New Wave Grrrl...

Free Services Available to Young Women at Planned Parenthood Association of Mercer Area

2012-01-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

Through funding provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Planned Parenthood Association of the Mercer Area (PPMA) is able to offer FREE family planning, reproductive health, and preventive services from now until February 14, 2012. For more information about the program, eligibility, and services available at no cost, please visit PPMA online by clicking here or call (609) 599-4881.

Call for Student Papers

2012-01-16T16:28:00.001-08:00

New Voices:Students Sharing Their Experiences with Disabilities

Edited by Leila Monaghan and Alison QuagginIntroduction by Michelle Jarman

One of the most important aspects of teaching Disability Studies is how we empower our students with disabilities or those with close connections to people with disabilities to speak about their experiences in thoughtful and reflective ways. This is a call for short chapters from students (traditional and non-traditional) writing about their own experiences with disabilities including how their views have been changed by Disability Studies scholarship. We are looking for a diverse range of papers reflecting all kinds of disabilities from urban, suburban and rural perspectives. Topics will include (but are not limited to) living with physical, sensory and mental disabilities; disabilities and the family; and disabilities at school and in workplace including the impact of disabilities on military members and their families; and the impact of technology on the lives of people with disabilities. Papers should be written in a clear, accessible and personal style. The book is intended to for use in introductory Disability Studies classes to fill the gap between single individual memoirs and formal textbooks. Please see the attached PDF for two sample pieces.If you are a student interested in participating or have a student paper you wish to suggest for submission, please drop a note to Leila at Leila.Monaghan@gmail.com as soon as possible. Papers should be 5-15 pages. Papers are due May 15, 2012 at Leila.Monaghan@gmail.com but we are happy to comment on draft versions or abstracts of papers. We will notify participants of official acceptance some time in June.

Leila MonaghanLeila.Monaghan@gmail.com

Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WInD)

University of WyomingDisability StudiesUniversity of Maryland, University College (UMUC)

Happy 2012!

2012-01-16T16:18:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year from NWG!Best wishes to readers in 2012 and stay tuned for an active year on New Wave Grrrl!

xoxoxox

TAKE ACTION FOR U.S. WOMEN TODAY!

2011-07-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION LADIES AND LADY SUPPORTERS!

If you do nothing else today, sign the petition/ make a call/ write the federal government/ tell a friend/ read about supporting the recent recommendations by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to make birth control available without a co-pay (yes, you heard right!) to women in America. After receiving this recommendation and several other awesome ones from the IOM, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services now has to decide which if any of the recommendations will be adopted as part of the Affordable Care Act roll-out in the next few years.

What does this mean - low/ no cost contraception is within reach for millions of women and families! AND, a new way of thinking about preventive medicine is upon us, but only if we act now.

So, what are YOU waiting for? Call/ write/ yell, just do something! Take action at any of the links below:

"Birth Control with No Co-Pays in Within Reach," Planned Parenthood

"Your Signature Please: Help Ensure Groundbreaking Expansion of Women's Preventive Health Care," Advocates for Youth

"TAKE ACTION: Tell the Obama administration to support a groundbreaking expansion of women's preventive health care," Amplify

"Panel Recommends Coverage for Contraception," New York Times

"Breaking: IOM Recommends Free Birth Control Under Health Reform Law," Feministing

WHO Wants Your Thoughts on the Social Determinants of Health

2011-07-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

The World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Pan American Health Organization is collecting feedback and comments on recommendations for addressing social determinants or conditions that impact health on a global scale for a new position paper. Weigh in here.

To read more in English and Spanish about this project, click here.

New Fellowship for Young Women Leaders - Apply Now!

2011-06-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

From the National Youth Leadership Network...

The Sadie Nash Leadership Project is Now Accepting Applications for the 2011/2012 ELLA Fellowship

The ELLA Fellowship is a 9-month social justice fellowship for young women aged 16-22. The Fellowship provides young activists with the support they need to develop and implement a community action project from start to finish. During the program, Fellows will receive a monthly stipend of up to $300, complete independent work in their communities, receive ongoing one-on-one support, and participate in monthly skill-based trainings.

In order to be eligible, you must:

- Be a young woman between the ages of 16 and 22
- Have at least 2 years of leadership experience
- Commit to attending monthly retreats in the New York City area
- Be a self-motivated, passionate, and committed individual that
genuinely desires to serve as a positive force for change in her community

The deadline to apply for the Fellowship program is Friday, August 19th, 2011.

For more information and to apply go to here:
http://www.sadienash.org/programs_ella.htm

Article on cancer disparities among African Americans...

2011-06-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

Recently published by USA Today, this article discusses some of the social determinants responsible for health disparities among African Americans and a volunteer program out of the University of Alabama to address these with cancer patients:

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/healthcare/story/2011/06/Feds-seek-to-close-African-American-health-gap/48170580/1

Enter the REDHOT+ Video Contest!

2011-06-11T06:13:00.001-07:00

Advocates for Youth and REDHOT+ just announced a new partnership and contest in which they are inviting young filmmakers, ages 13-29, to submit original videos that use music to address HIV/AIDS. Four winners will receive $2,500 and a trip to NYC for 2011 World AIDS Day, during which time their winning video will premiere.

So, what are you waiting for? Read more about the entry details here!http://www.redhotand.us/submit.html

2011-06-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

From the Women's United Nation's Report Network...

WORLD REPORT ON DISABILITY

The first ever World report on disability, produced jointly by WHO and the World Bank, suggests that more than a billion people in the world today experience disability.

Direct Link to Full 349-Page Report: - MULTIPLE GENDER DIMENSIONS

http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789240685215_eng.pdf

People with disabilities have generally poorer health, lower education achievements, fewer economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities. This is largely due to the lack of services available to them and the many obstacles they face in their everyday lives. The report provides the best available evidence about what works to overcome barriers to health care, rehabilitation, education, employment, and support services, and to create the environments which will enable people with disabilities to flourish. The report ends with a concrete set of recommended actions for governments and their partners.
This pioneering World report on disability will make a significant contribution to implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At the intersection of public health, human rights and development, the report is set to become a "must have" resource for policy-makers, service providers, professionals, and advocates for people with disabilities and their families.

Participants Needed for Survey on Sexuality, Youth and Disability!

2011-06-05T07:03:00.000-07:00

From the National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN):

Youth Voice Needed for a Survey to Inform Policy for Young People with Disabilities and Sexual and Reproductive Health

Young people with disabilities have been under represented, and sometimes left out, in developing policies and programs for sexual and reproductive health. In Oregon, a small work group, with support from the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, is developing some program and policy recommendations to support young people with disabilities. The link below is a survey targeting young people with disabilities to assess their opinions about these recommendations.

The survey is about 15 questions and should take 15 minutes to take. We're specifically interested in the opinions of young people in the U.S. who have a disability. A $20 gift card from a nationally known on-line retail store is provided for the first 50 respondents.

To take the survey, go to: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Oregonyouthsurvey

This is a joint project between Gimpgirl.com, The National Youth Leadership Network, Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon Public Health Division, and Women with Disabilities Health Equity Coalition.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Lesa Dixon-Gray at 971-673-0360, or Julie McFarlane at 971-673-0365.

Choice USA Now Accepting Applications for Generation Awards!

2011-06-05T05:45:00.001-07:00

Details:

Once a year, Choice USA celebrates the amazing work of young activists who are fighting for all of us to have the power, knowledge and tools to control our own bodies and relationships. At our 9th Annual Generation to Generation Celebration on September 23rd in Washington, DC, we will honor the achievements of dynamic leaders who are setting new standards, creating new solutions, harnessing new strategies and leveraging their political power.

Help us spotlight change-makers in your communities, networks and organizations! You can nominate a young leader or mentor who has made a difference and exhibited an unwavering commitment to advancing a reproductive justice agenda. Whether it is an elected official in your community, a friend from your campus Choice USA chapter, a co-worker or a professor who has mentored you, this is your chance to show them some love.

Nomination Categories:

Excellence in Leadership Award: Given to a group or individual 30 AND UNDER who has exhibited radical, unrelenting leadership that led to social change particularly impacting sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Outstanding Chapter Award: Given to a Choice USA chapter leader or chapter who has made a significant impact on a campus, city or state level.

Steinem-Waters Legacy Award: Given to a movement leader OVER 30 who has exhibited a consistent investment in developing young people in the field of reproductive justice.

Nomination Criteria:

Nominees for the Excellence in Leadership and Outstanding Chapter Awards must be 30 or under on July 5, 2011 Nominees for the Steinem-Waters Award must be over 30 on July 5, 2011.

Download nomination packet here.

Submit Comments on WHO Determinants of Health Paper...

2011-06-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking feedback and comments on its draft of a new paper on social determinants of health. The deadline is June 10th! Read more here:

http://www.who.int/sdhconference/consultation/en/index.html

New Spring Course on the Politics of Abortion at Hampshire College...

2011-01-29T15:33:00.000-08:00

Just received word of a new class being offered this Spring Semester at Hampshire College from their Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP)Program listserv. CLPP puts on a kick-butt conference every year for organizing around reproductive health and justice issues.

Check out the description of this new course offering below...

Please let interested faculty and students know about this new course
being offered at Hampshire this spring:

"The Politics of Abortion in the Americas", Tues/Thurs 10:30-11:50, Cole Science
121, Hampshire College, taught by Cora Fernandez-Anderson.

The Politics of Abortion in the Americas: The Americas have been characterized by the strictness of its abortion laws. Abortion is legal in only a few countries while in some it is criminalized even when the mother's life is at risk. This course introduces students to the politics of abortion in the Americas.

Some of the questions we will consider are:

-What role have women's movements played in advancing abortion rights?

-What has mattered most for the movements' success, their internal characteristics or external forces?

-Has the way the movement framed the demand for the right to abortion mattered?

-Has the increase in the number of women in positions of power made a difference?

-What about the coming to power of leftist governments?

-How have the Catholic and Evangelical churches influenced policies in this area?

We will answer these questions by exploring examples from all across the region through primary and secondary sources.

Second World Conference of Women's Shelters Call for Proposals...

2011-01-29T15:23:00.000-08:00

I was going to add this to the Community Action Board, and then I was so moved by the lovely faces in this photo that I decided to add the graphic and link to the proposal information, enjoy!

Second World Conference of Women's Shelters Call for Proposals:

We are now accepting proposals for the 2nd World Conference of Women’s Shelters.
We encourage programs that work with victims of violence in safe spaces or organizations that support shelters and safe spaces to submit a proposal. We are looking for proposals related to violence against women and shelters and safe spaces. If you have innovative practices, knowledge and skills that will give delegates tangible tools and knowledge to take home, we encourage you to submit a proposal.

When you are ready to submit your proposal please take the following steps:

Step 1:
Before you send us your proposal to present at the conference (please review the following information here).

Step 2:
Review the actual proposal submission form, by downloading a sample Call for Proposals Submission Preview Form here.

Step 3:
When you are ready to submit your proposal, please fill out the form online by going here.

Proposal Deadline
The deadline for submitting proposals is February 27, 2011. We will be reviewing and accepting proposals on a rolling basis, however, so please try to get your proposal in early.

Honorariums and Travel Assistance for Speakers
At this time we are unable to commit to paying honorariums for speakers, waiving or reducing registration fees, or assisting with travel or lodging costs. If you are selected, please be sure to make the necessary arrangements to pay for these costs. When we know if we will be able to provide financial assistance, we will invite accepted speakers to apply for travel stipends.

Trust Women Month is Underway...

2011-01-26T13:19:00.001-08:00

Trust Women Month, which runs from January 22nd and continues through February 22nd, began last weekend.

Interested? Good. Intrigued? You should be.

Click here to find out more...

Statements from US Women's Organizations on the Recent Tragedy in Arizona...

2011-01-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the tragic violence perpetrated upon Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) and nineteen others on January 8th, women's organizations such as the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership and The White House Project remind us of the importance of continued women's leadership in the US...

The Woodhull Institute extends its deepest sympathies to all of the victims and families of the tragic shooting this past Saturday in Tucson, Arizona. To those that lost their lives, to those that were wounded and to the families that must now deal with the aftermath of this horrible tragedy, our thoughts, hearts and prayers go out to each and every one of you.

Representative Gabrielle Giffords lies in a hospital fighting for her life. Christina Green born on the day of another unfathomable tragedy, September 11, 2001, only nine years old, her heart and mind stilled by a rifle shot. Six people killed, 14 others wounded.

While the motives of the shooter, alleged to be Jared Lee Loughner, are still unclear - the nation is coming to terms with the understanding that the vitriolic political rhetoric that seems to have taken over the internet, print media and airwaves can not continue.

The Woodhull Institute supports every person's right to voice their opinions, every person's right to try to move their agenda's forward, to try and convince others that their goals are the right goals. But to do so as part of civil discourse, as part of an open and informed debate, not by initiating personal attacks, name calling, or using imagery and verbiage that invokes violence.

It is time for all representatives and activists on both sides of the aisle to remember to focus on the issues and not on hatred. Your opponents may not agree with you but they too are human beings and deeply believe that what they stand for is the best for the country. They too have friends and families, they too are entitled to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

The need for ethical leaders could not be more glaring than it is today. Woodhull's Credo could not be more relevant than it is today:

To manifest, teach and learn in our relationships ethical conduct and compassionate leadership.
To create an environment of trust, respect, kindness, safety and open-mindedness.
To commit to honoring a higher purpose through our work.
To act with honesty, compassion and courage.
To recognize the essential equality and dignity of all.
To avoid negative gossip.
To bring up problems constructively and directly.
To find common ground in our differences.
To be of service to one another and to the community at large.
To take the risk of speaking out about injustice.
To be grateful for what others have done for you.
To be responsible for our actions and to practice forgiveness.
To tithe time and income.
To celebrate the achievements of ourselves and of others.
To understand that what we send out into the world comes back to us.

As our hearts and prayers go out to the victims and families of this horrible Tucson tragedy, the Woodhull Institute will take this opportunity to recommit to training and encouraging a new generation of ethical leaders who will lead with dignity, grace and respect.

Sincerely,
The Staff and Faculty of The Woodhull Institute

The Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership
Business office: 1551 Kellum Place, Mineola, New York 11501
646-435-0837
www.woodhull.org
info@woodhull.org

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our thoughts and prayers are with Representative Giffords, the victims of Saturday’s shootings, and their families in these critical days.
Now is the time for political leaders, on both sides of the aisle, to set an example for civic discourse that will tackle our country’s most pressing issues. They must be responsible for the power of their words. In recent years, we have witnessed an increase in divisive, unpunished language, where hate is an acceptable form of political discourse. Representative Giffords, Gabby as many know her, understood this.

The words we use, and the vast echo-chamber that is the United States of America, as President Clinton said about Oklahoma City, “fall on the serious and the delirious alike, fall on the connected and unhinged alike.” We at TWHP actively promote and believe in passionate voices participating and fighting for issues that they care deeply about—but what has happened to this debate is it is no longer about “hashing it out” for what is best for America. Sheriff Clarence Dupnick spoke honestly when he said his fear is that this shooting makes him worry that we will soon be unable to find reasonable and decent people willing to subject themselves to public office.
But that is exactly what we cannot do. We need, more than ever, a diversity of voices and leadership, acting in concert, collaboratively, and engaging in effective discourse with the best interest of our country in mind. We need the women like you—louder, stronger, and bigger—to join with remarkable women like Representative Gabrielle Giffords. She was always encouraging more women to join her and lead; she was a woman who came to Congress because she believed that we all must participate in our democracy.

We owe it to girls like Christina Green who, at just nine years old, was interested in politics and going to visit her Congresswoman, and tragically lost her young life. Women’s leadership is needed now, but our gender cannot serve as a free pass to unacceptable extremist speech. The consequences of our actions affect generations to come, and threaten the blessing of having this day. Everyone must be more responsible to one another. This is our opportunity to recognize—and rectify—the current state of our country’s political discourse.

Sincerely,
The White House Project Staff

© 2011 The White House Project
434 West 33rd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10001
www.thewhitehouseproject.org

Follow up on Youth with Disabilities' Access to Books...

2011-01-04T19:33:00.000-08:00

In a follow up to the call for book donations over the holidays to the National Youth Leadership Network Library last month, check out the story below by Disability Scoop on the lack of youth with disabilities represented in children's literature. It seems from a recent study that in addition to youth with disabilities experiencing barriers to information and resources that address their needs, they also find themselves severely lacking in the literary world. Read on...

Characters With Disabilities Scarce In Top Children’s Books
By Michelle Diament
January 4, 2011

Kids with disabilities remain woefully underrepresented in the most acclaimed children’s literature, a new study finds.

In an analysis of 131 winners of the Newbery Medal and Honor — considered the top prizes for children’s books — researchers found that just 31 included a main or supporting character with a disability between 1975 and 2009.

The finding reported in the December issues of the journal Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities is significant, researchers say, because kids look to books to find characters they can identify with.

“We know that children learn a lot from models who are like them,” said Tina Dyches, a special education professor at Brigham Young University and a co-author of the study. “We’d like to see children with disabilities more accurately depicted and representative for what is found in schools.”

Of the books that incorporated characters with disabilities, children with everything from intellectual disability to autism and physical difficulties were depicted. However, no disability was represented at the same rate it occurs among students in the nation’s schools.

What’s more, characters with disabilities were most likely to be supporting characters and were often used to boost the emotional growth of those without disabilities rather than to develop in their own right, the study finds.

“We are hoping that this will be a call to authors,” Dyches said. “We’ve got so many wonderful authors in the world and we would love to see more inclusive characterizations in high-quality books, where kids with disabilities are being recognized for who they are and not just for the limitations of their disabilities.”

A similar study in 2006 looked at the Caldecott Medal and Honor, which is presented for children’s picture books. That research found that winning books provided inaccurate views of life with a disability and failed to accurately represent the prevalence of various disabilities.

Copyright © 2011 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Protect Kids and the Environment Around the World!

2010-12-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

Are you a teacher or community educator looking for an engaging curriculum to teach in the new year? Join the Global Exchange's Sweet Smarts Campaign and educate others in your classroom, community setting, or organization about protecting kids from slavery, trafficking, child labor, and environmental harm through the use of fair trade practices!

For everything you need to get involved, read more below from the Global Exchange...
____________________________________________________________

Please take just a moment TODAY to help bring an end to child slavery, poverty, and environmental degradation in the cocoa fields.

We need your help to reach our goal of educating and empowering 4,500 youth to speak out on Fair Trade, with the Fair Trade Cocoa Unit and letter writing action to Hershey.

This December, please tell all the educators you know about Global Exchange’s free Fair Trade Cocoa Unit and you will be entered into a prize drawing for $40 in fabulous Fair Trade prizes!* All educators are eligible, from classroom teachers to after school, youth group, and faith-based programs. Many educators plan their second semester curriculum during the holidays, so December is the ideal time to pass this information along.

Are you an educator yourself? Educators who start to teach the unit anytime between now and Valentine’s Day will also be entered into a second $40 Fair Trade prize drawing. Additionally, all participating educators will receive real Fair Trade, organic cocoa beans to use in their classrooms as a teaching aid for free (supplies are very limited, so please sign up TODAY!).*

We are encouraging educators to participate in the National Valentine’s Day of Action because so much chocolate is distributed around Valentine’s Day that it provides a “teachable moment” for youth to understand where chocolate comes from, the environmental and social justice implications of trade, and the importance of Fair Trade.

Last year, during the Third Annual National Valentine’s Day of Action, we educated over 4,000 youth about Fair Trade with help from advocates like you. Let’s see if we can reach 4,500 this year!

This year, we need your help more than ever in contacting educators because we are asking Hershey to stop using cocoa tainted with child and forced labor and start sourcing Fair Trade instead.

We are asking classrooms, congregations, and individuals all over the country to make valentines to send to Hershey. Visit www.globalexchange.org/cocoa for more details.

To participate…

Everyone:
Please forward this email to all of your educator friends or copy the flyer at http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/educhocflyernvda.pdf and put it in all the teacher mailboxes at your local schools; educators will be able to enter your name into the contest when they download the curriculum.

Educators:
To download the curriculum and email us that you are participating, please follow the instructions at http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/cocoa/vdaycurricula.html

Start a Sweet Smarts Chapter, too!
Your family, youth group or classroom is invited to join Global Exchange’s national Sweet Smarts network. Participants take simple, creative actions to raise awareness of social justice and environmental issues through Fair Trade. Find out about our detailed Activity Guides and other resources available at www.globalexchange.org/sweetsmarts

Have you already started a chapter? Activity Guide 3 is now online at www.globalexchange.org/activityguides

Point Foundation Scholarships Open to LGBTQI Students and Allies!

2010-12-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

Applications for the 2011-2012 academic years are now being accepted by The Point Foundation until February 11, 2011!

Scholarships for educational support will be given to LGBTQI youth and allies who demonstrate excellence and activism.

Check out application instructions, answers to FAQ's, and more here:
http://www.pointfoundation.org/instructions.html

Happy New Decade! Healthy People 2020 Released, Includes Goals for Sexually Diverse Populations...

2010-12-09T05:20:00.001-08:00

Last week, the US Department of Health and Human Services unveiled its "Healthy People - 2020" agenda for the next decade. The report is released every ten years and includes sets of health goals and objectives for the nation, based on emergent health problems, lingering health needs or disparities, and best practices in order to prevent chronic disease in the population.

Taking historic action, Healthy People 2020 contains for the first time clear health goals for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population in the US, including health promotion and prevention. For more information in this specific area, read here:

http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=25

In addition, Health People 2020 contains updated family planning objectives, including improving pre-conception care among women. Currently, the US ranks very low in terms of pre-conception and pre-natal care among other industrialized nations. To read more about this specific topic, click here:

http://healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=13

Calling all College and University Students: Apply to Become a Safe Site Through the Great American Condom Campaign!

2010-12-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

The GACC Safe Site program, brought to you by Trojan and Advocates for Youth, provides free condoms and prevention information to college campuses. The application to become a GACC Safe Site is quick and easy, so apply here today! Deadline for applications is January 3rd.

Link: http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/gaccapply

Donate a Book and Grant a Wish This Holiday Season!

2010-12-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

Want a fun way to give back this holiday season? Donate your new or gently used books on disability issues to the National Youth Leadership Network's Library. This worthy resource is being built by the NYLN to create an accessible space in which to house and trade reading materials and other media among youth on current and historical disability advocacy issues.

Young people with disabilities often do not have access to the information, resources, and media that discuss timely disability issues. Your donation can lead to positive action and activism among youth with disabilities in the future, resulting in a more engaged and inclusive world! To check out their wish list and make a media or monetary contribution, follow the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/20EDQHCK22PWR/ref=cm_sw_su_w?tag=533633855-20

Panel Reviews Health Services for Women While Advocates Shed Light on Past Discrimination...

2010-11-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we notified you of a new panel at the Institute of Medicine (IOM) charged by the Department of Health and Human Services to examine what preventive health services to include at no extra cost to women under the Affordable Care Act, and to close health gaps based upon gender. Last week, the panel heard testimony from women's health advocates and groups such as the National Women's Law Center, on issues including discriminatory practices in health care delivery and the importance of access to contraception for women in the US.

Read more on the Preventive Services for Women Committee at IOM here, and visit the NWLC's website to read Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights Judy Waxman's full testimony here.

Creating Art to Say No to Violence/ Follow up on NYLN Statement...

2010-11-10T05:29:00.000-08:00

In follow-up to the statement released by the National Youth Leadership Network a few weeks ago on the recent suicides among teens who were victims of bullying, check out this opportunity to promote healing and move forward:

Hi all,

Over the last six weeks, 14 different youth have committed suicide because they were bullied for being gay. The National Youth Leadership Network, an organization led by young people with disabilities, recently put out a statement on ending violence for all youth -- youth with disabilities, immigrant youth, GLBTQ youth, and the multitudes of people who are bullied. After we put out this statement, Becky Atkinson, a youth advocate from NC, asked if she could send the 14 families cards expressing her condolences. We did not have their addresses, but want to follow in Becky's steps and make cards.

We will being collecting cards and other sentiments (poems, letters, drawings, videos, statements, music mixes, readings etc) from the disability community. This is a time the disability community can come together to cry out against violence. After everything is compiled and made public, we will contact local media in the towns of these young people and talk about the ways people experience violence when they are pushed outside of the box of what is considered normal. We want people to know why it is important to create safe spaces for everyone, including youth with disabilities and GLBTQ youth.

The deadline for submissions is November 12, 2010 but please email me this week at stacey@nyln.org if you can join us in this. We appreciate it if you can forward this to others who may be interested in participating in the card-making and/or the media interviews. All classrooms, organizations, groups, and individuals who participate will be credited. We are asking that cards go deeper than the "it gets better if you wait it out" message, and talks about personal experiences, resiliency, community, power, and ending violence.

In community,

Stacey Milbern

Community Outreach Director
National Youth Leadership Network
www.nyln.org

If You Missed It...Mothers Behind Bars

2010-11-09T19:28:00.001-08:00

The National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project led a webinar yesterday raising awareness about the myriad of health and human rights issues currently facing incarcerated women, including parenting, reproductive health, and violence. If you missed it, check out the report and materials here:

http://www.nwlc.org/resource/mothers-behind-bars-state-state-report-card-and-analysis-federal-policies-conditions-confin

Update on Health Care Reform Roll-Out and the Women's Health Amendment...

2010-10-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

According to the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, efforts are under way to ensure that women's health services, including family planning, are included in a new group of preventive services which will be provided free of extra cost to all Americans who access state insurance exchanges, as required under the Affordable Care Act. The provision in the bill which calls for these prevention services to be made available does not automatically guarantee specific services necessary to protect and advance the health of women and girls, so a special committee and Women's Health Amendment are being implemented in order to stand for women's health and rights in reform. Read on to find out more...

Institute of Medicine Announces Women's Preventive Services Benefit Panel

Last week the Institute of Medicine (IOM) announced the list of committee members charged with examining which services should be included in the list of important preventive health services for women. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included a provision, commonly referred to as "the Women's Health Amendment," that requires insurance plans made available through state-based health insurance exchanges to cover a broader package of preventive health services for women than those currently recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

Under the ACA all health plans available to consumers in state-based exchanges must cover Grade A and B USPSTF-recommended preventive health benefits without co-pays or other cost-sharing. However many preventive health services important to women, for example family planning, are not currently among those graded by the USPSTF. The Women's Health Amendment is an effort to address the absence.

Over the next 15 months, the IOM committee will consider which services should be part of the women's health preventive services benefit. They will also propose a model for how the Department of Health and Human Services can regularly update the preventive services and screenings for women and adolescent girls. Many of the committee participants have a long history of supporting family planning services and are have strong backgrounds around issues of insurance coverage of reproductive health benefits. NFPRHA fully expects that the committee will recommend the inclusion of family planning services in the women's health preventive services benefit.

If you have any questions please contact Dana Thomas, dthomas@nfprha.org, or at 202-293-3114.

Making the World Safe for All Young People...

2010-10-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome statement by the National Youth Leadership Network in response to the tragic recent suicides among young people across the US. This is intended for those youth, their families, and all people who have been targeted by bullies and experienced first-hand, or were affected by, loss of life as a result in years past:

Challenging Communities to Create A World Where All Youth Are Safe

The National Youth Leadership Network, an organization led by disabled youth, grieves for the lives of youth that were recently lost and calls on communities to end violence.

In the past five weeks, more than a dozen youth have committed suicide. All of these young people were targets of violence and bullying. They were part of - or thought to be part of - the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer (GLBTQ) community.

This news breaks our hearts. As an organization led by young people with disabilities, many of us have been bullied, too. We know what it's like to be told that we are not worthy of life. We know what it means to be on the verge of suicide. Because of this, we want to speak about what is often left unspoken. We want to emphasize the value of the lives that ended because of unjust judgment, hatred, and disrespect. We want to call on our communities to be more accountable [responsible] to one another when people hurt each other. We want our communities to work end violence and bullying. We want to challenge our movements to create a world where youth do not resort to suicide or self-harm. We also want to grieve together about the loss of these lives and the feelings of emptiness, aloneness, and unworthiness that led to these events.

Here are some of the young people whose lives were recently lost:

Billy Lucas (15) September 9, 2010. Indiana
Cody J. Barker (17) September 13, 2010. Wisconsin
Seth Walsh (13) September 19, 2010. California
Tyler Clementi (18) September 22, 2010. New Jersey
Asher Brown (13) September 23, 2010. Texas
Harrison Chase Brown (15) September, 25 2010. Colorado
Raymond Chase (19) September 29, 2010. Rhode Island
Felix Sacco (17) September 29, 2010. Massachusetts
Caleb Nolt (14) September 30, 2010. Indiana
Aiyisha Hassan (20) October 5, 2010. Washington DC
Terell Williams (17) October 13, 2010 Washington
Corey Jackson (19) October 19, 2010. Michigan

We want to challenge our communities, specifically the Disability Rights Movement, to do the following:

1.) Shift the work we do. We must change values. NYLN focuses on interdependence and building community support systems. We must talk about what it means to be a community and how we can really be accountable to each other.

2. Actively work against violence. Billy Lucas was told to "go kill himself." Asher Brown's family said he was "bullied to death." Bullying is violence. Our communities need to recognize violence so no one is alone in experiencing it.

3.) Say no to harmful media messaging. Media is in charge of so much of the messaging we get about GLBTQ community, people with disabilities, immigrants,
and others. We need to tell companies that we will not support them when they put out messages that perpetuate [spread] hatred. As disabled and GLBTQ youth, we must also put more effort into creating our own media so we can hear our own stories being told.

4.) Move beyond one-issue agendas. We could talk about bullying and not talk about violence or media. We could talk about it as a disability issue and not talk about GLBTQ youth. But violence does not fit into a one-issue agenda. If we are not connecting community experiences, we are not doing enough.

5.) Address the issues in all arenas. As of October 2010, only 45 states have addressed bullying in public schools. We must make sure laws protect people everywhere.

We want to have these conversations in community. We hope you will join us.

Signed,
The National Youth Leadership Network

NYLN is an organization led by disabled youth for disabled youth. NYLN's mission is to promote youth leadership and education. We teach youth how to advocate. Our goal is to make sure that youth with disabilities have the chance to set and reach their own goals. To contact us, please contact Betsy Valnes, our Executive Director. She can be reached at betsy@nyln.org or 866-480-6565.

Update: Women's Health Included in MDG's!

2010-10-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, we urged you to join Americans for the UNFPA in writing to President Obama and asking him to include women's health/ maternal-child health in the Millenium Development Goals. Over 600 people signed the petition, and Americans for the UNFPA recently sent this update with the good news on women's health and rights rising to the forefront of our country's global development policy:

Recognizing the need for a new U.S. Global Development Policy, President Obama just yesterday announced a new comprehensive development strategy and noted, “Instead of just managing poverty, we have to offer nations and peoples a path out of poverty."

Secretary of State Clinton further underscored the Obama Administration’s placement of women’s and children’s health at the heart of the $63 billion allocated under the Global Health Initiative (GHI), stating “women’s rights are human rights. The world can make no progress at all unless women’s rights are to be respected.”

There are still so many strides to be made towards improving women's health outcomes worldwide, including here at home in the US, but this is a step.

Follow NWG at Americans for an Informed Democracy!

2010-10-06T07:23:00.001-07:00

I am honored to join the team of Issue Analysts over at Americans for an Informed Democracy this month! Going forward, I will be covering Sexual and Reproductive Health Issues for AIDemocracy's blog, The World Insight, so check it out and drop us a line at:

http://aidemocracy.wordpress.com/

Celebrate Binational Health Week!

2010-10-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

From October 4th through the 15th, the U.S. and Canada will celebrate Binational Health Week, a commemorative period when federal agencies work with local health professionals to highlight health disparities and promote positive, healthy activities within Latino communities that are currently under-served. Muy bueno!

Read more here:
http://binationalhealthweek.org/

Calling all Health and School Advocates: Be Part of the Green Schools Media Challenge!

2010-09-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Artwork credit, Jessica Gonzales, San Francisco Regional Coordinator, YBHC

Our Schools, Our Stories. Our Stories, Our Solutions.

The Youth Building Healthy Communities (YBHC) program at Youth Noise/ Link Media has joined forces with the Redford Center, the arts and environmental activist organization founded by actor Robert Redford, to put together a Green Schools Media Challenge (GSMC) which officially got underway this week!

During the GSMC, high school and college students are asked to submit video entries that represent how their schools are leading the way towards better environmental and human health, as well as greater sustainability for the future of the planet! If you are a student, or you know someone who is, submit your story of a school "going green" to the GSMC and enter to win some awesome prizes, including a chance to attend the premiere screening of the winning videos at the Redford Center Green Schools Summit in Sundance, Utah later this year.

For all of the Green Schools Media Challenge details, including the rules, and to view entries already submitted, visit the following link or click here:

http://www.youthnoise.com/ybhc/contest/Green+Schools+Media+Challenge

Sign the Petition to Put Maternal-Child Health on the MDG Agenda!

2010-09-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Think women's health can change the world? We do too! That's why we signed on to the Americans for the UNFPA's Petition to Prioritize Women's Health in the Milennium Development Goals (MDG) over the next five years.

Sign on today and hold the world's leaders accountable to improving women's health outcomes:

http://www.change.org/americansforunfpa/petitions/view/prioritize_maternal_health_now

Call for Participation in Survey on Students Who Receive Special Education Services and Sexual Abuse/ Harassment...

2010-09-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Read on and see the link to survey below: please note that only adults may participate in the survey, either as adult survivors or as adult caregivers on behalf of an underage survivor of abuse:
_____________________________________________________

My name is Mary Lou Bensy, and I am a Doctoral Student at Hofstra University, located in New York. As part of my Doctoral Dissertation, I have developed a survey to gather information to learn more about the sexual harassment and abuse of special education students in schools. Through this research, I hope to gather vital information, never before systematically collected, which will assess the extent of abuse in educational settings and enable us to protect this victimized population.

Parents, guardians, advocates and caregivers of students with disabilities are asked to respond to my web-based survey, on behalf of the victimized student. If an individual chooses to respond on behalf of more than one student, she/he can feel free to take the survey more than once. Adult survivors of abuse are asked to complete the survey for themselves. The survey is anonymous.

I ask that you would consider distributing this on-line survey link to any appropriate groups or individuals:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/abuse_studentswithdisabilities

Enhancing the knowledge-base regarding the sexual abuse of children with disabilities is not without risks. However, the failure to assess the full extent of this problem can only result in the perpetuation of the abuse and the exploitation of students with disabilities.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Mary Lou Bensy, Adjunct Professor

Hofstra University
Counseling, Research, Special Education and Rehabilitation
Hofstra University
Hempstead, New York 11549
MaryLou.Bensy@hofstra.edu
516)250-7609

Celebrate National DSP Recognition Week

2010-09-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

September 12th through the 19th marks National Direct Support Professional (DSP) Recognition Week, where human service workers who provide critical daily living skills-training and essential services to people with disabilities, are recognized for their important work in helping members of the disability community live fuller, more independent lives.

Typically, DSPs earn $9.00 an hour on average across the US and are predominantly women. This vital part of our human service and public health workforce also tends to do more caregiving in the home, as well as for a living, caring for children and elderly parents or family members. As much as 30% of DSPs live at or below the poverty level while working in the disability community within some states.

For more information on why we observe National DSP Week, and how to further professionalize the field of Direct Support in order for DSPs to get the job recognition, pay, and benefits they deserve, visit the following links:

Paraprofessional Health Institute
http://phinational.org/

National DSP Recognition Week begins September 12th
http://www.ancor.org/news/2010/09/national-direct-support-professional-recognition-week-begins-september-12-2010

National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center
http://www.dswresourcecenter.org/tiki-index.php

New Resource for Activists in Need of TLC...

2010-08-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

You don't have to be an activist or advocate for long to experience stress, a lack of time for yourself, and classic symptoms of burn-out. Maybe you are experiencing this right now! If so, check out this important training dialogue from New Tactics below, entitled Self Care for Activists...

Self-Care for Activists - Online Dialogue - September 22 to 28, 2010

Join New Tactics and Jane Barry for an online Tactical Dialogue on Self-Care for Activists: Sustaining Your Most Valuable Resource from September 22 to 28, 2010.

Human rights work is a powerful and fulfilling vocation. And it is equally hugely challenging for human rights practitioners. These practitioners are often exposed to distressing situations directly and indirectly. From those working directly with survivors of human rights abuses to those working indirectly on human rights abuse issues, the need for taking care of one’s self is extremely important.

We all know that the work is precious and valuable, and yes, we need to be strong, healthy and balanced to do it well -- but we take care of ourselves first and foremost because we are valuable.

This online dialogue will address and define the risks of human rights work: compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary and vicarious trauma, and stress. These risks can harm ourselves, our partners and our families, and those that we work to protect. This dialogue will be a space to share resources, approaches and ideas for how to address these risks. If you work in the field of human rights, join us here for this dialogue on taking care of yourself.

https://www.newtactics.org/en/blog/new-tactics/self-care

FANTASTIC Opportunity for Volunteering in Newark, NJ to Make a Difference...

2010-08-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

Do you live in New Jersey? Do you care deeply about issues of reproductive health and empowerment among young people? The Masakhane Center, a great friend of New Wave Grrrl's, is currently looking for volunteers to serve as Intern Coordinators for their new internship program in Newark, NJ! Read on for all of the details...
____________________________________________________________________________

The Masakhane Center is a youth-driven organization promoting happy, healthy outlooks on sex and sexuality within the Newark, NJ community. We achieve this through interactive and innovative workshops, programs, literature and outreach.

Intern Coordinator

Masakhane is seeking young adults to volunteer as Intern Coordinators for our middle and high school programs. ICs have the following responsibilities:

· Complete required training in management and sexuality education.

· Recruit, interview, train and supervise middle and high school age interns.

· Manage intern schedules and weekly work plans.

· Provide constant feedback and regular formal evaluations.

· Participate in street outreach and health fairs.

· Assist with organization fundraising and special events, as needed.

Qualifications

· Willing to commit to a full school year (September to June).

· Previous internship management experience preferable.

· Ability to engage and seek qualified interns.

· Interest in and commitment to sex positive education, reproductive rights and HIV prevention.

· Experience working with young people, especially in urban areas.

· Willingness to travel throughout Newark.

· Good organizational skills and ability to manage a variety of tasks.

· Proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Publisher, and in the use of the Internet for research purposes required.

· Ability to work with minimal supervision.

· Ability to be flexible in a fast-paced and constantly changing working environment.

· A NJ criminal background check with fingerprinting is required for people over the age of 18.

Hours

Tuesdays & Thursdays 9am to 3pm; some work from home required

How to Apply

Visit our website (www.masakhanecenter.org) and click on the ‘Join Us’ tab. Fill out the Volunteer/Intern application and email it (and your resume) to info@masakhanecenter.org.

Healthcare Still Got You Down? Campus Progress Wants to Hear From You!

2010-08-11T10:50:00.001-07:00

If you have already been affected by an access issue with healthcare, either prior to or as an impending result of the new law, Campus Progress wants to record your story for their campaign on improving young people's access to care. Follow the link below to get started:

http://campusprogress.org/get_involved/online_actions/better_coverage

American Feminists to Blame for Economic Disparities among Working Mothers...Say WHAT?

2010-08-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Check out this recent New York Times article by University of Amherst Economics Professor Nancy Folbre, in which she repudiates recent suggestions that feminism deliberately eliminated pro-family policies from their advocacy agenda, a claim that I cannot quite wrap my head around.

Also, scroll-down in the comments section to read Joanne Tosti-Vasey's (current Pennsylvania NOW President) highlighted feedback on the article, or read her response below:

"Thank you for your assessment of the feminist movement. Your historical overview matches my experiences with NOW over the last 30 years.

The one addition I would make is that it is not only motherhood we are talking about, but full family responsibilities across the life-span. Women are often caregivers of not only their minor children, but their parents, grandchildren, and in some cases, other extended family members.

Using a broader definition of "family responsibilities," NOW advocates for inclusion of care-giving across the life span in anti-discrimination ordinances and laws.

This type of family responsibility definition was used in 2007 when State College, PA created their local employment anti-discrimination ordinance. And we continue to adovcate for similar ordinances and laws here in Pennsylvania. Other NOW activists and feminists are doing the same across the country."

Please Excuse Our Appearance!

2010-08-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

New Wave Grrrl is getting a make-over after many months of silence and will be back before you can figure out what we mean by "Women's Equality is like a Unicorn!"

NWG on Temporary Holiday Hiatus!

2009-12-31T07:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

Look for us again in late January 2010!

Women's Rights in Dire Straits: Abortion Ban in Healthcare Reform Bill...

2009-11-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

This just in from NOW on the latest developments in the healthcare reform process and abortion...

Stupakified! It's Really An Abortion Ban for Millions of Middle-Income Women
The Stupak-Pitts Amendment passed in the final hours of House debate on health care reform legislation (H.R. 3962), if signed into law, would broaden restrictions on abortion for primarily low-income women as well as many millions more women in the middle class.

What do we mean by that, you ask? Well, current federal law under the harmful 1976 Hyde Amendment prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services. Low-income women receiving health care under the Medicaid program cannot have abortion expenses covered, unless they live in one of 17 states that use their own funds to pay for abortion. Exceptions from Hyde are for survivors of rape, incest or having a life-threatening complication. Hyde also affects over one million women in the federal workforce who are insured through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

The Stupak-Pitts Amendment would prohibit any health insurance policy offered in the new regional exchanges from covering abortion if even only one of their policies is sold to a woman receiving a government subsidy to help pay for insurance. In other words, even if you are paying for your insurance with your own personal funds, your policy can't provide abortion coverage if there are others in the same plan who are getting government subsidies.

The large number of women buying insurance through the exchanges would include those previously covered in the costly individual insurance market (about 6 million women) and others previously uninsured and underinsured. The estimated number of uninsured women is 17 million, and millions more are underinsured. These numbers could very well rise due to the hundreds of thousands losing health insurance and jobs in this bad economy.

Further, anyone joining a public health insurance program -- if any survive these perilous legislative battles -- could not receive coverage for abortion services either because federal funds would be used to establish new public programs.

Sure, the "compassionate conservative" (where have we heard that term before?) men who drafted this regressive amendment had women's interests in mind when they said that women could just buy a separate abortion rider policy. Really!? Would most insurance companies even offer such riders? We doubt it. Would most women think that they might become unintentionally pregnant or encounter costly, life-changing complications during pregnancy? Not likely. And let's not forget their teen-aged daughters.

If you, too, are stunned by this GI-normous, back-door evisceration of Roe v. Wade, here's something you can do right away:

Tell your Senators what you think about being Stupakified!

Download and read "A NOW Activist Leader's Guide to Defeating the Stupak-Pitts Amendment Restricting Abortion Coverage in Health Care" (PDF)from NOW.

Download and print the petition (PDF) from NOW and bring it to events in your community in the coming days. Return as many signatures as possible to the NOW
Action Center by Nov. 30 -- so we can hand deliver them on the big Dec. 2 lobby day.
NOW's "Strip Stupak" web page will be updated frequently with new information and action ideas. And, as part of NOW's all-important grassroots leadership, you will receive regular email bulletins on this critical issue. We need a unified, swift and thunderous effort to reverse this attack on our rights!

Tomorrow is National Comprehensive Sex Ed Call-In Day!

2009-10-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, Oct. 28th is National Comprehensive Sex Ed Call-In Day!

Make the call - tell Congress no more Abstinence-Only funding that doesn't work for our teens and youth!

For all the details, check out Choice USA's special Call-In Day page by clicking here and read on below to find out more from Choice USA and other organizations on what you can do!

Join the National Comprehensive Sex Education Call-In Day on October 28th!

The healthcare reform debate is dominating the news right now. One thing we’re not hearing about is the Hatch Amendment, an amendment that would have a serious impact on sex education in our classrooms. Voted into the Senate Finance Committee’s version of healthcare reform 12-11, the Hatch Amendment lays out a $50 million funding plan to get failed abstinence-only programs back into our classrooms.

We need to speak up! This piece of healthcare reform will directly impact our everyday lives and its key we show our legislators we want sex education grounded in fact that teaches us what we need to know.

Abstinence-only programs don’t work. President Obama has called for the end of them in his budget and Members of Congress in the House and Senate have held firm by letting ab-only funding streams expire. Let’s make sure 12 Senators don’t successfully get bad sex education back into our classrooms!

Join Choice USA, SIECUS, SYRF, Advocates for Youth, and Catholics for Choice in our National Call-In Day on Wednesday, October 28th. Call 1-888-423-5983 to reach your Senators’ office.

Women’s Health is a Community Issue: Review of Where Women Have No Doctor

2009-10-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to read a wonderful book published by the Hesperian Foundation, a change-making organization which New Wave Grrrl has profiled before, entitled Where Women Have No Doctor. To many people in the United States, this title is inconceivable, however its message is universal in its appeal to communities to care for and respect women and girls. The book itself is practical, meaningful and written for all people who see the healthcare of women and girls as being critical to the health, survival and prosperity of their communities.

Where Women Have No Doctor is a how-to for communities located in poverty-stricken urban and rural areas, or those without strong public health infrastructure, where quick access to trained medical professionals is often impossible, especially in the event of emergencies. Its practicality as a field manual is undeniable, as it contains extensive diagrams, glossaries, explanations, and guides on medicines, examinations and a whole host of other useful information for individuals who are putting these instructions to use on the ground. The book is much more than a “Do It Yourself” on healthcare however, and is a fantastic read for anyone interested in the ways in which women’s health is woven into the fabric of communities worldwide.

The beauty of Where Women Have No Doctor is that it provides keys to understanding health disparities around the world, which are often deeply rooted in vastly unequal power dynamics among women and men, with men typically making all family healthcare decisions in many regions. These decisions, as we are told by the book, can include access to care, the management of funds, determinations about the type of care received, the critical entry points for individuals to receive care, and the timing of the healthcare sought. In many cases, as demonstrated by some of the true-story testimonials contained in the book, the inequities in health literacy and healthcare decision making-power costs women their livelihood, and sometimes their very lives.

Through case studies of women and families, Where Women Have No Doctor demonstrates how inextricably linked issues of food, poverty, war, community supports, family status, forced and early marriages, and too frequent childbirths often lead to dramatically adverse health outcomes for women and girls across a lifetime. In Where Women Have No Doctor, the writers have creatively and effectively managed to intertwine both a practical field manual for providing basic first aid, emergency response and certain medical procedures with a critical look at how societies are organized. The authors seamlessly move from providing community healthcare information, to in-depth examinations of why women and girls are undervalued the world over, and how deep inequalities, including poverty and lack of education, have tremendous adverse affects on women’s health, wellbeing and overall survival.

The book also offers information on family planning and spacing of children, safer sex and ways to end the cycle of violence, which in many cases must be addressed by the entire community as a whole. One of the recurrent tools, which is highly applicable and cost-free in many cases, is the formation of support groups among women, as a vehicle for greater protection, awareness and change. The book also stresses the importance of making enough food and milk available for women and girls, as this proves to be a major health indicator and can help women fight disease, prevent exhaustion and lead to better outcomes for themselves and their families. Often, due to women and girls’ lower status in families, overwork in low-skilled demanding labor and frequent pregnancies within short periods of time, women suffer exhaustion and depression at extremely high rates, and when they do not receive adequate nutrition, they are made increasingly vulnerable to disease and death as a result.

In addition to the quality of in-depth information that this book provides, I was also particularly impressed by the section on women with disabilities and their special health needs, to which an entire chapter is dedicated. This section includes information on skin care, such as prevention and treatment of pressure sores, which is a huge health issue for individuals with physical or other movement-inhibiting disabilities. The chapter also stresses the importance of exercise and shows examples of movements to keep joints and muscles working and prevention of further injury, sores, etc. due to limited mobility. Unfortunately, low mobility even for those without physical limitations is a major issue for people with disabilities, as they do not typically have as much access to their communities and social opportunities as do their non-disabled peers.

The chapter is sex and self-positive in tone, and recognizes the importance of women with disabilities having access to information on sexuality, family planning and abuse and assault prevention tools. These are all critical aspects of healthcare for women, especially those with varying ability levels, as many people do not think that these issues need to be discussed with the disability population, so they usually go unaddressed. This reality is even further confounded in rural or remote areas, where access to information and resources is less easily achieved.

Another great attribute of Where Women Have No Doctor is that within this chapter on women and disability, as well as throughout the book, mental health issues and illnesses such as depression are not only mentioned, but the book helps to de-stigmatize them, and discuss the cultural origins of stereotypes about women with disabilities and/or mental illness. The book encourages women with disabilities to find others to talk to, pursue their dreams and form support groups and networks. Perhaps most importantly, the book discusses how to get others on board in order to educate and modify communities so that they will be more accessible to women with disabilities. In keeping with the book’s overall theme, the reader is offered positive images of women with disabilities, which are essential to changing perceptions about people with disabilities and increasing integration within society.

As a field manual on community health, or just as a guide to knowledge about women’s status in the world, Where Women Have No Doctor is truly comprehensive, in that for every example it highlights of the inequalities and challenges that women face all over the world, the book provides positive reinforcement for communities that seek to make changes in the lives of women. In addition, it offers a multitude of advice and action steps towards positive changes that will hopefully ease poverty, improve health and transform the way in which communities view and value women and girls.

(This book is also available in Spanish.)

A Message from Halle Berry (!) and Girls Mentoring and Education Services

2009-10-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

A while back, guest blogger Thomael Joannidis posted on child sex trafficking and the need for more awareness about how this is affecting so many girls in America and around the world. Below is a letter from Halle Berry, on behalf of the Council of Daughters and Girls Education and Mentoring Services (G.E.M.S.) on why YOU need to get involved...

Dear Daughters,

Being a girl isn't easy.

Today in New York City, a girl will flee an abusive home, only to be approached by a pimp-trafficker who will promise her love and protection. He will not deliver on these promises. Instead, he will assault and degrade her, and later sell her repeatedly to johns.

I have never met this girl, but she is my daughter.

In Houston, a girl trafficked and sold by a pimp will be arrested. Most likely, she will not be viewed as a victim of child sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. She will be deemed a 'teen prostitute' and sent to jail. It will devastate her but she will have no one to tell her she is loved, that she will be okay, that she is not to blame.

She is my daughter.

In Chicago, a girl will have her picture taken and posted on a popular social networking site, a virtual marketplace for johns interested in buying very young girls. Her pimp will force her to meet these johns in motels and brothels and apartments around the city, and will punish her mercilessly if she refuses.

She is my daughter.

And in my hometown of Cleveland, a girl will arrive in an emergency room with extensive injuries resulting from a brutal assault by a john. The doctors may treat her, but it's possible they will not have the training to identify her as a victim and connect her with services that can help her heal from her physical and emotional trauma.

She is my daughter.

Across the nation, between 100,000 and 300,000 American children are at risk for child sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. In most cases, resources do not exist to care for them, help them heal, advocate for them in the courts, and empower them to reach their full potential. That's why I too am a member of The Council of Daughters, working with you to mobilize women and girls to encourage stronger legislation, better services, increased community awareness, and real social change to protect and empower girls who have been trafficked as they fight to recover from their exploitation.

Imagine what we can accomplish if millions of women band together to fight for the needs of girls at the national and local level. Imagine the power we can wield if we all agree that every girl in America deserves the right to grow up and live her dreams. Imagine the enormous change that is possible if we each commit to a simple pledge: Every girl is my daughter and I will do whatever I can, whenever I can, to protect the girls I know and the girls I may never meet.

Together, we can ensure that girls are educated and empowered to know their self-worth and beauty. We can demand that service providers, doctors, educators and police officers are informed and prepared to respond to the needs of children who have been victimized. We can ensure that comprehensive recovery services are available in all 50 states. We can help young survivors rise to the forefront of a nation-wide movement to end child sex trafficking in America. We can build a nation where girls are celebrated, not sold.

I need you to do three things for me today. First, if you haven't seen it yet, I want you to watch the GEMS film Very Young Girls to learn just how much girls in recovery need our support. The film is available online and on DVD at Netflix. Watch it this week or accept GEMS' One2One Challenge and share it with a friend on our National Viewing Night on October 17th.

Click to accept the One2One Challenge on October 17th.

Second, I encourage you to donate $10, $25, $50 or any amount to support the GEMS Girls Fund. Inspire a friend by inviting them over to watch the film with you on October 17th and make a donation to GEMS in honor of this friend. Any amount is a gift.

And finally, I want you to invite someone new to join the Council by clicking the link below to forward this email.

I know we can do this. I know we can change the world for girls.

Love Always,
Halle

Chilling Developments on "Fetal Personhood"...

2009-09-25T04:14:00.001-07:00

With all of the excitement leading up to the historic 2008 Presidential Election, it is difficult to believe that mid-term election season will soon be in full swing for 2010.

With that said, many special interest groups (SIGs) that operate on the fringe in America are already gearing up to ensure that their candidates sweep the elections next year and that their issues of things like strict marriage definitions, limits on choice, etc. appear on state ballots. One such group is the "Fetal Personhood" supporters, who have been trying in states like Colorado to establish full rights for unborn fetuses equal to that of all adult American citizens.

The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association recently reported on the issue, and it is truly disturbing:

"Fetal Personhood" Advocates Eye 2010 Elections

Personhood USA is once again on the offensive, pushing for the rights of fertilized eggs over the rights and health of women. The group claims to have campaigns active in 29 states, but efforts in Montana, Colorado, and Florida are currently making headlines. In each of these states, Personhood USA is seeking signatures for a petition to put a state constitutional amendment on the 2010 ballot that would define "person" from "the beginning of biological development."

Nearly identical endeavors failed in Montana and Colorado in 2008. In Montana, "personhood" advocates failed to obtain half of the required signatures to put the measure on the ballot. The citizens of Colorado voted down the amendment nearly three-to-one. These defeats have not discouraged the group, and organizers in both states have until July 2010 to gather the required number of signatures to qualify for the state's ballot.

Fofi Mendez, chief coordinator of the Protect Families, Protect Choices Coalition in Colorado, told the Rocky Mountain Independent, "The true goal of this initiative is to criminalize all abortions... This has very far-reaching consequences for important life decisions, such as in vitro fertilization, birth control, and has impacts on women and their families."

According to Associated Press reports, there are similar petitions circulating in Mississippi and Nevada, and amendment language will be filed later this month in California.

Come to Women Who Health!

2009-09-25T04:02:00.000-07:00

The Younger Women's Task Force of New Jersey (YWTF-NJ) will be holding its fall kickoff event "Women who Health" next week on Thursday, October 1st from 6-8pm at the Hickory Corner Library in East Windsor, NJ. This event will consist of refreshments, panel discussion on women's health issues by experts around the state, and time for question and answers.

For information and to register, please see the information below:

Women Who Health:
Women’s Preventative Health Panel

Thursday, October 1
6:00-8:00 PM
at
Hickory Corner Library
138 Hickory Corner Rd., East Windsor, NJ

Participate in a panel discussion where women discuss ways to ensure and promote healthy lifestyles through education and awareness. Panelists include a personal trainer, representative from the Sierra Club, and more!

Enjoy light refreshments, door prizes, and take-aways at this free event.

RSVP by September 28th via email at ywtf.nj@gmail.com.

Will you be at the PA Gov's Conference for Women on Thursday?

2009-09-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

NWG will! Go Philly!

More info below on the conference:

Hosted By

Governor Edward G. Rendell &
The Pennsylvania Commission for Women
The Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia
Thursday, September 17, 2009

http://www.pagovernorsconferenceforwomen.org/

Read "Saving the World's Women"...

2009-09-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

The new book Half the Sky, with it's name taken from an ancient Chinese proverb which says that women hold up half the sky, will be published in September.

"1% of the entire world's landowners are women.

21% of women surveyed in Ghana reported that their sexual initiation was by rape.

98% of people in Egypt believe that girls have the same right to education as boys.

130 million women around the world have been subject to genital cutting.

The U.N. estimates that there are 5,000 honor killings of women conducted each year around the world."

All of these statistics were taken from NY Times writers Nick Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn's latest article on why it is so critical that we invest in the lives of women and girls around the globe. The article is a precursor to their new book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity Worldwide.

In "Saving the World's Women," which was published the week prior to Women's Equality Day in a special issue of the NY Times Magazine, the pair take on why blindly throwing foreign aid is not working, and how effective it is to fund women and girls' education, health, and economic empowerment in the fight against poverty, extremism, and pandemics.

They also remind us that prominent policymakers have been aware for almost 20 years of just how important women and girls are to solving some of the world's most dire problems, and yet relatively little has been done to affect a paradigm shift away from old foreign aid and thinking models and towards real progress.

What else can I say? Read it! Read it! Read it!

Happy Women's Equality Day!

2009-08-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

More tomorrow debriefing on today, Women's Equality Day...for now, well, the photo says it all. I know, I know, I trot this pic out at least twice a year, but I still think it is the best thing that ever came out of Woodstock, NY (its posted outside the Town Hall).

NWG Away This Week....

2009-08-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

We are out of town this week, and will return to blogging over the weekend with many updates on healthcare reform, upcoming opportunities for young women, and other good stuff!

In the meantime, check out some great pieces of coverage and commentary on recent healthcare controversies, myths, and strategies to get back on track towards better healthcare for all at the links below:

SC Congressman Clyburn on Intimidation and Reform
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111801758

A Special Needs Mom Responds to Sarah Palin
http://momocrats.typepad.com/momocrats/2009/08/a-response-to-sarah-palins-death-panel-comment-from-a-parent-of-a-child-with-special-needs.html

Ezra Klein Interviews Sen. Johnny Isakson on End-of-Life Decisions and Healthcare
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/08/is_the_government_going_to_eut.html#more

Joseph Palermo at HuffPo on What Happened to the Biggest Issue of the 2008 Election
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-a-palermo/health-care-reform-was-th_b_256615.html

Tribute to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Tireless Advocate for People with Disabilities...

2009-08-11T17:41:00.001-07:00

(Original photo from Sports Illustrated, December 2008)

Today, Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away at age 88, in Massahcusetts. Mrs. Shriver was one of the most prominent public advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, and founded the Special Olympics in 1968, in order to expand opportunities and possibilities for children and adults to live fuller, richer lives in their communities.

Over the last thirty years, many social and institutional changes have taken place, due to the advocacy work of people like Eunice Kennedy Shriver, self-advocates, and families within the developmental disabilities community, to advance the civil rights of people with disabilities. Many individuals and families remember the distinct periods of time before the beginning of our social evolution, even up until the 1960's and 70's, when individuals with disabilities were often excluded, warehoused, and even hidden from public life and community living.

During this period prior to what is generally regarded as the Modern Disability Rights Movement, people with physical, cognitive, behavioral, intellectual, and multiple disabilities were not able to access opportunities to interact with their counterparts outside of state institutions, let alone have the agency and independence to make choices for themselves and pursue their personal hopes and dreams.

Angered and deeply saddened by the treatment that her sister Rosemary Kennedy received, due to her own family's and society's ignorance and lack of acceptance of her moderate case of mental retardation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver dedicated her life and work to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. By creating learning and leadership opportunities for people with disabilities through the Special Olympics and other programs, Mrs. Kennedy Shriver discouraged the practice of hiding people with varied ability levels in the shadows of society, and instead helped to raise consciousness and bring light to these issues.

To learn more about her life's work, and read other tributes, visit Eunice Kennedy Shriver: One Woman's Vision.

The Time is Now! Tell Washington to Get Serious About Protecting Women's Rights in Health Reform...

2009-08-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

March for Women's Lives, May 2004

In a follow up to our last posting on healthcare, today its time to discuss one of the most important aspects of healthcare reform, reproductive rights and health, and in the words of Jodi Jacobson over at RH Reality Check, "bring it"!

Family planning and reproductive rights have been pummeled about in recent Congressional activities on reform as if they are mere outlying circumstances in health, while in reality they affect EVERY SINGLE citizen in this country. In fact, what could be more mainstream and uniform in its impact than reproduction? Our ability to make healthy and safe choices about reproduction affects every man, woman, child, and family. This is not just a women's issue, yet we are being relegated to the margins of reform, and as political footballs, we are passed back and forth in order to reach a "deal."

Listen up Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who care about choice in reform (which includes reproductive choice and health): did we elect these jokers to wheel and deal on behalf of the few, or did we elect them to reform on behalf of the many?

I received an email from whitehouse.gov recently, entitled "What Healthcare Reform Means to You," laying out the issues below that indeed matter to me. Given how important these are, we must hold our elected officials accountable, and not let them use women's bodies as a bargaining tool to leverage what they consider to be victories in reform:

-No discrimination for pre-existing conditions
-No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays
-No cost-sharing for preventive care
-No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill
-No gender discrimination
-No annual or lifetime caps on coverage
-Extended coverage for young adults
-Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid

Correct me if I am wrong, but that fifth bullet does say "no gender discrimination." On the actual White House website, this bullet is followed by a short description which reads:

"No Gender Discrimination
Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender."

Is this all that is meant by no gender discrimination in reform? I think not, especially given that if women did not as often bear the sole responsibility of family planning, pregnancy prevention, childrearing, and caregiving, our overwhelmingly male-comprised Congress would not be so willing to sell out on these issues.

Read Jodi Jacobson's recent article on insurance coverage for women and families' reproductive healthcare, including well-woman care, HIV/ AIDS care, contraception, and abortion:

Want Insurance to Cover Your Reproductive Health Care? White House Advisor Tells Grassroots "It's Time to Bring It."
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/07/22/want-insurance-cover-your-reproductive-health-care-white-house-advisor-tells-grassroots-its-time-bring-it

Also, check out the August Recess Action Center which Campus Progress/ The Center for American Progress has put together to let your rep's know where you stand, including a toolkit for meeting with elected officials. Visit today to sign up and let us be heard loud and clear that women's health must be championed in reform.

NWG Jumpin' Into Healthcare...

2009-07-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's been a packed summer for me, and I cannot believe 1) that tomorrow August begins, and 2) so many are predicting that healthcare reform is already DOA with members of Congress going on recess next month. Seriously, what is up?

These are the highlights of where we are and what has been written about this week, and whatever happens next, you should know about them, because when it comes to healthcare reform, everyone knew it would not be easy, but that doesn't mean we can sleep through it (myself included). If you'll be around in August, why not make an appointment with your representative, and let them know you care? And that we cannot let this get away from us again, 15 years after reform was attempted last under the Clinton Admin. Read below, and then find out how to set up a meeting from the ACLU here and click here for contacts to legislative offices from Project Vote Smart, which is the TOPS in NWG's humble opinion.

Five Minutes with Ezra Klein, by Jake Blumgart at Campus Progress

Healthcare as a Human Right, by Natasha Bowens at Campus Progress
Blue Dog Compromises: A War on the Middle Class?, by RJ Eskow at Huff Po

Ezra Klein's blog at the Wash Po(did I mention we should all be reading him like everyday?)

Healthcare Realities, by Paul Krugman at the NY Times

The Stakes of Healthcare Reform, by Chris Hayes at The Nation
And, check out this less than uplifting news from NOW, not that this comes as a total surprise, but who thought women's reproductive health would still be a bargaining chip after all that talk about hope and change? I guess Congress didn't get the hope and change memo:

NOW Outraged at House Vote on Abortion Coverage -- Women's Rights Traded Away

July 31, 2009

NOW is outraged to learn that the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed an amendment excluding abortion services from the "essential" health benefits package as defined by the government. Under this amendment, subsidies used to help pay insurance premiums for low-income people could not be used for abortion services. The New York Times reports that "insurers must use money from private sources to pay for any abortions."

"Reproductive health care is a fundamental right. Any health care plan that does not cover the full range of reproductive services, including abortion, discriminates against women," said NOW President Terry O'Neill. "Once again, our representatives are giving in to the right wing by trading away women's rights. Well, I have a message for them, our reproductive rights are not theirs to give away."

O'Neill noted that a majority of voters support coverage for abortion services, with only about a quarter opposed to using tax dollars to pay for abortion. In addition, a recent study found that most people in the U.S. with employer-based insurance currently have coverage for abortion. "Don't low-income people deserve the same level of coverage as other people in this country?" asked O'Neill. "Our lawmakers should be ashamed of themselves for perpetuating class-based and gender-based biases as they attempt to 'reform' our broken health care system."

Props to Port Chester Schools...

2009-07-29T08:32:00.001-07:00

The American School Health Association recently circulated an article detailing how Port Chester schools in West Chester County, NY will now offer STI and pregnancy-testing as part of a new school health initiative to provide quick and critical services for elementary, middle, and high school students, most of whom are girls and young women. The Port Chester School Board, which recently moved to approve the initiative with only one dissenting vote, has come under fire not surprisingly from groups like Focus on the Family. The Port Chester School Board and School District should be applauded for their progressive and proactive action on the important reproductive and public health issues that are impacting students at Port Chester in high numbers. Read on to find out more:

NEW YORK: Port Chester Schools to Offer Pregnancy, STD Tests

Journal News (White Plains) (07.26.09)::Theresa Juva

Under a measure recently approved by the Port Chester School Board, Open Door Family Medical Centers will expand the services it provides in elementary, middle, and high schools to include STD and pregnancy testing. Students who test positive for pregnancy or infection can receive counseling and are referred for treatment to the Open Door facility nearby. Board member Jim Dreves said the expanded services meet a growing need. In 2008, Open Door's director of clinical services said 19 of the 525 girls at Port Chester High School were either pregnant or parenting. "If a kid comes in and says 'I think I have a problem,' to be able to do the test is important," Dreves said. Port Chester is the only school district in Westchester County to house school-based clinics operated by Open Door. The program was created in 2004 for students with no health coverage, though any student can be seen. The federally funded program administers immunizations and physicals and offers mental, vision, and hearing screenings.

Click here to read the rest of the article at the LoHud Journal News.

New Women's Resource Launched by the Alice Paul Institute in New Jersey...

2009-07-27T12:56:00.000-07:00

Recently from the Alice Paul Institute:

WOMENS INFORMATION NETWORK OF NEW JERSEY (WIN-NJ)

The Alice Paul Institute (API) announces the online premiere of the Women’s Information Network of New Jersey (WIN-NJ). This project was made possible through a grant from the Women’s Agenda of New Jersey.

WIN-NJ provides an online database of women’s organizations within the state that deal with issues of particular relevance to women’s social, political, economic, educational, and legal advancement. This project was developed to help promote and facilitate effective communication within the women’s organizational community on these issues.

The database is accessible through API’s website (www.alicepaul.org), and provides links to each organization’s website. It is available in three formats: by area of subject expertise, alphabetically as a .pdf file, and alphabetically as an Excel spreadsheet that can be sorted by various fields.

Information provided for each organization includes, where available, the organization’s name, address, phone, fax, e-mail, website, principal contact and title, and up to three areas of subject expertise.

Maintenance of the database will be performed by Valerie Buickerood, Director of Major Gifts, at API. For changes to database information or recommendations for adding organizations, please contact her at (856) 231-1885 or at valerieb@alicepaul.org.

New Resource for Girls with ASD...

2009-07-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

We just heard about a new resource for parents that relates to teen girls with autism and other Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), called "Girls Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum: What Parents and Professionals Should Know About the Pre-teen and Teenage Years," by Shana Nichols, Gina Marie Moravcik, and Samara Pulver Tetenbaum.

Typically, it is difficult to find information on the individual social and health needs of girls with autism because ASD's generally present in boys at such a higher rate than their female counterparts. Nevertheless, the availability of appropriate resources for all families dealing with autism are critical, and this book specifically addresses the issues that girls face while approaching and during adolescence and teenhood.

NWG has not yet read the book, so this is not a review, just a shout-out to some resources for families with girls and autism. Two of the authors, Nichols and Tetenbaum, are affiliated with the Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism in Nassau County, NY. To learn more about the book, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, click here.

Update to API Post...

2009-07-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update to the API posting below from last week: the Alice Paul Institute is now looking for interns and volunteers, especially on its various Committees!

Check out more information about opportunities to get involved by clicking here, or visiting www.alicepaul.org.

In Honor of a True Patriot...Happy Fourth of July!

2009-06-30T18:11:00.000-07:00

With the Fourth of July festivities fast approaching this weekend, and the dismal mood that has settled upon many American communities hard-hit by the current economic times, I thought we were long overdue at NWG for a post about a true patriot and countrywoman, Alice Stokes Paul, and a film recommendation for all who need something to believe in this Independence Day.

Reports have been surfacing over the past several weeks of towns and cities nationwide that are unable to celebrate Independence Day this year with traditional fireworks and fanfare due to budgetary crises. My city of Philadelphia, which many call "the birthplace of America," is still able to hold their fireworks display this year, despite major financial woes. However, for those folks that may not have a local venue in which to celebrate the upcoming holiday this time around, some good-old-fashioned American storytelling may have to do...and may just change the way you think about our American heritage. If you are looking for a holiday flick worthy of your inspiration and moral imagination, I urge you to check out Iron Jawed Angels, starring Hilary Swank as American Suffragist and political leader Alice Paul.

Born in 1885, in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, Alice Paul dedicated her entire life, which ended in 1977, to fighting an enormously brave battle for women's rights and equal participation in American society and politics. Among her extensive achievements when she passed away were the successful passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution which guaranteed women the right to vote, and developing and advancing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the US Congress. Although the ERA has not yet been ratified, many believe that Alice Paul's legacy in the ERA, which would essentially codify gender equality under federal law, will someday come to pass, as it has been introduced before Congress every year since 1982, and at one point, was included within the official Party Platforms of both the Republicans and the Democrats.

Today, the story of Alice Paul's life and legacy is preserved within the very walls of her original home, Historic Paulsdale, located in Mount Laurel, NJ, and registered as a State and National Historic Landmark. Paulsdale is run and maintained by the Alice Paul Institute (API), a non-profit organization committed to celebrating the life of Alice Paul through a wide range of heritage programs, and empowering future leaders of women's enfranchisement by offering leadership programs to girls and young women. API serves girls from nearby cities of Cherry Hill, Camden, and other local communities, and plans to expand its reach to benefit children and youth throughout more of New Jersey and the Delaware Valley Region. Featured below, the API staff helps to unveil the new Capital Grille restaurant in Cherry Hill, NJ, as they pose before a sepia-colored portrait of Alice Paul.

(From left, API staff members: API President Rhonda DiMascio, Director of Leadership Programs Dana Dabek-Milstein, Director of Heritage and Outreach Kristina Myers, Director of Major Gifts Valerie Buickerood, and Administrative Director Debra Hojsak.)

Thanks to the dedicated API staff and volunteers, Paulsdale is a warm and welcoming place that succeeds in reminding its visitors of where American women have been, and where we have the ability to go in the future. Although it is easy to revel in gratification while studying the collection of historical photographs and artifacts that adorn the halls of Paulsdale and commemorate the momentous Women's Suffrage Movement of the early 20th Century, these also must serve as a reminder of our path toward equality that still lies ahead, finishing the work that Alice Paul began over one hundred years ago.

So, this coming Fourth of July, when ringing in what might have been just another excuse to barbeque or possibly a bleak reminder of the challenging economic horizon that so many face this year, let a true patriot of the past guide your holiday hoopla and ring in something worth celebrating which can be appreciated by all - freedom!

For more information on Alice Paul, the critical community impact of the Alice Paul Institute, and how you can get involved, visit www.alicepaul.org

NWG Goes to Arizona...

2009-06-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well not really physically to AZ, but certainly in spirit. In the May addition of the Pima County Women's Commission newsletter, we published a piece on women with disabilities and hopes for better health policies under the Obama Administration! The Women's Commission of Pima County/ Tucson is an organization dedicated to helping women achieve equality and eliminate racism. Check out the lead in and click the link for more...

Women with Disabilities Look toward a Promise of Hope and Change for the Future

By: Emily Kronenberger

Over the past four decades, people with disabilities, their families, and those who advocate on their behalf have worked closely and collaboratively to succeed in making significant changes in the lives of people with disabilities and their opportunities in society. Advancements in education, relationships, leadership and social opportunities, and greater independence have all come in increased numbers as a result of the modern Disability Rights Movement in the United States. Despite some gains however, members of this population continue to go without the supports and services that would enhance their ability to lead fuller, richer lives...

Full article available by clicking here.

Also, click on the logo above to visit the Center for Research on Women with Disabilities (CROWD) to learn about how we can better address the specific health needs of women and girls with varied abilities.

Thoughts on the "F-Word" from Campus Progress...

2009-06-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

(“Women’s Liberation Party” march, Convention Hall in Atlantic City, NJ, Sept. 7, 1968. (AP PHOTO)

Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch over at Campus Progress recently published this piece on how many young women do not self-identify as feminists, yet tend to articulate a very feminist framework for how they live their lives and see the world. While interviewing them on the issue, Gromisch found that many young women are uncomfortable with the feminist label because they have found and felt that the movement has not always been extremely welcoming of diverse views and backgrounds...read on to find out more:

"I'm Not a Feminist, But..."
Why some young women are shying away from the f-word

What is your take on this issue, do you call yourself a feminist?

Chicago School Needs a Time Out...

2009-06-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Having grown up in New Jersey, I take a lot of flak for being a former resident of the Garden State. Often known as citizens dwelling within the "Armpit of America," New Jerseyeans get a bad rep for having big hair, big attitudes, and big environmental problems.

Nevertheless, one thing I do have to say for New Jersey is that compared to alot of other states, we get the need for comprehensive sex education and helping teens and youth make healthy decisions about their bodies and sexuality. New Jersey was one in the first round of states to reject federal Abstinence-Only funding from the former Bush Administration, citing that the Abstinence-Only curricula offered in many programs funded by the feds did not meet the Core Curriculum Standards for science and health subjects in New Jersey's State Education Policy. Imagine that? We said no to them, because their curricula was not up to our little old state's standards, hmmm...

Anyway, when I recently read a Chicago Tribune article on how the film "Time-Out: the Truth about HIV, AIDS, and You," had caused a stir after a teacher showed the film to his health class in a Catholic Chicago school, I had to give Jersey its props. One of my foremost memories of learning about HIV/ AIDS as a child in the early 90's was through watching Time Out, and its many stars including Mayim Bialik (Blossom, anyone?) and Paula Abdul (yes, my idol at the time), talk about HIV/ AIDS in a candid way that made me less anxious about having family members who were HIV-positive. HIV/ AIDS was just beginning to be talked about in the mainstream at the time, and this film helped to calm fears of something that kids who were being educated on it, and more importantly and noticeably adults, were terrified of.

Many other elementary-school aged students besides myself in New Jersey saw this video and started having conversations with their teachers, parents, and even friends about HIV/ AIDS, and many of these conversations led to the better awareness and consciousness that we have today about HIV/ AIDS, although it is still a huge public health issue that faces our society. Some of my family members have lived with HIV since before this film was made, and some of them have not survived. I credit this movie with educating young people and steering the dialogue away from shame and blame, and more towards health, safety, and most importantly, love.

That message may never be heard by all of the kids in that Chicago school due to the irrational (and irresponsible) fears of the Chicago Archdiocese, but thanks to that teacher, some young people did hear what Time Out had to say, and some of them will be better off because of it.

Follow up on Dr. Tiller's Murder...

2009-06-05T09:58:00.001-07:00

This week, some interesting posts, stories, and analysis have circulated the web on the murder of Dr. George Tiller. Nevertheless, the in-depth story of his life of service to women and families, and his tragic death, have all but been widely ignored by the greater media this week (save some short news tid-bits or the ridiculous rantings of Bill O'Reilly and his gang of thugs) and a broader discourse has yet to take place.

Personally, I feel that Congress should hold hearings on this pattern (yes, this is certainly pathological and highly organized) of violence that is allowed to surround and endanger abortion providers and caregivers, and leads to the barring of women from accessing their Constitutional right to seek the best healthcare possible for themselves and their own families. In addition, I believe President Obama needs to augment the original statement he made earlier this week condemning the violence that killed Dr. Tiller, and reinforce his commitment to women's rights and freedom.

The level of outrage needed though has sadly not reached a fever pitch among the American public for this to happen, really because a lot of people are just not aware of this latest violent attack on choice and the threat it poses to all Americans and their individual rights.

Below are just some of the highlights of commentary on Dr. Tiller's murder from this week:

Black Silence and the Abortion Debate, Salamishah Tillet

Religious Leaders Respond to the Murder of Dr. George Tiller, Rev. Deborah Haffner

Special Needs and Choice, Realist Mom's reader diary at RH Reality check

DC Vigil for Dr. Tiller Held in DC this Week, from Choice USA

Late-Term Abortions: The Facts, The Stories, and How to Help, Jodi Jacobsen at RH Reality Check

Also, check out I Am Dr. Tiller.com, at http://iamdrtiller.com/, a website in memorial to Dr. Tiller.

Few Words...

2009-06-01T13:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Kansan and reproductive health champion Dr. George Tiller was killed...

Dr. Tiller was brutally murdered, in his church, with his wife and friends in the community present. Dr. Tiller was only one of three abortion clinic-based providers left IN THE COUNTRY that offered late-term abortion services to women and families who were seeking the procedure based upon dire medical need. The story is so short, and so sad, that there are not many words to describe it beyond what has already been written in the last day or so since his killer was apprehended by Kansas authorities.

Here, in a statement from Sharon Camp of the Guttmacher Institute, the importance of his work, life, and death is put in the best way that I have seen yet:
____________________________________________________
Statement from Sharon Camp, Guttmacher Institute president and CEO, on the murder of Dr. George Tiller

The Guttmacher Institute joins the reproductive health community in expressing our shock and sadness at the murder of Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas physician who dedicated his life to providing abortion care to women in need—including later-term abortions to women in the most difficult of circumstances. Dr. Tiller did so despite decades of harassment, vandalism, threats and violent attacks by antiabortion activists.

The number of U.S. abortion providers has been declining for many years; as a result, a growing number of women have difficulty obtaining abortion services in a timely manner. The overwhelming majority of abortion providers offer services in the first trimester, when nearly 90% of abortions occur. But at later gestations—when abortions due to fetal anomalies and threats to a woman’s health or life are more common—only 2% of all abortion providers offer the procedure, leaving women in need of later term abortions with very few safe, legal options.

The death of Dr. Tiller is a senseless tragedy. Dr. Tiller risked his life on a daily basis to ensure that women had access to safe, legal reproductive health services. For the women he helped over the years, as well as those who will now have nowhere else to turn, this is an incalculable loss.

Dr. Sharon Camp
President and CEO
Guttmacher Institute

PA to Introduce New Marriage Equality Bill...

2009-05-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest on the talk of proposed Marriage Equality legislation in the State of Pennsylvania, from Equality Advocates PA (yeah Pennsy!)

Contact: Jake Kaskey, Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, (215) 731-1447 x14
Andy Hoover, ACLU-PA, (717) 236-6827 x13

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 27, 2009

Civil Rights Coalition Commends State Senator’s Marriage Proposal

(Harrisburg) Civil rights organizations across Pennsylvania today commended Pennsylvania State Senator Daylin Leach for his intention to introduce legislation that would grant full marriage equality to same-sex couples. The Value All Families Coalition praised Senator Leach’s longstanding dedication to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, calling the proposed legislation an inspiring glimpse into the future of equality for all Pennsylvania couples.

“We absolutely look forward to the day when all Pennsylvania families can enjoy the same benefits and protections under the law that heterosexual couples currently have,” said Jake Kaskey, policy and outreach coordinator of Equality Advocates Pennsylvania. “We are grateful for all of the work that Senator Leach has done on behalf of the LGBT community over the years and look forward to seeing full equality reached for all LGBT people.”

Senator Leach’s decision to introduce an inclusive marriage bill comes as other states, including Iowa and Maine, pass same-sex marriage legislation and one day after California’s Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8, an amendment to California’s constitution prohibiting marriage between same-sex couples. It also comes at a time when the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is debating House Bill 300, legislation to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pennsylvanians from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

“Gay and lesbian couples deserve the same rights and responsibilities as all other married couples across Pennsylvania,” said Andy Hoover, legislative director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. “We look forward to demonstrating the need to recognize every relationship across Pennsylvania.”

Senator Leach’s proposed legislation, which is currently circulating for co-sponsorship, was announced just days after another state senator, John Eichelberger (R-Blair), announced his intent to introduce a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania.

Numerous studies have shown that states that grant marriage equality to all couples receive significant economic benefits. The New York City Comptroller issued a report this week declaring that marriage equality for LGBT couples in New York would garner the state an additional $210 million in revenue in the first three years.

The Value All Families Coalition is comprised of diverse statewide, regional, and local organizations that support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Pennsylvanians.

###

New Resources on Health Disparities...

2009-05-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

The federal Centers for Disease Control's Division on Adolescent and School Health recently announced the release of its newest resource on health disparities among African-American youth in the United States, which is available online here.

Another report released just a few days ago by a separate federal agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, which is now headed by former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, detailed the health disparities women in the US face when attempting to access care, especially those with lower incomes. The brief can be found by clicking here.

Although we know that health disparities among various social and ethnic groups of women and girls exist, more analysis is needed on the intersection of these disparities among women and girls.

Calling all Teens: Become a Writer for Answer this Year!

2009-05-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

Are you a young person under age 20 with something to say about sexual health? Do you want to share your views and empower other young people to make informed choices about their health? Do you want to gain writing and editing skills for college or a career?

If you answered "Yes!" to these questions, you need to check out Answer's Magazine, Sex, Etc., written by teens for teens, and consider becoming a writer or editor. Members of the Sex, Etc. team are paid staff that contribute content, articles, and advisement on issues impacting them and their peers...oh and did I mention you get PAID?

For more information on how to apply, or if you are an educator or other professional that works with teens and would like to refer them to this opportunity, check out the description below, and click here to visit their website:

We’re looking for teens in New Jersey and New York City for our 2009-2010 teen editorial staff.

These teens determine the editorial direction of the magazine and Web site, write stories and take photographs. Teens get writing and sexual health training during an orientation in August, and then meet one Saturday a month during the school year.

If you have teens you work with who are committed to providing honest, accurate sexual health information to their peers, please send them to Sexetc.org and have them click on “Join Our Staff” to complete an online application. If you have any questions about applying, please don’t hesitate to e-mail Sex, Etc.’s managing editor, Lucinda Holt, at lucindah@rci.rutgers.edu.

Hooray for...FY2010 Budgets!

2009-05-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, President Obama released his budget proposal, and although by some accounts in the Women's Rights community the jury is still out on some of the other provisions, Pres. Obama made historic strides in restoring health, safety, and science back to its rightful place in the classroom with new funding for comprehensive prevention and sex ed programs. This below from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy:

President Obama released his FY 2010 budget today and called for at least $164 million in funding for a new teen pregnancy prevention initiative. This includes competitive grants for evidence-based programs, research and evaluation, and an authorization for $50 million in new mandatory teen pregnancy prevention grants to states, tribes, and territories. The budget eliminates funding for Community-Based Abstinence Education and the mandatory Title V Abstinence Education program.

More analysis on the budget later this week, and for now, NWLC has some great resources up for de-mystifying the budget and what it means for women and girls, check it out here!

Controversy Over New MA Disability Policy...

2009-05-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

In Massachusetts, a bill was recently introduced that would treat sexual images of non-consenting seniors and adults with disabilities the same under the law as child pornography.

(Left) Sins Invalid, a performance company based in San Francisco, offers performance pieces and workshops for the public, which address groups of people who have been typically marginalized from mainstream culture, gender, disability, and sexuality.

While advocates in the MA disability community who support the bill say that it will serve to better protect adult individuals who have diminished capacity to consent to participation in such images, other disability activists are concerned that the bill conflates adults with disabilities and seniors who may be vulnerable, with children under the law.

This complex and critical issue to human and civil rights, and its implications on society's view of disability and sexuality, is explored here in a recent article by Joyce Nishioka at the National Sexuality Resource Center.

Feel free to join the lively conversation over at the NSRC, or post a comment on New Wave Grrrl!

New Opportunity for Young Women in Technology...

2009-04-30T04:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the White House Project for sending out the alert: Best Buy and Geek Squad are partnering with the Women's High Tech Coalition and Congress to offer a first-of-its-kind PAID internship for young women interested in public policy and technology, read below to find out more in the press release...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Helen Milby, Women's High Tech Coalition
202.548.0021 | helen@helenmilby.com
Women’s High-Tech Coalition Announces First-Ever
Internship Program

Female College Students Encouraged to Apply by May 6, 2009Washington, D.C., April 22, 2009 – The Women’s High Tech Coalition announced today that it will offer the first of its kind internship opportunity to two female college students this summer. With support from Best Buy and Geek Squad, The Geek Squad Academy-Women’s High Tech Coalition Internship Program is designed to inspire the next generation of women to get involved with technology by combining a hands-on learning experience with a Congressional internship opportunity.
“As lawmakers around the world become more engaged in science and technology policy, ensuring a robust and intelligent public debate around critical issues becomes increasingly important,” said MaryClare Fitzgerald, president and founder of the Women’s High Tech Coalition. “That’s why we’re delighted to have the support of Best Buy and Geek Squad. Their dedication to providing unique opportunities to young women and arming them with the resources, information and experiences to pursue careers in these fields mirrors our own.”

The Geek Squad Academy-Women’s High Tech Coalition Internship Program offers two young women a chance to make substantive contributions to the work of members of Congress and the Coalition. Interns will conduct policy research and analysis; draft reports and analyses; provide administrative support as requested; and participate in other advocacy activities, such as supporting members of Congress working on policy issues that are fundamental to the future of emerging science and technology.
The 2009 program will award two female college students the opportunity to work in a Congressional Office from June 8 - August 7, 2009. The program also will include a $3,000 stipend for each participating intern. All applicants must submit a completed application by May 6, available for download at http://www.womenshightech.org/internship_application.asp.

About the Partners:Women’s High Tech Coalition (WHTC) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), non-partisan organization that promotes the exchange of ideas among women leaders in the public and private sectors whose focus is technology, innovation and the development of public policy related to technology.

Geek Squad is the first, national 24-hour task force dedicated to solving the world's technology challenges. Geek Squad Academy is a multi-faceted program designed to ignite humanity's passion for technology through grassroots education and other support to youth and families.

Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. With more than 155,000 employees and operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and China, the Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $40 billion annual revenue and includes brands such as Geek Squad and many others.
# # #

Continuing to Mark Equal Pay Day...

2009-04-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Equal Pay Day for women, a day that is recognized each year on a Tuesday, to highlight the day of the week that it takes for women's pay to catch up with men from the previous week.

In the US, some women only make 63 cents to the dollar of what men are paid, and the average woman only makes about 78 cents on every man's dollar. In my state of Pennsylvania, women only make 77 cents per dollar.

In recognition of Equal Pay Day, and all the days that follow in which women can be legally paid less for equal work, contact your Senator, and tell him or her to support the Paycheck Fairness Act by clicking here to visit the National Women's Law Center.

Women's Organizing in Afghanistan...

2009-04-17T03:30:00.001-07:00

Over the past couple of days, there has been a lot (relatively speaking of course) of coverage on women in Afghanistan protesting the recent package of laws that were supposed to go into place after being signed by President Karzai, but which have been halted due to concern by the US and other nations, and outrage over their violation of women's rights. One of the laws, how many in total is unclear, actually seems to legalize marital rape in Afghanistan, and women, families, and even some Parliament members have taken to the street to protest the group of laws and bring them out into the open to be changed.

The Christian Science Monitor had a comprehensive story up yesterday morning detailing the situation as it has unfolded this week...

Afghanistan's Controversial Law Embolden's Women's Rights Activists

Analysis on IA and VT...

2009-04-14T07:38:00.001-07:00

The ACLU's blog, Blog of Rights, has a great story up about the importance of the recent gay rights developments in Vermont and Iowa.

Basically, the important wins in VT and IA will hopefully serve as a much-needed shot in the arm for the gender equality and gay marriage movements, despite the major setback on Prop 8 in CA late last year. Although VT and IA are not as influential as CA, due to size, economy, and other factors, we can only hope that these gains will not go unnoticed in other states which have been leaning towards similar changes.

Read more here...Iowa and Vermont: The Politics of It

One More Day Left!

2009-04-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

See posting below...public comment period ends at midnight tonight!

Only 2 Days Left: Repeal the Midnight Cowboy's Rule That Hurts Women and Limits Access to Healthcare!

2009-04-08T10:08:00.001-07:00

Before leaving office, former President Bush pushed through a "midnight" regulation, which grants ANY healthcare professional (including pharmacists, nurses, medical assistants, technicians, etc.) the right to refuse to provide healthcare to women who try to access services that do not comport with that professional's moral or religious beliefs.

Shortly after taking office, President Obama has re-opened this issue and asked the Department of Health and Human Services to rescind this rule, which has launched a public comment period to gather comments on this harmful and egregious rule that not only degrades women's rights, but the ethical framework of the healthcare profession as well.

We only have two days left to make our voices heard within that public comment period, which ends tomorrow at midnight.

See the following message from Advocates for Youth on what you can do to let your voice be heard, and read on for more links on this issue:

There are only two days left to provide comments to Acting Health and Human Services Secretary Johnson supporting the rescission of harsh regulations that threaten your access to vital reproductive health care. The current regulatory language allows your health care provider to refuse to provide certain medical services on the basis of his or her own religious ideology.

Right now medical professionals can refuse to provide you with:
-birth control pills or other forms of hormonal contraception
-emergency contraception
-an abortion
-a referral for an abortion
-an examination, if you are seeking treatment to which he/she opposes ideologically
-a referral for any other needed medical service which he/she opposes ideologically.

President Obama has asked HHS to rescind this harmful regulation.

We need you to contact Acting Secretary Johnson today and tell him it's time for our government to focus on what's best for women.

Write to Health & Human Services (HHS) Acting Secretary Johnson's office by the Thursday, April 9th, and tell him you support ending these dangerous "provider conscience regulations" that ignore young women's access to vital reproductive health services, and the rights of other communities to access health care.

More links for taking action:

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health

RH Reality Check

What Does Spring Bring?....

2009-04-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Why, new opportunities for fearless and fabulous women, of course! Check out the opportunities below and watch out for upcoming deadlines...

(1) The Maria Leavey Tribute Award: nominate a progressive activist for social justice today (literally), as the deadline is this Friday, April 10th! More info:

Nominations are now open for the third annual Maria Leavey Tribute Award, which will be presented at the America's Future Now! conference. The award goes to a person whose tireless, behind-the-scenes work has been critical to the success of the progressive movement in the past year.

(2) The Frontline Leaders Academy (FLA): applications are due this Friday,
April 10th! More info:

The Front Line Leaders Academy (FLLA) is the premier campaign leadership development program offered by the Young Elected Officials Network to twenty talented young people across the country. FLLA provides prospective candidates and campaign leaders the ability to learn from successful political campaign professionals. Fellows selected to this elite academy are trained on the basic skills needed to be an effective candidate, campaign manager, finance director, communication director or field organizer.

(3) National Women's Law Center's Progressive Leadership and Advocacy Network (PLAN) program: apply to this program by May 15th. More info:

The NWLC Progressive Leadership and Advocacy Network (PLAN) program connects and supports a diverse group of emerging advocacy leaders working to effect positive change for low-income women and their families.

(4) Nominate a Women's Health Hero! All entries must be received by the sponsor organization, Our Bodies Ourselves, by May 10th.
More info:

When you hear the words “Women’s Health Hero,” who comes to mind? Your 9th grade health teacher who taught you about sexually transmitted infections? The midwife who sat with you through 15 hours of labor? The young Nigerian activist you read about who’s working to end gender discrimination in her country? Or maybe the neighbor who counter-protests at the abortion clinic every Saturday morning? Whoever your heroes are, we want to know about them! We’ve created the Our Bodies Ourselves Women’s Health Heroes awards to honor those who make significant contributions to the health and well-being of women. It’s a great way to publicly recognize people who make a difference in your life or the lives of others.

Good Luck and Go Get 'Em New Wave Grrrls!......................

April is Disability Awareness Month!

2009-04-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Disability Awareness Month! My alma mater, Hunter College, has designated April as the month in which we celebrate, talk about, and raise awareness on diverse ability levels and what it means to have a disability and live a full, rich life in our current society.

Hundreds of universities across the U.S. celebrate Disability Awareness Month through the month of April and in other months. Purdue University holds their Awareness Month in March, University of Minnesota in October, and so on. By integrating awareness of disability issues on campus and by bringing students of all ability levels together, institutions of higher education are breaking down the institutional and societal barriers that people with varying disabilities face when trying to connect with their peers and surroundings.

During Disability Awareness Month, universities and colleges hold forums, special events and panels on the importance of disability issues in America today and where we are headed as a nation in terms of recognizing and advancing the rights of people with physical, cognitive, and behavior-related disabilities.

Check out Hunter's Disability Awareness Events schedule for this month, and Go Hawks!

Teen Birthrate on the Rise Again in US...

2009-03-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post reported last week that the teen birthrate among American teenage girls is on the rise again for the second year in a row. Although this consecutive 2-year increase may represent a statistical shift that is not significant in the long term, many health professionals and advocates are alarmed and feel that greater preventive action should be taken in terms of education and access to family planning services, in order to prevent this trend from increasing and/or continuing.

Read more from the Post's article here:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031801597.html

The United States has continued to lead the industrialized world in high numbers of teen pregnancies, and this finding only deepens the gap between our young people and their same-aged peers in other industrialized countries. For more information on how and why teen sexuality and pregnancy differs vastly between the US and some European nations, visit Advocates for Youth's publications page by clicking here.

President Obama's White House Council on Women and Girls...

2009-03-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, New Wave Grrrl highlighted the growing debate over the potential creation of a new Presidential Commission on Women. We even polled readers on whether or not you believed that such a Commission should be created for the first time in over a decade, and 80% of you replied with a resounding "YES!" Although this did not seem likely to come about during the first few weeks of Obama's Administration, given that addressing the economic crisis was and still is priority number one, President Obama has not disappointed in this area for women and girls. Recently, the President announced his plan to create a new White House Council on Women and Girls. The Council will be headed by White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett and will first focus on economic issues and disparities among women and girls.

Wow! Nothing gets the economy going like paying women what they are worth and providing affordable, safe, and reliable childcare options for families so that both parents can go to work and support their families. Props to the Obama Administration for recognizing this in light of the economic slowdown, which signals a much-needed, albeit painful, culture change in the workplace and national economy.

To find out more, read the letter below from NOW President Kim Gandy on the news of the Council:

NOW Cheers White House Council on Women and Girls: "We Got the Entire Cabinet!"
Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy
March 11, 2009

NOW cheers the formation of the White Council on Women and Girls, which was created by executive order of President Barack Obama today. It was a pleasure for me to be at the White House to hear the president make this commitment to supporting women and girls in such strong and unequivocal terms. It was a heartening moment for those of us who have worked so hard for this day.

There can be no question that the needs of women and girls require the attention of the White House itself. As President Obama pointed out in today's speech, women still earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. One out of every four women will experience some form of domestic violence during her lifetime. Women make up more than half the population, yet are only 17 percent of the U.S. Congress. And while women are 49 percent of the nation's workforce, only three percent of the Fortune 500 companies are headed by women.

The make-up of the White House Council is extraordinary. It will be headed by Valerie Jarrett, assistant to the president and one of his closest friends and advisors, and will include every Cabinet secretary and the head of every Cabinet-level agency. The Executive Director of the Council will be Tina Tchen, deputy assistant to the president and a long-time advocate of women's rights.

We asked for a Cabinet-level office to work on women's issues, and we got the entire Cabinet. NOW looks forward to supporting the work of the White House Council on Women and Girls in the months ahead. There is much work to be done.

NWG Interview with the Hesperian Foundation: Change Makers Dedicated to Improving Women's Access to Healthcare Worldwide...

2009-03-09T07:50:00.001-07:00

From time to time, New Wave Grrrl features interviews with leaders and non-profit agencies that are doing great things for women across the U.S. and internationally, especially those that focus on meeting the healthcare needs of women and girls with disabilities.

Since its inception, New Wave Grrrl has featured the Hesperian Foundation as one of its Featured Programs, due to the organization’s excellence in developing and disseminating health information resources for women with disabilities and its work to address other health disparities by developing open and translatable resources for women and girls. Today’s interview comes from Tearrie Johnson, Publicity Associate extraordinaire for Hesperian. We were lucky enough to catch up with Tearrie recently for the following interview, and this is a must-read because this community-based organization has some truly barrier and ground-breaking things going on…check it out and learn more!

NWG: What is your role at Hesperian and how long have you worked at the organization?

TJ: The year before I started at Hesperian, I had spent some time studying abroad in Durban, South Africa where I researched the role social networking sites play in mobilizing local community health issues and whether or not those issues get global attention as a result. One of the many qualities that attracted me to Hesperian was its dedication to developing community health materials that enable people from resource-poor communities all over the world to take charge of their health. I began working at Hesperian in January 2008 as an intern. After graduating from UC Berkeley in Spring of 2008, I came aboard Hesperian's staff as a publicity associate where I am currently helping with social networking, publicity, and outreach efforts.

NWG: What is the mission of Hesperian and how does it work to meet this mission?

TJ: Hesperian's mission is to empower individuals and communities to take the lead in their own health care. Hesperian works to achieve this in three crucial ways:

1. By working with target users of its books. This collaborative process distinguishes Hesperian's publications from other types of community-health publications. The "how to" component of our books are field tested by communities all over the world, and community feedback is a pivotal part of the development of Hesperian’s books.

2. Hesperian believes that health is a fundamental right, so we promote and encourage people to share health information. Because in many circumstances sharing is not easy (for instance, there are varying literacy rates all over the world) Hesperian's books are simply written and heavily illustrated, which makes them easier for teachers and communities to use.

3. Unlike the vast majority of publishers, we have an open copyright policy that allows communities to translate and adapt Hesperian books and materials to suit the wide range of contexts in which they’re used. Due in part to this policy, our most well known publication, Where There Is No Doctor, has been translated into over 80 languages.

NWG: In your view, why is the organization so important for the people it serves?

TJ: Hesperian is important for the people it serves because in many cases our books are the only reference/guide communities have access to for acquiring health information.

NWG: What are the three most important things that you would like people to know about this organization?

TJ: The three most important things I would like to share with people about Hesperian are:

1. Although our books provide health information to a vast number of people living in developing countries, the information and teaching techniques present in them are very applicable to individuals and groups here in the U.S. who want to take charge of their health. For many reasons, quite a few people in the United States have limited or no access to primary health care. Our books help people demystify the causes of ill health and the easy steps they can take to prevent the spread of disease, and they also describe medical procedures that laypeople can safely perform when there isn’t a doctor available.

2. Our books are developed collaboratively not only to ensure that communities all over the world can actually use them, but to serve as a platform for a diverse range of people who from their own experiences as health workers, midwives, etc, are uniquely informed about the underlying causes of poor health in their communities. In other words, we are creating dialogue about health rather than lecturing or preaching.

3. Hesperian emphasizes the learning process. We have found that teaching and learning how to teach, and then learning are strategies that have proven to be very effective in terms of facilitating good, safe, and effective community health practices.

NWG: How can people get involved with Hesperian and the work it is doing?

TJ: The work we do and the goals we accomplish would not be possible without support from our volunteers. Ways to get involved with Hesperian include:

Volunteering: http://www.hesperian.org/involved_volunteer.php

Hosting a Hesperian house party:
http://hesperian.org/involved_hesperianHouseParty.php

Supporting Hesperian's Gratis Program, a free books program that sends Hesperian books to poor communities throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America:
http://hesperian.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=HB&Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=GOH

Becoming a community reviewer and collaborating on books in progress: http://www.hesperian.org/involved_booksInProgress_fieldTest.php

Making a general donation: http://www.hesperian.org/involved_donate.php

Other Links to the Hesperian Community:Visit our Spanish website: http://espanol.hesperian.org

We also welcome friends to support us and join our cause on Facebook, MySpace, Hi5, Sonico, and various other social networking sites. We encourage people living here in the U.S., students traveling abroad, missionaries, Peace Corps Volunteers, and travelers in general to use our translations and free downloads page and share health-information with resource-poor communities all over the world: http://hesperian.org/publications_download.php

Volkswagen and VSA Arts Announce New Competition Program for Young Artists with Disabilities...

2009-02-25T09:31:00.001-08:00

Ahhh, just the site of a VW bus sends me back...well, not way back, I was probably in the second or third, or maybe even fourth, wave of their popularity living on New York's Lower East Side in the early 2000's when they made a come-back. These babies apparently proved useful as low-cost housing for students who creatively avoided getting parking tickets while making their home on the street and living in these things on Avenues B and C in downtown Manhattan.

Anyway, on to the important stuff...Volkswagen and VSA Arts, a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for people with disabilities to participate and benefit from the arts, has announced a public-private partnership in which they will launch a National Juried Art Exposition for Emerging Artists with Disabilities, and award thousands of dollars in prize money to the winning artists.

Guidelines are as follows:
*The program is open to artists between the ages of 16 and 25 who are living in the United States and who have a physical, cognitive, mental, or sensory disability. Submissions must be original work completed within the last three years and after the onset of disability.

*Eligible media include, but are not limited to, paintings and drawings (oil, watercolor, acrylic, pencil, or charcoal), fine art prints, photography, computer-generated prints, digital art, and time-based media (video, film). Work must have a visual component. Both representational and abstract work are welcomed.

For more information and the full call for submissions, click here:
http://www.vsarts.org/PreBuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/vw/current/

Sex Education in-the-States Update...

2009-02-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

As has been widely reported, many comprehensive sex education advocates are hopeful that President Obama and his Administration will affect change in the sexuality education policies of the United States, a change which will then also hopefully trickle-down into individual states and communities. Currently, 25 states have rejected abstinence-only education funding. This trend started and gained momentum during the second Bush term, when some states like New Jersey discovered that the ill-developed abstinence-only education curricula could not even meet the state's own standard for education.

So far, the news has been mixed, as more states are opting to reject federal funding for school-based sex education programs, and some are opting to eliminate this funding for all state sex education programs, including those implemented at community-based organizations. Nevertheless, reports across the country from localities and regions where fear and opposition of comprehensive sex education is strong continue to roll in. Unfortunately, these reactions from communities, which result in the censorship of age-appropriate and scientifcally accurate sex education programs, continue to put young people at risk of experiencing unplanned pregnancy and contracting STIs.

Below is a recent round-up of what is happening in states and communities in relation to the politics of sex ed. Click the highlighted links to go to the local stories.

Hawaii:
Hawaii legislators in the state's House Committee on Education passed two bills last week: one which rejects all federal abstinence-only education funds for school and community-based sex ed programs, and another that directs all state sex education dollars to fund comprehensive sex education programs that include information on both abstinence and contraception. HI ranked #12 in teen pregnancies in 2006, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Kentucky
Two Kentucky state lawmakers introduced legislation earlier this month, calling for comprehensive sex education in high schools, in response to Kentucky's growing teen pregnancy rate. Currently, the state implements abstinence-only education programs, yet these appear to be failing in getting truthful and accurate messages to teens about sexuality and their bodies. Kentucky, like many other states, is experiencing a budget crisis that may prevent new education programs such as this from passing, but it is a sign that change needs to arrive in order to help make young people better self-sexual health advocates by increasing their knowledge base, and therefore their decision-making power about sex.
KY ranked #25 in teen pregnancies in 2006, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Mississippi:
A bill passed in the Missisissippi state House last Friday that would allow the state's Department of Education to implement a comprehensive sex education program in some schools, as the current abstinence-only programs in the state have not been able to reduce the high number of teen pregnancies there. If the bill passes the complete state legislature and is signed into law, the pilot curricula will be tested in a limited portion of the state, will not include the topic of abortion, and boys and girls will be separated while taking the course. MS ranked #3 in teen pregnancies in 2006, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

North Carolina:
State Assemblywoman Alma Adams is introducing a legislative proposal that will give parents the choice of which sex education curriculum their child received in school. Rep. Adams and other state lawmakers feel strongly that young people should have access to the best and most accurate information that will protect them against unintended pregnancy and STIs, and that parents should be involved. Under the new bill, parents will be able to choose the current abstinence-only curricula that was implemented statewide by the legislature in 1995, or a new comprehensive sex ed program. NC ranked #9 in teen pregnancies in 2006, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Pennsylvania:
Both the Town of Lancaster and the City of Pittsburgh, each on opposite sides of the State of Pennsylvania, are experiencing growing support for implementing comprehensive sex education programs, as community members feel that young people need to have a better understanding of sexuality and how to reduce their risk of pregnancy and prevention of STIs. PA ranked #39 in teen pregnancies in 2006, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Follow up to National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week...

2009-02-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, NWG posted about National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week, which took place in early February. Thanks to love-is-respect.org and sponsor Liz Claiborne, concerned parents, family members, youth-serving professionals, and anyone else who cares about teens and dating violence can join the online coalition, MADE (Moms and Dads for Education to stop teen dating abuse). To read more, and sign the MADE coalition's petition which will let legislators know about this serious issue, visit their page by clicking here.

Also, NWG has in the past encouraged readers to join the Allstate Foundation's Click to Empower Campaign, which provides funding support and resources to combat domestic violence and abuse towards women and among families. The Click to Empower Campaign's website has recently undergone a snazzy redesign, and you should check it out for more information on what you can do and how women can stop the silence and help end the violence by just talking to each other about it. To visit, click here.

Good Sexuality Education Deed for the Day: Send Scarleteen.com Some Love!

2009-02-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

When I founded New Wave Grrrl in 2007, I researched so many health and sexuality websites to find those that best addressed the education and resource needs of young people, women, and people with disabilities in particular around issues of sexuality. There are definitely alot to choose from, maybe even an infinite number, but there are also those that truly stand out in terms of providing accurate information in a safe and non-judgemental format that is accessible to readers.

Scarleteen.com is one of those sites that gives its readers tons of great information, in order for them to make decisions and become their own best sexual health advocates. Scarleteen is also geared towards young people but is also happily accessible to many generations as it covers topics such as gender, abortion, and other universal subjects in a smart and engaging way.

Scarleteen is one of the oldest sites on the web addressing the needs of young people and the sexuality education community, and it has continued to stay fresh and grow while expanding its education and outreach services. This month, Scarleteen received a challenge gift from its donors to match donations until March 15th! This is a great opportunity to show some love to Scarleteen.com through making a donation, which will then be doubled, and to support a great organization in troubled economic times that are impacting youth-serving organizations very hard.

To find out more about what you can do, and what Scarleteen has been doing for over the past 10 years to educate people about sexuality, their bodies, and improve sexual literacy, click on the links below:

Scarleteen.com
http://www.scarleteen.com/

Scarleteen Blog
http://www.scarleteen.com/blog

Sad Clowns Indeed...

2009-02-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

With a new Presidential Administration, health professionals and advocates are hoping the tide that has risen against giving young people the most accurate and comprehensive sexuality education and tools, mostly in the form of Abstinence-Only Education programs, will turn.

President Obama is currently working on his first proposed federal budget for FY2010 and it is imperative that the current stream of dedicated funds for medically unsound and inaccurate Abstinence-Only Education programs be dried up. In addition, funding for comprehensive sex education programs, which include information on abstinence and contraception and protection methods, must be drastically expanded. Under the Bush Administration, Abstinence-Only curricula became a hallmark of the assault on reproductive and sexual health education and services, beginning as early as Bush's first year in office.

To see how blatantly ridiculous and out-of-touch these programs are with reality, science, and the young people they purport to serve, click on the link below the clown photo and watch the video clip, in which trained clown and abstinence crusader Derek Dye is hired by an Abstinence-Only Education program that receives $800,000 annually from the federal government, to equate pre-marital sex with machete- juggling:

Click here to watch clown video, courtesy of Advocates for Youth and Amplify.

Many studies have since shown that these programs contain inaccurate and unscientific information, significant bias, and gender, orientation, and ethnic sterotypes that are confusing and harmful to young people. In addition, they have not been proven effective at significantly delaying onset of sexual activity among youth, and they have actually been widely discredited as young people are less likely to use condoms when engaging in sexual activity after receiving these education protocols and taking the virginity pledges that are often promoted by this curricula.

Tell President Obama to stop this non-sensical funding mechanism toward programs that do not protect young people's health, and to STOP THESE CLOWNS from juggling with young people's lives!

Click here to find out how and visit the links below for more information:

Advocates for Youth

Guttmacher Institute

Answer/ Sex Ed Honestly

RH Reality Check

Greetings From Fem 2.0!

2009-02-03T19:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, guest blogger and good friend Thomael Joannidis and I were fortunate to attend the first-ever Feminism 2.0 Conference in Washington DC! The Conference focused upon creating community and using web 2.0 technologies to advance the Women's Movement, Feminism, Progressivism, Womanism, etc.

Topics at the Conference ranged from engaging working women in the Feminist Movement, intersections of race and gender, media portrayals of women, etc., and we were lucky to be presented to by some of the most formative and most formidable women bloggers and organizers of our time. Esteemed presenters included Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner of Momsrising, Heather Booth of the Midwest Academy, Jill Miller Zimon of Writes Like She Talks, and the list goes on.

Going forward, this community of bloggers, 2.0'ers, and activists will hopefully remain connected in order to "ride the wave" of this incredible Conference, keep the connections going, and increase activity of women's voices in the blogosphere map (which can be also viewed at the Conference website.)

For more information, follow the Conference online and on Twitter at the links below:

Fem 2.0 Conference
http://www.fem2pt0.com/?page_id=2
Twittercast:
http://www.fem2pt0.com/?p=725

National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, Feb. 2-6

2009-01-30T04:53:00.000-08:00

Next week is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week.

From February 2nd-6th, advocates will memorialize this critical issue by raising consciousness about teen dating violence and strengthening prevention efforts across the country. Now in its 3rd year, the Week is commemorated by legal and social service organizations, such as the American Bar Association and Love is Respect.

Thanks to Jen Dziura, Community Educator and Volunteer Coordinator with Transitions Family Violence Services in Hampton, Virginia, for writing this awesome article about the issue and passing it along. Ms. Dziura's piece covers the essential facts about teen dating violence and what parents and loved ones can do to learn more and help their teens. Check it out at the following link (scroll down to page 28):

Tweens and Dating, Tidewater Women
http://www.tidewaterwomen.com/images/Feb09Web.pdf

Call for a New Presidential Commission on Women...

2009-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

Wow! I have heard tell of this proposition from writers and advocates, but only in a mythical way, as if creating a Presidential Cabinet Position or Executive Commission on Women would be the same as finding a unicorn or a griffin in one's backyard. I actually wrote a bit about this in an article for Lucy Magazine just after President Obama was elected, but I have not seen an organized campaign on this issue until now!

WomenCount makes the case that President Kennedy established a Commission on Women during his term, in order to address complex workplace and other issues that impacted women and families in a methodical and serious way that would directly benefit American sociey and our economy. President Kennedy of course also appointed a woman to chair the Commission, none other than Eleanor Rooselvelt herself.

As this new campaign says, "It's Our Time!" What do you think? Check out Womencount.org and tell New Wave Grrrl your thoughts!

Change Is Coming ... with Dessert

2009-01-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

LOVE IT! YES PECAN!

After Eight Years, the Global Gag Rule is a Thing of the Past, For Now...

2009-01-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, President Obama (like the sound of that) rescinded the Global Gag Rule, which has been in effect since 2001, and prior to the Clinton Administration between the years of 1984-1993.

Although the Global Gag Rule, also known as the Mexico City Policy, has been in recent years described as a political football, it's repeal is no less critical today than it was when George Bush reinstated it at the beginning of his presidency eight years ago.

The Global Gag Rule, when applied to US foreign aid policy, stipulates that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) abroad cannot accept US funding for family planning services if they also provide abortion education and procedures, even if those services are not funded by US dollars.

This policy has been controversial since its inception in 1984, during the Reagan Administration, and has had a negative impact on women, children, families, and poverty, across the globe. Under the Gag Rule, women are less able to control the size of their families, and clinics that provide critical family planning services in some of the places on earth where women are most vulnerable, including regions of Africa and South America, are undermined and unable to offer women a full range of health options.

In addition, the far-reaching impact of the Global Gag Rule has become more apparent as further research and predictions emerge on the effects of over-population and limited natural resources on communities worldwide. Combined with global warming, which subjects already limited land and resources to more competition, and destabilizes communities, limiting the ability of families to control their size also limits their ability to achieve a better quality of life.

The Obama Administration is the the fifth Presidential Administration to leave its mark on the history of the Global Gag Rule. To pundits, this may be just another political football, but to women, children, and families around the world, this will hopefully provide some important choices that have been absent for close to a decade.

Happy Inaugaration Day!

2009-01-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

I didn't think anything could surpass the positivity and hopefull feelings that came as a result of Election Day, but I was wrong!

Today is a wonderful day for our society, our country, and our democracy! However flawed, just like the human beings that steer it, our country and republic have come a long way, and riding high on the hopes of today, I hope we will continue on this path into tomorrow! Did you participate in any of the day's activities? What was the best Inaugaration Celebration you saw or heard about today?

I am still marveling about a story I heard on NPR this afternoon from a gentleman in Alaska - he helped to put on an Inaugaration Celebration and provide 30,000 Alaskans with free coffee to get them going as they had to watch the beginning ceremonies at 7am this morning. The best part? The story goes that they served people Obama Blend: half Kona and half Kenyan coffee. Love that creativity and folks coming together to celebrate all of our blends!

Leave a comment and share your story with New Wave Grrrl!

"Very Young Girls" Documentary Show Times Extended!

2009-01-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

As many of you read below last month, writer and commentator Thomael Joannidis contributed a fantastic review of "Very Young Girls," a heart-wrenching documentary following the lives of young women and girls in "the life" of prostitution in New York City, which was airing on Showtime in December.

Please note that show times for the documentary have recently been extended to February. Check out the details below, and thanks to Thomael for providing even more information on this critical work that brings to light the exploitation of women and girls:
______________________________________________________

On December 11th, 84,000 thousand people tuned into Showtime and watched "Very Young Girls" in their living rooms, schools, organizations and institutions. Since then we have had an overwhelming response and requests from thousands to extend the runtime of "Very Young Girls" so that others can have the opportunity to see it too!

Thanks to your response SHOWTIME has extended the viewing dates both on it network channels and On Demand!

Scroll down to see a list of extended show times and dates and make sure you visit our blog and tell us what you think!

You can also tell us what you think by taking our quick online survey!

Haven't Seen "Very Young Girls" Yet?

VERY YOUNG GIRLS
On Demand, On Showtime!

NOW Through February, 2009

-AND-

Also on the following date!

Sunday Dec 28, SHOWTIME Women, 12:45am
Friday Jan 2, SHOWTIME, 1:30am
Sunday Jan 4, SHOWTIME 2, 10:00pm
Saturday Jan 10, SHOWTIME, 2:30am
Saturday Jan 17, SHOWTIME Women, 7:20pm
Tuesday Jan 20, SHOWTIME 2, 8:30pm
Tuesday Jan 27, SHOWTIME Women, 7:30pm
Thursday Feb 5, SHOWTIME 3, 7:00pm
Wednesday Feb 11, SHOWTIME Next, 9:40pm
Thursday Feb 19, SHOWTIME 2, 8:30pm
Monday Feb 23, SHOWTIME 3, 10:00pm

Review of Very Young Girls, by Guest Blogger Thomael Joannidis

2008-12-29T13:16:00.000-08:00

Very Young Girls, a documentary on the sexual exploitation of minors in New York City will air and be available On Demand all this month on the Showtime network. The film follows a number of underage girls brought into prostitution, and documents their struggle to leave this lifestyle. The girls work to triumph over their past with the help of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), a New York City non-profit, that offers the only alternative in New York State to incarceration for these underage victims of child sexual exploitation. Below is some feedback on the film, which I heard about through a colleague who works at this organization:

Hope in a Loveless Life: Reflections on Very Young Girls

By Thomael Joannidis

The average age of entry into prostitution, "the life" is 13-years-old. We live in a society that incarcerates these girls and tries them as adults. A society that gives few options for love, support, and education. Where a 15-year-old beaten unconscious and left for dead by the side of the road could be tried as an adult the next day, while the pimps and johns go free. Where two men actually tape their daily lives as pimps - the demeaning of and violence against women - thinking they will get their own show, their own movie about it Where men, one right after another, push themselves on you, even while you, barely a teen, stumble to vomit in the toilet.

A society where being in "the life" somehow seems more supportive, more constant than the other alternatives, that is, if you can identify any. Where a distraught mother searches, frantically and without rest, for her missing daughter and, upon finding out she is locked up in a pimp's house stock full of young women, weapons, and drugs, is turned away from the police precinct. Hers is a low priority case.

And in this world, the very young girls in "the life" of prostitution, of sexual exploitation, are unexpected examples of strength, wisdom, and human resilience. Their lives are both distant and close to ours. We want them to succeed but at the same time, see how the deck has been set up, almost ensuring their failure.

And yet they persist. Whether the last time they were in "the life" really was their last, or whether there will be other times. Their stories shed light on the horror of a world, our world that abandons, objectifies, incarcerates, and marginalizes. And no matter the specifics of the story, they are both girls and women. They are girls when defined by their age, but women who have seen enough pain, violence, fear, and abuse for 30 lifetimes. A girl that laughs at Shrek. A woman that reflects on the decades-older boyfriend who would later turn pimp, who used to hold her at night, referring to her as his daughter, his baby, concocting stories of when she was born. The women that struggle to let go and the girls that don't at first comprehend the lives into which they have been brought. The girl-women that inspire us to be something better than that which we currently are. The girls that remind us to fight against all odds, and be our best selves, no matter what we've seen, and no matter how many tries it takes for us to leave it behind.
________________________________________________________

To find more information on when Very Young Girls will be on Showtime, or to find out more about the work of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (GEMS), go to:

http://www.gems-girls.org/gemsnews.html

Opportunities for 2009...

2008-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, 2009 is fast approaching (try three days away - weird!), so check out some of the opportunities in advocacy and policy around issues of women, health and sexuality below!

(1.) Attention college students! Team up with Advocates for Youth and the Great American Condom Campaign, and apply to make your school a Safe Site for the GACC's Spring Semester initiative in 2009. For more information, visit the link below:
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/GACCApply

(2.) Also for students, enter the National Sexuality Resource Center/ Trojan Student Journalism Award contest. All written and media journalism types are accepted, including blogs. Find out more at: nsrc.sfsu.edu

(3.) Last, from the American Association for Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists listserv:

Call for Applications: The National Mentoring and Fellowship Program of the Center for Population Research in LGBT Health

The program connects students with expert faculty mentors from the
national network of faculty of the Center. Mentors are closely matched to students' research interests and will assist students who are developing or working on a research project in the study of LGBT health or same-sex families/households. An ideal candidate will have an interest in working with a mentor to better incorporate population health research methods and/or concerns in their projects.

The program is a great opportunity for students to augment the professional
development and training provided by their home institutions and to learn more
about LGBT population health research.

Applications for pre-doctoral mentoring are accepted on a rolling basis until
February 15. Post-doctoral training and mentoring opportunities are also
available through the Center's program. For more information, go to fenwayhealth.org/populationcenter.

Contact Aimee Van Wagenen, Program Manager of the Center for Population Research
in LGBT Health at 617-927-6348 or Avanwagenen@fenwayhealth.org with questions.

2008-12-17T08:54:00.001-08:00

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a Women's Way event here in Philadelphia on December 11th, which was held to commemorate the most recent publication of Women's Way's signature report, "Change of Pace: Accelerating Women's Progress." Despite heavy, freezing rain that evening and gridlocked, rush-hour traffic throughout the city, the event was widely attended and drew a large crowd of dedicated advocates, experts, and stakeholders from the region.

First published in 2003 to honor the 25th Anniversary of Women's Way, the report examines the progress of women and girls in the areas of health, education, employment, economic advancement, access to opportunities, and several other critical indicators that give a snapshot of the overall health and development of women and girls in the Philadelphia Region. Change of Pace has since been updated in 2004 and again this year in 2008 to highlight the most current data in these areas.

A review of the 2008 report offers a sobering account of the ways in which ethnic, gender, social, and economic disparities continue to persist in communities throughout the Philadelphia Region, and how these inequalities have a profound impact on women and girls in our area, which can continue to affect them across their entire lifetimes. The Report also contains policy recommendations that will help to improve outcomes for women and girls, both in the short and long term.

Women's Way is the nation's oldest and largest funding organization for women and is dedicated to raising money and awareness in order to address the inequalities that adversely impact the lives of women and girls. For more information, visit them on the web at www.womensway.org.

Calling all Techie Young Women! Apply to be a Google Policy Fellow this Summer...

2008-12-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

Eat your heart out Larry Summers! In the summer of 2009, Google will conduct its second Fellowship Program for young people interested in shaping policy around technology and the internet. Fellows will receive a stipend for their completion of the ten week program, and will have amazing opportunities to support, shape, and participate in the discourse, analysis, and policymaking around issues in internet privacy and safety, intellectual property and content regulation, broadband access, etc.

The fellowship is open to students of all backgrounds of study and within all majors of undergraduate and graduate studies. This is an excellent opportunity for women who aspire to work in the field of technology, as we are typically under-represented in this area!

The deadline is SOON, so ladies, head to the link below for further information on how to apply by December 12th:

http://www.google.com/policyfellowship/index.html

Poll on the Incoming Obama Administration...

2008-11-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

What issues would you like to see President-Elect Obama and his Cabinet tackle when he takes office this January?

So far, Obama has made it clear that the priority areas for his first term would probably center around the economy, healthcare, education, and energy issues.

Which would you like to see him address first? Vote now in the New Wave Grrrl Poll to the right!

Running Start to hold Political Leadership Training Opportunity for Young Women in High School...Apply Today!

2008-11-17T08:15:00.000-08:00

Running Start, an organization dedicated to encouraging political leadership among young women, is now accepting applications for its Leadership Retreat that will take place in the summer of 2009. This program is geared towards high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and the best part? It's free for participants! For more information, read on below...

Young Women's Political Leadership Retreat
Washington, DC
July 15-19, 2009

Running Start is pleased to announce that we will be hosting our third annual Young Women's Political Leadership Retreat this summer to train high school girls in political leadership skills and advocacy. Fifty girls from across the United States, who are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors, will be chosen to participate in this exciting program. The retreat, which will take place at American University in Washington, DC over 4 days and 3 nights, will allow the participants to meet extraordinary women leaders of diverse backgrounds and learn about the importance of having more women in political leadership, and the importance of running for office themselves.

Just as we strive for diversity in leadership in government, Running Start also strives for diversity in our summer program. We extend the opportunity to participate in the program to girls from all different backgrounds, from public, private and charter schools, and from all 50 States.

Summer Leadership Retreat
The Leadership Retreat will train the girls in important leadership skills including:
Ø Public speaking
Ø Advocacy
Ø Role-playing and debate
Ø Collaboration
Ø Persuasive writing

The girls will learn about political leadership by working with inspirational women leaders, including Congresswomen and other elected officials and leaders in business, media and law. Experts in public speaking and advocacy will train them. We will put their own leadership in the context of the history of women in politics, and show them how vital their participation is. The girls will have the chance to practice their own leadership skills with both their peers and experts in the political field. They will learn by doing, and most of the sessions will be highly interactive. By the end of the summer retreat they will have gained confidence in their own leadership abilities, and be ready to bring their leadership to their schools and communities.

Our Goals
Ultimately, the goal is to equip these young women with the skills, knowledge, and sense of leadership necessary to make informed, compassionate, and powerful change wherever they choose to go. The program will give the girls the tools necessary to actively engage on issues in their communities and abroad. We hope that these early leadership lessons will show the girls that political leadership is an excellent way to be an agent of change, and that they have the power to lead.

Logistics
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and no applications will be accepted after February 16, 2009. The girls will be chosen based on their leadership potential, demonstrated commitment to improvement or excellence in academics, and passion for community, government, service, and peer mentoring.

Overnight accommodations will be at the American University dormitories, located at 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC. Meals, accommodations, and program costs will be paid for by Running Start. However, students are responsible for their own transportation to and from the program. Need-based scholarships are available.

Please apply online at: www.runningstartonline.org
Applicants will be contacted by a member of the Running Start staff within 2-3 weeks of the receipt of their application for a phone interview.
For more information, please call Susannah Shakow at 202-421-4102 or e-mail info@runningstartonline.org

OMG.....Obama!

2008-11-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

Kiss Me, I Voted!

2008-11-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

Happy Election Day! Hopefully all who are reading this have already voted or are planning to get in line as soon as the workday is over.

My voting experience today was delightfully smooth, a welcome change from my Primary Election voting experience. Back in April, I found out that I had received a misprinted voting registration card upon moving and registering in Pennsylvania earlier this year. Four incorrect polling locations, and several hours later, I found my polling place and casted my vote for a Primary Election candidate. Although I was ultimately able to vote, I had to wonder how many others have similar experiences and give up or cannot continue to try and find their correct polling stations because they have to get to work, pick up their kids, etc.

Today, however, I went to my correct polling place with pride (and gratitude for the revelation during my Primary misadventure which prevented any confusion today) and casted my vote for change!

Do you have an Election Day story? Share it with Women's Voices, Women Vote...they will be posting experiences of women voters all day.

HAPPY VOTING!

Palin on Special Needs...

2008-10-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I posted on the gaps surrounding Sarah Palin's purported policy priority of addressing the needs of children with disabilities. I questioned the McCain-Palin ticket's ability to put our money where their mouths have been on the subject of more funding for people with special needs. On October 24th, Palin gave a speech in my home state of Pennsylvania, on just what she and John McCain planned to do in order to better serve children with disabilities.

Although Palin's speech was heartfelt, and I believe she truly cares about disability issues as a parent and as an aunt of children with developmental disabilities, her speech and the so-called McCain-Palin plan for children with special needs (which comes less than two weeks shy of Election Day) still falls flat, and still lacks any real promise of change in the quality of life for individuals with disabilities.

One glaring reason for this is the complete lack of policies that support people with disabilities beyond childhood. People who live with physical, developmental, cognitive, and multiple disabilities need various levels of care and support services throughout their entire lifetimes, in order to achieve a better quality of life and live fully within their communities. This includes not just vocational services for people with disabilities who can and want to work, but actual Medicaid dollars to fund the programs that provide for independent living in the community and not in State institutions, regardless of the severity of one's disability.

Palin did mention teens in her speech, within the context of education and transition to adulthood planning, but again, the McCain-Palin approach is fragmented and does not address the current and critical health and human service needs of young people with disabilities. A recent study published earlier this year in the Journal of School Health showed that adolescents in special education programs are more likely to contract Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) than their typically developed peers. In adddition, we know that young people with disabilities are more likely to be victims of sexual abuse and assault. Better sexuality education and health services are needed to address these serious issues, and under a McCain-Palin Administration which would continue to fund harmfully inaccurate Abstinence-Only Education programs in schools, it is unlikely that these issues would ever see the light of day.

Palin also mentioned how lucky she and her family are to have such a strong network of social supports, and acknowledged that others who are surrounded by less family or have fewer resources are less fortunate. Wow! But neither Senator McCain nor Governor Palin have track records of supporting family-friendly work policies that would make it easier for families to put together the kind of support networks that Palin referenced in her speech. Their actions of not supporting family leave, benefits for same-sex partners, or pay parity for men and women strongly suggest that they recognize their privelege of having access to services and family supports, but will do nothing concrete to create the same access for others. How is this a populist message?

Last, although it is not funny, I almost have to chuckle to myself when I hear Palin talk about IDEA and fully funding this law, which gives children with disabilities the right to a free and appropriate education that best meets their needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was originally passed with the provision of the federal government eventually funding 40% of the cost for states in order to provide education to children with disabilities. This act also includes a provision for Early Intervention, a voluntary program that provides therapeutic and educational services to infants and toddlers with disabilities. IDEA has never been funded fully, which has thrown the special education and Early Interventions systems within many states into decades of problems while not being able to serve enough children with disabilities. This story includes Palin's state of Alaska, which has little infrastructure and one of the worst track records of serving children with special needs in-state.

Moreover, not only has John McCain routinely voted against more funding for IDEA during his tenure in the Senate, but he has also vowed to freeze all federal spending indefinitely if he becomes President. This could likely be disasterous for vital federal programs that serve people of all ages with disabilities, including veterans, not to mention for states which count on federal dollars to make their budgets whole and to provide the most basic of services to the most vulnerable people in our society.

The recent McCain-Palin proposal to address the needs of people with disabilities is not only too little too late, but it is derived from a complete lack of policy knowledge and understanding that has haunted their entire campaign.