Paris in July - Week 1

Bienvenue a Paris en Juillet 2018. Welcome to Paris in July 2018. I'm so excited about the level of interest this year, with more than 20 participants now signed up. Merci. Thank you.

I started hosting this event with my friend Karen many years ago now as a trial to see if I liked blogging and if it offered me something creative and challenging in my life back then. While Karen now has a family and career demands that challenge her amply, I am still hosting Paris in July and still finding it fulfilling and rewarding. I really enjoy the connections that this event brings.

What I love about this event, is that it's like having a month long dinner party with like minded friends. You know - the sort of party you cant tear yourself away from cos you're having such a nice time.

So, for those who are new to this (and we have a few so that's REALLY exciting), what generally happens is that each week ( and I try to do this on my Saturday morning), I will post a weekly summary of what has been happening in the event, and I post a new Mr Linky so you can then enter the next weeks posts in there for others to find. I've also created a blogroll on the side of my blog for you to get easy access to all participants blogs. This year there's also a twitter and instagram #ParisinJuly2018, so if you're into those mediums - make the most of it. (I dont do too much in that space but others have already started).

Remember, many of us love all things about Paris and France, so you can post on anything - food reviews or recipes, favourite memories or dreams of visiting Paris, movies, music, book reviews, history insights, favourite french TV shows... anything.  So here goes... link in and enjoy the journey.

How tomuse Mr Linky: in Name - indicate your name and the nature of your post ie book review or title of your post... then post the URL link to the post you want people to come and visit.

Paris: The City of Light! A City Of Music!

I was looking for something that reflected my music experiences of Paris, and this is perfect!

Paris in July - Buttons

Paris in July is a community event - and we like to encourage visiting each others blogs to share the journey. There are a couple of ways I will encourage you to visit others blogs, and a way of inviting others to join in. These buttons have been developed by ReaderBuzz and Booksasfood to help us, and others, find Paris in July content. Use these on your side bar, or in your posts to identify that your participating in the event.  You may use just one for the whole month, or interchange according to your themes... 

Dont forget, if you haven't signed in yet, there's a MrLinky in the last post I did , or you can leave a message here.
I'm going away for a few days, but on my return, I'm planning to post the participant list on the side bar of my blog for easy access....  and then I am going to start getting really excited about my virtual trip to Paris.... I've started thinking about recipes from the different decades...movies I want to watch, and music to discover.

stay in touch - there's more to come

Paris in July...... It's on again - All welcome.

Thanks to some of our usual players, I've decided to host Paris in July 2018, and keep the event alive another year. So what's it going to look like? 

Paris in July is a French themed blogging experience running from the 1^st – 31^st July this year.

The aim of the month is to celebrate our French experiences through actual visits, or through reading, watching, listening, observing, cooking and eating all things French!  Here's a link to some of my previous reviews.

There will be no rules or targets in terms of how much you need to do or complete in order to be a part of this experience – just blog about anything French and you can join in! Some ideas might include;

• reading a French themed book – fiction or non-fiction, 

• watching a French movie, 

• listening to French music, 

• cooking French food, 

• experiencing French, art, architecture and travel

If you are interested in being a part of this experience use the MrLinky widget below to add in your details. 

Over the past few years, it's worked out that I've tended to post a new MrLinky each week so we can keep up with our fellow players, and follow each others Paris in July Journey.  NB, when you enter your name, also enter in brackets the theme of your posts ie, Tamara (Book review).....

To get us started, do we have any volunteers to create a themed button...Post your design on your blog and link it in with Mr Linky below

Tamara

Thoughts on cultural sensitivity

What does culturally sensitive charity work look like? 


Firstly, on reflection of what I do, I'm not sure I like the word charity. It conjures up   images of 'doing something to or for' another group... I would prefer to consider what I am involved in as a partnership. 'Walking with' my like minded friends on a significant journey, one that aims to provide resources and hold out a hand to others who may be struggling.

So the question on culturally sensitive work for arises when I think about embarking on this journey on another cultures soil. I recognize that I am coming into their space, and in doing that, I am at risk of influencing this space with my values and presence.

So how do I do this in a culturally sensitive way? I remind myself frequently that I am a member of a powerful part of the global community, and the power attributed to me because I am white, educated, rich, and from a democratic society, means I have the power to influence.. but that's not what I want to do, I want to offer my capacity, as a peer and friend, to the cause for change that is meaningful and desired by this community.

I am so lucky to have found local friends, in the NGO ODAM , with whom I share similar values. We gave developed a relationship where i believe we bounce ideas off each other. I  bring my limited experience in community development, and my lifetime of Englisher and working with stakeholders. My partners bring their intimate knowledge of the life of the women of south India. They know the political and economic environment we are are working in, they know what wont work and what might work.

I think whats most important in culturally sensitive aid work is to remember I am not an expert here, i am a student. In my work, i bring ideas, i ask questions, and i participate in conversations equally.

Prior to coming to India my friend & i had this idea for a Fairtrade business but I was concerned we had not developed these ideas in a true collaboration  with our friends here in India. So in our first meeting, a very long day of discussions, my friend and I prepared ourselves to frame our idea in a way that allowed, even encouraged, debate and change. To our great surprise, and excitement, our idea fitted exactly what our partners in India wanted to do.. we were on the right track.

The past 10 days have been exciting and eye opening, as we've embarked on a partnership in this business venture. But this comes with nervousness and concern.... we hope we can make it work, and the promise of employment for these rural women will be realized.

Letter from India

Dear Friends and family
My travelling companion Chris and I are now comfortably settling into our room and local community, in a small town near the girls school and hostel. Its  very hot here, an unrelenting 40+degrees.

Yesterday we had an all day meeting with directors of ODAM learning about recent developments, changes in government policies and regulations, and new developments occurring in this region impacting on rural women and girls poverty and empowerment. It's xciting to see that over the past 11 years of our visiting,  many things have come along way forward, still many things appear the same.

It appears that the government is now taking more responsibility for ensuring girls get a complete education through to year 12, and we are hearing about a transition period where NGO's are no longer needing to provide the education support for these girls. ODAM remains very passionate about ensuring safe and appropriate hostel care for girls, and continue to manage their hostel for both high school and tertiary students for now.

Chris at the girls hostel in 2013

We have been delighted to hear that some of 'our girls' have completed science, art and engineering degrees, and some are near completion of their nursing degrees. We have more questions to ask about their transition into meaningful employment as it seems some are not working in their fields yet (not unlike our Australian graduates experiences).

We had very productive talks yesterday about the fair trade business idea, and we feel we have alot of work to do while we're here to support ODAM to develop the proposal further. I'll write more about that soon.

Thanks for all your support over the years, its just delightful to seem what our investments have achieved here.

Tamara

Reflection.... culturally sensitive charity

What is culturally sensitive charity? And how do I feel about introducing new ideas into an old culture? Why is charity, or more to the point, fund-raising even going to make a difference?

I'm  pondering these questions, and many others, as I am preparing to go back to India, where I have been volunteering for the past 12 years. Each trip, (every 2 or so years), I am challenged with the same questions.... is what I'm  doing making a difference to one girl or one women's life? And how will my interaction with this community change them, either positively or not?
I am without a doubt, changed by my visits and interactions. But it shouldn't stop with me. I am interested in social changes.

This trip my travelling partner had hoped to have more indepth conversations with the NGO directors about a sustainable & fairtrade business model.  The idea being that by providing local women with sewing & tailoring instruction, and providing new patterns and ideas for products appealing to western women, an online market could be established. We feel excited and believe the unique opportunity lies in the beautiful south Indian sarees and textiles.  Yet, as we have been preparing, we've been challenged by our own thoughts.

Is the business going to be profitable? What are the costs of establishing this in India? Will Etsy be the right platform for these transactions, if English is not the local womens first language? What about the customers expectations? How difficult will it be to help the women of and isolated rural district understand the desires of the identified customer base? Will,our three week visit be adequate or just a start?

The big picture and dream, is that through selling beautiful handmade creations to western women, the NGO will be able to firstly provide a fair pay to their craftspeople, and make extra funds to support their girls hostel and education program.

While I believe these ideas are well intentioned, I am concerned that it's our vision not theirs... and that first principle of our practice should be of empowerment. I am hoping we can raise the ideas in a respectful manner and find out if there's some way we can work with the NGO to achieve something sustainable.

Bags commissioned for a womens conference in Sydney were loved by participants. 

Here's a link to our GoFundMe crowdfunding site.... All Welcome