You are invited…
Girls are strong yet need our solidarity to seek liberation from deeply entrenched traditions and taboos that persist in all countries and cultures and define and assign the Girl Child to a low, subservient, and even shame-based status. Even where progress has been made toward gender equality, many vexing contradictions remain, particularly at the nexus of faith and gender equality. If you find your curiosity piqued about this ancient yet very contemporary gender-based legacy of oppression, we invite you to the Girl Child Long Walk Hub, an online community and app for exploring the intersections of faith and gender equality.
The Hub offers:
- All of our reading journey materials, including chapter summaries
- Opportunities for dialogue and discussion in community with participants from around the world, as we explore the ancient roots of patriarchy and the path to liberation through faith
- Access to special events, including our Courageous Conversations series, designed to tackle difficult subjects and personal stories with support, care, curiosity, and community
- Regular and facilitated reading journey conversations for those who are new to the material or wish to revisit it and dive deeper
- Notifications for new events and community conversations, and support for tracking progress on the reading journey
The Girl Child Long Walk reading journey is a self-paced exploration of our e-book, The Girl Child & Her Long Walk to Freedom: Putting Faith to Work through Love to Break Ancient Chains. Over the course of the journey, participants will discover the historical roots of patriarchy, become acquainted with real-life faith-inspired change agents who challenge unfair gender norms around the world, and learn about the deeper, emancipatory current that lies at the heart of our faith traditions. The Girl Child Long Walk team offers regular guided discussion of the reading journey so you may share reflections, ask questions, and build connections with others seeking to explore the intersections of faith and gender equality.
This interactive map offers a taste of the journey, and who you will meet along the way.
As a mother of a daughter, as someone raised in an an all-girl family, as a person who grew up in the church, and as someone engaged in global philanthropy and some form of activism my whole life, I mostly presumed the needle was marching forward for women and girls’ rights. But a few years ago, I hit this point where my soul was crushed to the core seeing gender regressions happening all over the world and in my own faith pond within American evangelicalism. At the same time, I was inspired meeting incredible change agents around the world who were motivated by their faith to do something to bravely challenge and transform patriarchal gender norms within their own cultures and religions. So I got the idea for this reading journey and enlisted my comrade Rev. Domnic Misolo to join me as a coauthor. What motivates me is very simply that I don’t want the needle to go backward for my daughter’s generation and her daughter’s generation, and also for my mother and her generation, who gave me and my sisters a freer world to grow up in. I hope you can join us on this journey!
~ Emily Nielsen Jones, author
FAQs for the Reading Journey
What is the reading journey?
The Girl Child & Her Long Walk to Freedom: Putting Faith to Work through Love to Break Ancient Chains is an e-book written by Emily Nielsen Jones and Rev. Domnic Misolo. The e-book unpacks the history of patriarchy, shares how patriarchy is both invisible and everywhere in our lives, introduces present-day faith-inspired change agents, and helps readers better understand how to walk the exodus path toward liberation from this oldest oppression.
The reading journey is a self-paced exploration of The Girl Child & Her Long Walk to Freedom supported by monthly, guided conversations by Zoom to explore themes, ideas, and questions that emerge in the e-book. All reading journey materials are available for free by joining the Girl Child Long Walk Hub, our online community and app for exploring the intersections of faith and gender equality.
Who is the Girl Child?
To learn more about the Girl Child and what she represents, please visit our Who is the Girl Child? page.
Is there a fee to participate?
All of our materials are free; there is no fee to download the Hub or access any of our materials there. Participants must have access to a working internet connection, however, in order to fully access readings and virtual and group discussions on the Hub.
Who should take the reading journey? Are there age limitations? Can men participate?
The Girl Child Long Walk project is for anyone who seeks to better understand how patriarchy functions and how faith can be used to liberate us all from this oldest oppression. While there are no age restrictions on who may participate, some of the content may not be appropriate for or well understood by younger audiences. We welcome participants of all genders and backgrounds.
Am I on this journey alone or with others? Will I meet other people on the journey?
With the Girl Child Long Walk Hub, you can decide how you’d like to participate. We offer all of our reading journey materials for you to explore on your own, or feel free to ask friends and family to join you in a book club. You can also access monthly, guided discussions (held on Zoom) led by the Girl Child Long Walk team to more deeply explore the readings and connect with others on the journey (our community spans the globe!). Our discussion forum allows you to interact with others in the community, and we host special online events, such as our Courageous Conversations series, which are only accessible to Hub users.
What happens if I’m having technical difficulties with the Girl Child Long Walk Hub?
You may find your question is answered on our Girl Child Long Walk Hub FAQ. You may also contact admin@girlchildlongwalk.org if you experience any issues logging in or accessing resources on the Hub. Additional support for the app is available within the app on the Support page.
Is the reading journey for people of any faith?
The primary symbol and spiritual lens through which the reading journey is written is the Exodus story in the Bible, which speaks beyond any particular faith tradition to our shared journey as a human family. For more on this please read Exodus: The Journey of Faith by Richard Rohr.
How long will it take? Is there a set calendar?
It’s up to you! You may set your own pace for readings, going as quickly or slowly as you like. Facilitated reading journey discussions held by Zoom will begin in September 2023. Sign up for the Girl Child Long Walk Hub to access reading journey materials, RSVP for discussions, and meet your fellow travelers.
How will I access the materials? Can I print them out to read?
All reading journey materials are provided through the Girl Child Long Walk Hub, an online platform and app that allows participants to access the readings, discuss topics with one another, ask questions, join special online events, track progress on the reading journey, and more, so a reliable internet connection is required. Reading journey chapters may be printed or read on a device (laptop, desktop, phone, or tablet).
Is the journey available in languages other than English?
The reading journey is currently available in English, with a pilot Portuguese reading journey underway. Our hope is to offer it in other languages in the future. Our videos are available in English, Kiswahili, Portuguese, French, Hausa, and Burmese, with more coming soon!
Can I invite others to join?
Please do! The reading journey is meant to be a shared experience, and committing to the journey with a friend can make it more rewarding. Simply share the link to our registration page so others can sign up for the Girl Child Long Walk Hub, and they’ll be able to access all of the reading journey materials, participate in the discussion, and learn about events.
Can I get a taste of the reading journey before I sign up?
Of course! The fun, interactive Journey Map is designed to orient potential participants to the content and flow of the reading journey. Click on the map to explore where the journey leads and if you’d like to join our community!
