Celebrate differences & create sense of belonging

SO THE BIG REVEAL HAPPENED AND I AM NOW BALD, BOLD and a bit BATTY, but it ain't over till it's over, so here is my next idea to try to qualify for matched funding.

The campaign is running until 17 May (Norway Day), and this is my promise. If we raise over:

I am on a mission to help people celebrate and love their uniqueness and differences to create a more connected world where we all thrive. This year I have promised to shave my hair off for wigs and to raise funds for projects and charities that work with mental health and wellbeing for girls and women. I am partnering with 100 Women and Sustainable Salons and hope you will support us!

Check this video for my reasons for the campaign:

To support this campaign, you can either:

Every donor and donation counts, so if you also Share with your family, friends, and connections, that would be fantastic.

ABOUT ME AND THE CAMPAIGN

Hi, my name is Gry. I am a bridge and I am here to create a more connected world where we celebrate differences and everyone feels welcome, valued and inspired.

I have always been a bit 'different' but was fortunate to grow up in an environment where that was accepted, expected and celebrated. Unfortunately, many people do not have the same experience with their differences.

To celebrate my 60th in 2023, I have decided to run a campaign that aims to shine a light on 'differences' that girls and women feel and experience so that we can create cultures where those of us who feel a bit 'different' have a sense of belonging and joy.

My WISH and my VISION is that this is not just a one-off event, but an opportunity to create a sustainable community that will continue to give now and in the future.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Feeling different may have any number of underlying causes. Maybe mental health, neurodivergence, being a migrant, ethnicity, socio-economic status, long-term or unusual health conditions, disability, sexuality, gender identity, preferences, carer status, lack of confidence or self-esteem, being a mum, menopause, and intersectionality - a blend of all of the above.

During the campaign and after, my friends and I will share facts and personal stories about all things mental health and wellness, including but not limited to PTSD, ADHD, ASD, RS & RSD, BPD & EUPD, HSP, anxiety, depression, cancer, alopecia, a mix of all of the above and many more.

SO WHAT?

Our purpose is to build a community and platform and shine a light on

Shedding my locks will be triggered by whatever comes first of the following:

The campaign will run longer, but I'd love the shave to happen sooner rather than later, so don't be shy about donating early. Every dollar and donor counts.

THEN WHAT?

The main objective is to create a platform and community, CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES, where people who struggle can find people they identify with as well as relevant programs and resources in a safe place that is moderated and curated.

The platform, community and culture will be co-designed and co-created with our community members to make sure that we understand and solve the right problems.

Where is my money going?

This campaign was designed to support new and innovative projects and initiatives as well as existing and proven projects run by established NFPs, Social Eneterprises and Charities. Whilst we do not require the organisations to be registered charities, all projects will have to follow our guidelines currently under development. We invite people to submit their projects through our platform.

The types of projects that we are looking to support and feature on the platform are:

Who decides what projects you support?

We encourage individuals, community groups, charities, education, government, and industry to let us know if they have specific programs that they want us to consider.

We want our members to have a voice and have that voice heard, so we are asking our community members to vote and prioritise candidate initiatives based on their own and other people's lived experiences.

How will the money be allocated?

Is my donation tax deductible?

This campaign is global and was designed to support any project or initiative that addresses the need or problem as deemed by our community members. For this reason, we want to keep it open to individuals and organisations that do not have deductible gift (DGR) status in a specific country.

We have selected 100 Women as our charity of choice, which means that Australian residents' donations are tax deductible if you Donate to 100 Women Directly. So we can keep count, please select Other for how you heard about 100 Women and type in Gry Stene or Celebrating Differences.

What's with the shave?!

My hair will be donated to Sustainable Salons Ponytail Donations to create wigs for people in need. I hope this will create an understanding of the connection between mental health and other situations.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

You can donate right here on this page.

If you would like to be part of the team and shed your hair or collaborate with us to co-design, co-create or deliver resources, please get in touch.

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ABOUT 100 WOMEN

100 Women is a small volunteer led organisation with a big heart. We are passionate about enriching the lives of women and girls locally, nationally and globally. As a giving circle, we invite everyday people to donate and become a member of our growing philanthropic community. Our members’ collective giving then funds grassroots initiatives that focus on empowering disadvantaged women and girls. 100% of our website donations and member funds go toward our grants recipients (2022 recipients pictured below).

Since 2014, we have awarded 34 grants and enabled almost 35,000 women and girls to receive support in the critical areas of health, safety, education and economic opportunity. Projects such as girls education in remote indigenous communities of Western Australia, finance workshops in Tanzania, breast scans in Cambodia, and safe reproductive choices for Australian women with a disability have been supported. And we have donated $1 million from our membership fees and donations alone.

Together, our membership community are igniting a movement of positive change. We are always welcoming new members and would love your support!

WHY ME - A COUPLE OF MY PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES

In 2020, I set up a social enterprise, STEAM Engine Global, that aims to bridge the gap and create opportunities for girls, women and other underrepresented groups to discover their superpower in a world that is underpinned by technology. This is done through courses, coaching, conversations and collaborations.

A couple of the initiatives that are currently running:

I have also been an active volunteer and committee member for Women in Technology WA and a member of 100 Women for the past 5 years. I am also a member of the B1G1 Community since 2018.

You can read more about these further down the page.

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TL;DR: LOOONG VERSION / STORY...

Part of my differences is that I like words - lots of them - so I have left my longer version here in case there are others like me in the world...

What we hope to achieve

We want to raise awareness, support and education about challenges faced by girls and women, which are often undetected, undiagnosed or under-serviced.

This will include sharing facts and stories, running programs to support girls and women themselves, and creating resources that can be used by employers, educators and community groups to create inclusive environments where these girls and women are seen and feel that they belong,

We will be working with organisations that already provide services in the space, and collaborating with others to create new initiatives. I am in conversation with several groups already and will be updating the campaign as we finalise our partnerships.

Why am I doing this

It has become obvious to me that my way of thinking and acting is not very "typical", and at times people don't "get me". Okay, okay. Call me a slow learner!!

My explanation for this "delayed realisation" is that I was born close to the Arctic Circle in Norway, into a large and boisterous extended family where we all loved to talk, and the conversation flowed freely with plenty of interruptions and loud debates. We were encouraged to be our unique selves, and no topic was off the table. To me, this was normal, and I have continued to believe that it is okay to be SAME SAME AND DIFFERENT in our unique ways. That's what makes the world go around.

I have travelled and lived on all continents except Antarctica. I make friends quickly, and I keep in contact with my eclectic group of diverse and unique individuals for life. I see connections between seemingly unrelated things, and I am adept at bridging gaps for positive impact.

I also meet the wall, am super sensitive to rejection (often without reason), struggle to focus on only one thing and get easily distracted. My workspace is "organised chaos", and people get anxiety attacks when they see the number of tabs I have open in my browser. However, I know where everything is, and an empty desk has me stumped.

As some of my close friends and family members have burnt out, gone through trauma, or hit the wall for whatever reason, I have seen one after the other be diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, ASD, EUPD and other related or intertwined challenges. So I decided to learn a bit more, and my oh my, do I recognise a lot of the symptoms and quirks.

These adult diagnoses have given them a new lease on life, new coping mechanisms, and they now have words to explain what works and not to others.

I am not ready to get assessed or diagnosed (at least not right now) because I am picking up all these coping mechanisms and language myself. I don't need a diagnosis to know who I am, but these tools will help me have some awesome conversations with people who have not been (or dared to be) different to help them understand.

Whilst I understand the opportunities, challenges, joys and pains of being a bit different, it is difficult for people who do not have these experiences to grasp my differences. They may be grappling with their own.

So, in a nutshell... I want to make sure that girls, women and non-binary people with differences are seen, included and feel that they belong - as early as possible in life.

And I want the "neurotypicals" to have a better understanding of what works for those of us who are a bit different, so we can CELEBRATE DIFFERENCES and everyone feels welcome, valued and inspired.

Advocacy and awareness initiatives I have created or been involved with

A people person by birth and a technologist by choice, I am super passionate about helping girls, women and other underrepresented groups become tech creators. Some of the programs I design and run through my social enterprise STEAM Engine Global:

For the past 5 years, I have also been an active volunteer and committee member for Women in Technology WA (the leading advocate of diversity, inclusion and equity for women in tech [+]) and a member of 100 Women (igniting everyday philanthropy to empower women and girls globally).

Who is joining the journey?

Because of the way my brain works, it can be easy to get stuck in the planning stages and not get things off the ground, so I decided to just do it, and let the details flow in as they come. My team of supporters and I are already assembling stories and resources, and we would love you to join us in whatever capacity you want.

In particular, we are looking for:

When we are running

The proposed end date for the campaign is 22 March 2023, when I turn 60. However, depending on who we join forces with, we may extend this. That said, my #greatshave will happen on that date or earlier.

How will the funds and resources be used

My hair will be donated to Sustainable Salons Ponytail Donations (https://sustainablesalons.org/ponytaildonations/). This team runs an absolutely amazing organisation that is creating tremendous positive outcomes across the board.

All funds donated will go to awareness, support and education programs that target mental health and wellness for girls and women. We are still in conversation with providers and educators that specialise in girls and women and will be publishing these as soon as we have signed the dotted line.

Some of the projects we are looking to run: