GTW Historical Overview

Gather the Women Global MatrixSM is a new kind of organic, self-organizing grassroots initiative to awaken the leadership potential of the women of the world. Gather the Women (GTW) uses the new technology of the internet to magnify and mobilize the enormous potential of feminine wisdom; at the same time, GTW recognizes the ancient tradition of gathering in circles where one woman reaching out to connect with another woman can experience the power of shared intention.
More than 6,000 women worldwide have experienced the core intention of Gather the Women – joyfully expressing the power of women's wisdom.

Technology Sets the Stage

The phrase "Gather the Women" literally entered the public domain in November 2001, when the domain names were reserved by Carol Hansen Grey. Grey was serving as the Executive Director of Women of Vision and Action (WOVA), a non-profit organization based in California that provided a network for women leaders who shared a commitment to "be the change you want to see in the world." During the months leading up to November, Grey had experienced a compelling phenomenon: numerous women contacted her describing the same vision – to begin to gather the women of the world.

Though these women came from diverse backgrounds, all shared a deep passion for awakening the power of women in service of a better world. When she continued to be contacted by women who envisioned a need to gather the women, Grey used her computer skills to set up an e-list in June 2002 so that these twelve women could begin an on-line dialogue. This was the start of the Gather the Women Steering Committee, which worked to define priorities for global action, exchanging more than 23,000 e-mails over the next year and meeting twice for lengthy planning sessions.

Their initial goals included:

1) Create a website which would serve as an interactive communication hub for the women of the world, where women could share news of their successes and learn from one another.

2) Invite women of the world to create gatherings to commemorate March 8, International Women's Day. Women would be encourage to create events large and small suited to their economic needs, spiritual beliefs and cultural values, posting news of their events on the website. Eventually, this idea developed into plans for a week of events beginning 3/3/03.

3) Outreach to women using the basic tools of grassroots organizing with one new twist -- the Internet as a global communication tool.

By the end of that first March event in 2002, the Steering Committee had much to celebrate: the website now hosted more than 4,700 women from 67 countries as registered participants and listed more than 450 events in 23 countries. The three core Steering Committees members who staffed the initiative (two as volunteers) were kept busy answering e-mails and telephone inquiries from around the world. Women were drawn to this open container, which was described by GTW Events Coordinator Marilyn Nyborg: "We seek not to change minds but to connect hearts."

GTW was launched. Without any funding and without ever having printed a brochure, the movement had reached women on every continent.

International Congress Reaches Thousands

The next phase of Gather the Women was already gaining momentum with the announcement in February 2003 of the first Gather the Women International Congress, which was held in San Francisco in October 2003. The Congress took Gather the Women to the next level by creating a model to involve and connect the many diverse global women's organizations. Gather the Women invited other organizations to partner in the creation of the Congress and to bring delegations of women from their networks.

Kathlyn Schaaf, 2003 Congress Coordinator and current president of Gather the Women, could barely keep up with the expansive flow of creative ideas generated through these collaborative partnerships. "We had a lived experience of the abundance that is available when we work together. Collaboration does not divide our resources; it multiplies them!"

Among the organizations who joined the Gather the Women Global MatrixSM in 2003 were Millionth Circle, Peace X Peace, Foundation for Conscious Evolution, Aya Partners, Pathways to Peace, Earth Luck International, Spiral Muse, Women of Wisdom, Red Web, and Women Rise for Global Peace.

The 2003 Congress was a huge success, drawing 330 women from 26 countries representing more than 25 partner organizations. Numerous on-going collaborative projects grew from the three day event.

A New Paradigm for Leadership

Gather the Women continues to expand daily. New partner organizations are being drawn into the matrix for the 2004 Gather the Women International Congress to be held October 15 –17, 2004 in Dallas. Donna Collins serves the 2004 Congress Executive Coordinator, and has pulled together a dynamic team to host 600 - 800 women from 50 countries at that event.

Donna describes her commitment to Gather the Women in this way: "It is an active, growing hub of possibility, rich with diversity, filled with courage, strength, compassion, dedication and a commitment to balance, harmony and peace."

Plans are also being made to use this unique collaborative model to create "6 Congresses on 6 Continents in 2006." The grassroots leadership model of GTW is viewed as a crucial element in creating a 5th Women's World Conference to build on the original International Women's Conferences sponsored by the United Nations in 1965, 1975, 1985 and 1995.