Last week, Lenovo, championed by Girl Up, the gender equality initiative of the United Nation Foundation (UNF), and filmmaker Ava DuVernay, launches New Realities – a dynamic artistic project celebrating women who are using technology to showcase global social issues and empower empathy.
New Realities features immersive, first-person cinematic experiences that give a voice to difference-making women in 10 markets around the world during a time of global upheaval in the COVID-19 pandemic and ahead of International Day of the Girl (celebrated on Sunday, October 11). The project comes off the heels of new research conducted by Lenovo that reveals technology has made people more empathetic toward different viewpoints in their communities.
Captured over the last four months using 360-degree storytelling, New Realities chronicles the individual journeys of a courageous, diverse group of 10 young women using technology to achieve their dreams, such as supporting a social cause, creating thought-provoking art/music or providing a desperately needed service in their community. The films give each woman their own voice and shine a light on the role technology plays in furthering their missions to drive empathy and a positive change in society. The films’ changemakers hail from Brazil, China, France, Germany India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the UK and the US.
In addition to the films’ chronicling the women’s missions, Lenovo – in partnership with Girl Up – is funding $100,000 in grants for these young women to pursue fields of study that align with their goals. The protagonists have received mentorship through a newly created Global Ambassadors Program – featuring mentors hand-selected by Ava DuVernay’s team at ARRAY and access to resources from Lenovo, ARRAY, and Girl Up. Each of the women has also received Lenovo and Motorola technology from to support their mission, such as the enterprise-grade ThinkPad™ X1 Yoga™ laptop for coding, the Yoga C940 for music or the Motorola Edge for communication and on-the-go computing.
Ava DuVernay, American filmmaker, commented: “I’m eager to stand with Lenovo to highlight the strong work of ten talented young women around the world who have used technology to bring their missions to life in extraordinary ways. My colleagues at ARRAY and I created this mentorship as part of a vital effort to empower the next generation of women leaders. I applaud each of these young women for sharing their stories with the world through Lenovo’s New Realities. At such a pivotal time in our world’s history, it is imperative that we hold hands and march toward a more inclusive society where all are valued and embraced.”
To access the New Realities microsite, please visit lenovo.com/NewRealities.
COMING INTO VIEW: A NEW, MORE EMPATHETIC WORLD
Research Lenovo conducted in support of New Realities reinforces a need and desire for empathy amid a global crisis and underscores the true importance of the work being done by the project’s 10 influential changemakers. True to its mission of providing smarter technology for all, Lenovo understands the importance of hearing and portraying diverse points of view and believes technology is driving empathy around the world.
Of the 15,000+ global respondents in 10 markets around the globe, two-thirds state that technology has made people more empathetic towards different viewpoints in their communities as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Dilip Bhatia, chief customer experience officer of Lenovo, commented: “At Lenovo, we strive to be more than just a technology provider. We want to empower people to use smart technology for positive change. This research validates the need for our role to go beyond powering the technology needs of the world; it’s about technology enabling empathy and empowering the world’s young leaders to live out their missions and be difference makers.”
Girl Up is a global leadership development initiative, positioning girls to be leaders in the movement for gender equality. With resources in six languages and 4,000 Girl Up Clubs in more than 125 countries, it has trained 75,000 girls of all backgrounds to create tangible change for girls everywhere. Learn more at GirlUp.org.
