Seeds of Change

by Sarah McGowan
Features & Photo Editor, The WIP
– USA –

I don’t believe in accidents; I think that everything happens for a reason. So when Kate told me about a project she had brewing called, The WIP, I felt the familiar twinge of serendipity. The hair on the back of my neck even stood on end.

I had just moved to Los Angeles, leaving behind a very fulfilling career teaching social justice to thousands of San Diego county teenagers. With more than a little wistfulness, I set out in search of an outlet for my creativity, but specifically to do some writing. When Kate began describing The WIP, I immediately registered that this was an amazing opportunity to blend two interests that had previously competed for my exclusive devotion. I knew then that I was in the right place at the right time and I volunteered without hesitation.

Kate and I grew up together, and like most kids raised on the Monterey Peninsula, we considered the Big Sur coastline our backyard. We knew this was something special; not everyone is lucky enough to call one of the most dramatic marriages of land and sea their home. It instilled in us a great appreciation for our own responsibility in making sure that its beauty remains preserved. We’ve always shared a similar commitment to conservation and respect for all living things. But even in our community, our passion for preservation was not shared by all.

One summer when we were in our teens, we “fought the system” at a little day camp in Monterey to institute a recycling program. (Never mind the fact that the “program” really just consisted of us digging through the trash and separating the recyclables ourselves.) It didn’t matter that the other counselors resisted our efforts or that every day, we were the last to leave, rummaging through the garbage often pulling out the recyclables that our colleagues threw away just for spite.

We laugh about it now, at our unbridled and fervent idealism. But at the time, we were frequently incensed at the apathy and resistance of our coworkers. Despite our best efforts, we had to accept that we were in it alone and ultimately be content doing what we knew needed to be done on a global scale, even if only in our very small way.

So when I said yes to The WIP, I looked at the endeavor very much as I had our recycling program. Some things are so important that you can’t wait for other people to take initiative. Sometimes, you just have to roll up your sleeves, dig in, and do it yourself.

It didn’t matter that I wasn’t getting paid or that our launch date kept getting pushed back month after month. Such details, when compared with The WIP’s potential, seemed trivial. The opportunity to “think globally and act locally” proved no less compelling all these years later. And it almost sounded too good to be true: getting paid to explore important global issues with other women around the world.

And to be honest, for the first few months, I thought of the entire proposal as merely promising. But as the months ticked by and we kept plugging away at development, one thing became very clear: we all kept coming back because we had a passion for this vision, and believed in the project’s power to change the status quo.

For me, the project tapped into two of my greatest joys: innovation and communication. The WIP has given me plenty of opportunity to play with both as we’ve continually adapted to the organic nature of the project. Indeed, it has taken on a life of its own and at times, I think we’ve all felt like we were just holding on for the ride. Sometimes it was just as simple as quieting down and letting The WIP tell us what to do.

I thrive on the energy of creation; add this to my love for collaboration and you’ve got a recipe for one very happy editor. As we move closer to launch, the momentum of this dream becomes ever palpable; I can barely contain my excitement. I can’t wait to see how our writers and their perspectives change the way we come to experience information and global news. I am inspired by The WIP’s potential to redefine how we use technology to connect with each other.

In a world that is increasingly polarized on a variety of issues, I see The WIP as a way to connect the dots and create new avenues for dialog and informed decision-making. We think that by offering truly local news by local people we will enhance global dialog by offering an intimate perspective on the issues that affect us all.

The WIP’s writers are the key to our uniqueness. They are women, both young and matured, from established to emerging writers. They are innovators, experts, teachers, communicators and students. They hail from all walks of life, from all points on the globe and offer a diversity of opinion that we think is unprecedented in today’s media. As an editor, I’m happy to step aside and let their pieces speak for themselves without imposing my own values or opinions. We’re committed to running stories that might diverge wildly from popular opinion, but in doing so, we hope to engage our readers and challenge them to confront their own biases and misconceptions.

So once again, I find myself at Kate’s side, doing something that few are doing. Only this time we’re faring far better in getting our message across than we did so many years ago with our recycling campaign. Like a powerful magnet, The WIP keeps bringing the right people to the surface, drawn by the power of our vision. And yet I often wonder what became of the children Kate and I tried so sincerely to inspire at that day-camp so many years ago. Like the one very shy 5-year old girl who never spoke more than two words to me at camp but had forced the entire family to adopt a recycling campaign at home. She would be a young woman by now and for all we know, could be a pioneer in sustainable living.

Even if we only inspire a few people, I’ll be satisfied. One person at a time, one perspective at a time, I think we’ll make a difference and hopefully touch a few lives along the way.