by Smily Academy’s NGO, to invest collectively in the younger generation.

For the first time, International Women’s Day on March 8 is celebrated through a global project. Al Gore, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is actively involved through his Indian and South Asian network, planting five million trees in Assam, India. The G7 Engagement Group Women 7, along with GammaDonna, B Women Italy, Goooders, Way2Global, and Dot Academy, has adopted Smily’s project led by the young Indian, Devika Mohan, benefitting 100 indigenous women.

Female empowerment stands as a fundamental theme for climate and social justice. Smily Academy’s pact creates peaceful bridges for the youth worldwide.

The eco-business project focuses on 100 indigenous women creating new business models in the fashion and textile sectors in Assam, India. The legendary Forest Man of India, Jadav Payeng, who planted an entire forest in 40 years, states, “Where I planted a forest, with Claudia Laricchia and Rituraj Phukan, I am now planting a new human consciousness and an important culture. We are co-creating innovative youth-led eco-businesses to reverse current development models.“

The populations represented by Smily and the indigenous climate justice NGO live on an average of $5 per day and safeguard 85% of global biodiversity. The alliance with the West, combining technology and biodiversity, aims to support new generations for a regenerative future founded on a new entrepreneurial spirit.

After two months of project planning, Smily Academy will train the new entrepreneurial class in the field: seven days of training between Jorhat and Kaziranga National Park to finalize research and experiential learning.

The training is divided into four reconnection phases (the 4 S’s of Smily): with oneself (Soul), with others (Society), with the Planet (Soil), and with the joy of living and sharing (Smile: scale up and celebration). Iconic locations of indigenous populations serve as the perfect open-air schools to train the new generation of eco-entrepreneurs.

Kaziranga is one of the top 10 biologically richest natural parks on the planet, while the Jorhat jungle, the tea capital, is immersed in spirituality, biodiversity, and cultural diversity. Supporting this program means contributing to creating an alternative path to the current extractive reality, building a regenerative one where humans and nature can harmoniously coexist.

A new entrepreneurial spirit bets particularly on women and the youth, pivotal in constructing new paradigms and development methods, as well as addressing climate justice.

STATEMENTS FROM INVOLVED PARTNERS: adoptive families of female eco-business projects

Claudia Segre, Co-Chair of Woman 7, remarks: “This project represents an emblematic example of a regenerative development model, respecting indigenous populations in this area of India. It contributes effectively, not only in terms of environmental sustainability but especially in terms of financial involvement and empowerment of women organized in cooperatives.“

Martina Rogato, Co-Chair of Woman 7, emphasizes: “Climate justice is one of our priorities for the 2024 presidency. Supporting the fight against climate change also means addressing the needs of local communities and sharing experiences to support every person in expressing their full potential. This mentoring program will undoubtedly not be a unilateral learning process. We have much to learn, especially considering the crucial nature of indigenous knowledge for biodiversity preservation.”

An exchange and contamination of knowledge, skills, and know-how sees indigenous entrepreneurs alongside entities like GammaDonna, the Italian innovation community for business.

Valentina Parenti, President and co-founder of GammaDonna, states, “Supporting Smily represents our commitment to new generations and a new approach to sustainability, responding to the scenarios outlined at the recent World Economic Forum by over 3,000 decision-makers and 60 Heads of State. With systemic thinking and an inclusive spirit, as structured by Smily Academy, we are engaging the entrepreneurial excellences of our network, aligning their economic, environmental, social, and value interests with those of the 20 eco-businesses formed by Smily. It is a scalable exercise of collective intelligence that bodes well for the future.“

The adoptive families of Smily’s eco-businesses are also promoting crowdfunding through Gofundme, with the goal of enabling The Forest Man to execute the first experiential learning initiative.

Eva Geraldine Fontanelli, Founder of Goooders, expresses, “Supporting Smily Academy means offering support on product design and how to approach international markets. We will also facilitate collaborations and partnerships with other brands, making our marketplace available.”

Dot Academy, a hub for training and career guidance, is at the forefront of supporting Smily. Francesco Lamacchia, the founder, remarks, “The alliance with Smily Academy aligns with our commitment to sustainability. Supporting the vision of The Forest Man and Claudia Laricchia, who is internationally known for impactful climate actions, is an honor and a responsibility.“

Laura Gori, Founder of Way2Global and board member of B Women Italy, says, “Our company, working in the field of translations, embraced the UN declaration in 2017, recognizing translation as a sustainable activity. Our commitment to environmental care is now even stronger. Joining Smily’s call fully aligns with our mission and corporate vision.”

Claudia Laricchia, President and co-founder of Smily Academy, concludes, “Happy International Women’s Day! After this, we have four more before the climate collapse, according to science, provided we continue to do absolutely nothing about the climate emergency. That’s why we’ve decided to change everything, starting with ourselves. We believe there is nothing more sacred than life, more infinite than the spirit of human-nature connection.

“We are convinced that we must believe in science and research, which means acting accordingly, not just talking about it. Personally, I am only a tool in service of this great future experiment. I am proud and grateful to Western partners, international young talents, and the indigenous populations I represent in such an unprecedented way. I am grateful and proud, but frankly, I don’t think there are great alternatives. Everything is necessary now, and at four more days like this, I believe it’s quite urgent.“

SMILY ACADEMY

www.smilyacademy.org; info@smilyacademy.org
SMILY Academy (Sustainable Mindset and Inner Level for Youth) is a program of the NGO Indigenous People’s Climate Justice Forum, conceived and founded by Claudia Laricchia, Matteo Salerno, Rituraj Phukan, Jadav Molai Payeng, and Munmuni Payeng. It unites the Western world and that of the indigenous around shared values of a sustainable future and the co-design of regenerative development models grounded in a new human consciousness.

Press Office Smily Academy: Mirandola Comunicazione

Raffaele Castagno: raffaele@mirandola.net | +39 338 190 5078
Iacopo Mancini: iacopo.mancini@mirandola.net | +39 376 008 1513

08-03-2024

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