When and why hold a That Takes Ovaries event?

When to hold a That Takes Ovaries event?

Any time is a good time to celebrate woman and girls. But if you are seeking a specific theme month to slide your event into, here are some ideas:

• Women’s History Month – March
• International Women’s Day – March 8th
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month – April
• Women’s Equality Day – August 26th
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month – October

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Why hold a That Takes Ovaries event?

The That Takes Ovaries (TTO) book and play are important because of the voices in it – women and girls proudly shouting from the rooftops how they acted boldly in the world. Their stories are celebrations of womanly brazenness. But – surprise! – women and girls everywhere have triumphant stories to tell. So wouldn’t it be exciting for the vibrant, feisty female voices in your community to be heard, too?

Enter the That Takes Ovaries open mike event

Our TTO events grew out of the main idea and primary goal behind our book, that is, the empowerment of females, and the belief that “courage is contagious” (our organization’s tagline). With that in mind, each of our events is about encouraging women and girls everywhere to speak out for themselves. People in the audience become inspired listening to each others true tales of courage and they, in turn, leave our events feeling like they can go out and lead more bold lives. Each individual TTO event is linked to a larger TTO movement that has as its goal the spreading of courage, and the raising of awareness and funds for women and girls’ needs, concerns and human rights.

A vehicle for change and transformation

How do our TTO events contribute to creating change in the world? Not only do our events transform the women and girls who partake in them, but then these women, in turn, transform the larger community around them.

• At our events, women relay stories of their courage to supportive, cheering crowds. This simple but important act affirms the storyteller’s confidence and determination to keep taking risks in her life, both personally and politically.

• Because courage is contagious, the story sharing inspires audience members to be bold, too, both in their lives and at the event itself, where they are motivated to step through their fear of public speaking and spontaneously share their own sassy stories. Stepping through fear and seeing that one can survive the experience encourages a woman to step through her fear again, perhaps in a bigger way for a bigger issue, such as standing up for herself and her rights. In this respect, courage is contagious within an individual, too.

• Men who attend our events are also transformed. They gain a deeper respect for women simply by listening to women tell stories about their courage. Men share stories as well, about the brave women in their lives – their mothers, sisters and daughters. For many male and female participants, this is the first time they will have ever heard a man publicly praise a woman’s strength and courage.

• Real political change on a community or systemic level cannot happen without someone or some group of people willing to embark on that first step through their fear and take a risk. TTO gives people a place to practice this risk-taking and to celebrate it. Our events have a transformative effect on participants’ lives long after the night is over.