Girls

Why you should vote for the Washington Middle School for Girls!

Posted on by Lisa Kays

This online voting for the Washington Middle School For Girls has been the most incredible experience.

In response to my blanket email to everyone in my address book, I am hearing from people I haven’t heard from in years.  None has been more poignant than the response from a distant cousin who was brought back to a conversation she had with her aunt when she was 10 years old.

Her aunt told her that no matter what advice anyone was to give her, the best thing she could tell her was to grow up to be a strong woman.

So, when she started looking at The Women’s Foundation and Washington Middle School for Girls‘ Web sites, her aunt’s advice all came rushing back. It was a conversation she hadn’t had in a while.

Sometimes, we forget that the work we do everyday with girls and women is not front and center with everyone.  To us, when you change the life of a girl, you change the life of a woman.

It’s that simple.

So yes, I’ve loved spreading the good news and getting people to vote for the school.  And I love the added bonus of wonderful feedback.

Vote now!

Colette Breen works in the development office at the Washington Middle School for Girls.

Almost half of Boston teens blame Rihanna, not Chris, for her attack.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

As a follow-on to my colleague Gwen’s thoughtful post on the Rihanna domestic violence situation and the way it’s being handled in the media, I thought I’d throw in this piece from Feministing, about the reactions of some Boston teens to the story.

Sadly, it would appear that almost half of those Boston teens surveyed blame Rihanna for the attack.  More than half felt that both parties were equally responsible for the attack.

Jessica at Feministing sums it up well, saying, "Ah, victim-blaming. It’s always with us. What particularly depresses me about this statistic is that the victim-blaming is coming from young people. There’s this optimistic part of me that likes to believe sexist attitudes and hating women will lessen with new generations. Articles like these snap me back into reality."

Then there is Gwen, saying, "And just once, I would like to read a story that focused on how men have the power to stop this violence."

This wish seems particularly poingnant given what these surveys revealed about how young people view violence against women. 

And, in my opinion, helping further draw the connection that how domestic violence and women’s issues are portrayed in the media do get reflected back to us in the voices and actions of our young people.

As a silver lining, there are some amazing groups doing work to combat these perceptions and domestic violence itself, as well as to advocate for victims (rather than blame them).  Many of these groups are our Grantee Partners, and a few are 2009 Leadership Awardees. 

As of tomorrow, check back to our site to vote for your favorite Leadership Awardee, help them earn an extra $5,000 to fuel their work, and raise your voice for productive solutions and better, healthier, safer communities for women and girls.

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.

Announcing the 2009 Leadership Awardees!

Posted on by WAWF

What do you get when you combine 58 volunteers, 66 nominations, 54 phone calls, 33 site visits, 20 presentations and hours of deliberation and due diligence?

You get the 2009 Leadership Awardees, of course!

Someone really wise once said, if you want to know how something began, look at how it ended.  As I reflect on that statement, and my experience with the Leadership Awards, I am still undecided about whether or not I agree.

As I was recruiting volunteers for the Leadership Awards this year, I blogged about my experience at the Leadership Awards Reception in March 2008.  The reception, that year’s “ending,” did indeed tell me a lot about the Leadership Awards Program – the inspiration, the passion, the dedication, the diligence of these organizations working so hard on behalf of women and girls.

That said, even as I stood in awe of those eight recipients, there was no way of knowing what an amazing journey it would be to the selection of the 2009 Leadership Awardees!

Among the recipients, we have representation from all over the Washington metropolitan area, including Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Washington, DC.  All are doing innovative, effective work on behalf of women and girls in our region in the area of safety and health.

We have organizations working with youth, and organizations working with the elderly. 

We have organizations providing basic needs of shelter to victims of domestic violence, and those helping survivors of domestic violence get a second chance in life by find new and sustainable careers.

We have an organization providing activities and infrastructure to girls during the after-school hours when they are most vulnerable, and an organization providing transitional housing for female ex-offenders.

So, who are these 10 exciting, inspiring organizations, you ask.  Click here to see the press release announcing the recipients!

As I sit in anticipation of what my second Leadership Awards reception experience will be like, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the tremendous job done by our outstanding volunteers this year in making this extremely difficult selection.

Because the reality is, while we can only give 10 awards this year, there are many wonderful organizations doing really important work in our community on behalf of women and girls.

So, please join me in congratulating our stellar slate of 2009 Leadership Awardees. 

And stay tuned for our second annual online vote to help your favorite awardee receive an additional $5,000!

Nicole Cozier is The Women’s Foundation’s Philanthropic Education Officer.

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending March 6, 2009)

Posted on by The Spotlight and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty. And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

• As reported in the Boston Globe, a Massachusetts cardinal is defending a collaboration between the church and a local health provider that provides abortions along with its other services. The cardinal is stating that abortions will not be provided in church-supported facilities and the poor will benefit from the partnership.

• The Miami Herald focuses on a local migrant’s daughter who recently won a scholarship to attend college.

• A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial argues that local programs providing education and medical care to low-income pregnant women will need more funding to counteract the city’s high infant mortality rate among minorities.

• The Providence Journal profiles an obstetrical nurse who, having once been pregnant while homeless herself, is devoting time to educating at-risk girls.

• The Dallas Morning News covers a hospital with a much lower rate of premature births than the national average.  It has achieved strong results through providing comprehensive prenatal care to a mostly low-income clientele.

• In an article on parents about to lose a childcare subsidy in Arizona, the Associated Press interviews a working mother expecting to struggle without the help.

• A Philadelphia area researcher has given cameras to impoverished mothers to chronicle American hunger, as reported by the Associated Press.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Young Sisters, a review by a young woman.

Posted on by Tia Felton

Young Sisters tells the stories of several young ladies from different backgrounds through their own words.  Author Anna Leung grew up in a traditional Chinese household.  She was very active as a child piano and karate lessons, Chinese school, church, and community service.  She soon found a natural love in the field of photography.  Working in the field of photography she repeatedly saw how women were being portrayed in the media as sexual objects and didn’t agree. 

This inspired her to put together the book Young Sisters to express the true feelings of real young women.

I was introduced to this book when Anna met my colleague, Lisa, at an event for Fair Fund about sex trafficking and told her about the book.  Lisa asked me for my thoughts on the book from the perspective of a young woman, and then I met with her and Anna to talk about her hopes for how the book could help young women in the D.C. area.

The contents of the book are very informative and interesting.  It includes several stories speaking of young females overcoming eating disorders, having positive influences from family members, dealing with misleading images of women in the media, relationships, losing love ones, being different, and following your dreams.

The book can be very helpful to other young ladies going through the same situations to see how others deal with them in their own way.

Tia Felton is a senior at McKinley Tech High School and an intern at The Women’s Foundation through Urban Alliance. When she graduates from high school this year, she will go to college to study political science and hopes to eventually to become a lawyer.

To learn more about the Urban Alliance internship program, click here.

Teen writes book with goal of transforming the lives of 200,000 young women.

Posted on by Anna Leung

Picture this:  A 14-year-old girl with a camera and a burning desire to touch the lives of others.  She conducts five years of interviews and a journey of discovery into the hearts and minds of teenage girls from all over the globe. 

The result: Young Sisters, a collection of handwritten testimonies, photographs, and transcripts of recorded interviews of young women.

That young woman was me.  And today I’ve published these stories in book form and had them performed on stage at Talent Unlimited High School in New York City.

Young Sisters strips away the mass media facade that promotes looks, materialism and sexual promiscuity as all that young women are, and instead presents real life.

This one-of-a-kind documentary book takes a genuine look at teenage girls’ thoughts, trials, and accomplishments.  It is both a celebration of budding womanhood and a lament of the loss of innocence. 

Readers connect with these girls as they share their testimonies and relive the greatest struggles of their lives—in their own words and their own handwriting.

The media overwhelms our senses with images of sex and beauty that devours our culture.  Ultimately, the victims are females.

The social pressure to match impossible standards of physical beauty often destroys their ability to look at themselves realistically and appreciate their attractive features and inner beauty. 

I wanted to help young women recognize this influence and to celebrate being themselves. The dynamic of Young Sisters therefore entertains, inspires, and empowers young adult audiences with this timely and explosive subject.

Anna Leung is the author of Young Sisters.  Her goal for the book is to uplift at least 200,000 teenage girls by 2010 and donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to programs that elevate young women’s lives.

For more information on how to preview or purchase Young Sisters, visit www.AnnaLeung.org/store.  Or, to be part of Young Sister’s vision of uplifting 200,000 teenage girls, host a Young Sisters’ performance or gallery show.  For more information or to invite Anna Leung to speak at your school, event, workshop or conference, email AnnaLeung1@gmail.com.

Dear Mr. President…

Posted on by Lisa Kays

On the day after President Obama was sworn in just a few blocks from our office, the staff of The Women’s Foundation thought we’d offer our congratulations, along with (of course) a few items for our wish list of action on the part of the new President. 

So, in the spirit of, "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America," we respectfully ask:

Dear Mr. President, Please be holistic in your policies to improve the economic security of low-income women with children. We know what works – although we don’t always act as if we really do. Good policies and programs include income support (or paid time off for participating in training or re-training), child care and transportation (critical work supports), access to health (including dental and biopsychosocial) assessments and services, financial education (debt reduction, credit repair, savings) and access to other needed social services. They also cannot stop when the woman walks out of the training program and into a new job."  Sincerely, Gwen Rubinstein

Dear Mr. President, I urge you to take immediate action to reverse the damage done by new rule adopted in the 11th hour of the Bush Administration, which allows individual health care providers to deny critical information to patients based on the providers’ personal biases. The patient may not even know what’s missing. This rule is particularly damaging for low-income women whose access to health care is already limited.  Please, tell congress to withdraw this damaging rule.  I also ask that you invest in a new green economy. Not only will you work to stop global warming, but you can revitalize our economy through new job growth. We know the best way to improve the lives of communities is to stabilize family income. New jobs in high-growth industries such as this one will go a long way to improving our homes and country, inside and out.  Thanks!  Allison Mitchell 

Dear President Obama, My wish for your administration is that every time you consider a policy or program, you think about the amazing and strong women in your life – your wife, daughters, sister, mother-in-law, mother and grandmother – and think about what that policy would mean for them. Would it keep them safe or put them at risk?  Would it open the door to new opportunities for them or shut them out?  Given the incredible impact on your life that all of these women have had already, their continued guidance can only ensure that your message of hope, inclusiveness and understanding becomes a reality during your administration.  Sincerely, Sharon Levin

Dear President Obama, I would ask you to keep in mind in your staffing and appointments the importance of women’s leadership, which does make an impact in ensuring that decision-making reflects the needs, concerns and realities of women and families.  In addition, just as you are a model of leadership for a new generation who will no longer see race as a barrier to achievement, so too is it important to have similar models for young women showing that gender need not pose a challenge or deterrant to any of their dreams and choices.  Sincerely, Lisa Kays

Dear Mr. President, I hope that all little children to have access to quality early education programs so that they may succeed in school and life.  Sincerely, HyeSook Chung 

But most of all, we congratulate you, and wish you the best as you and your Administration work to lead our nation at a time of such challenge and opportunity.

Do you have any ideas or requests of the new President and his Administration for how they can work to improve the lives of women and girls?  Leave them in comments!

Weekly Round-Up: News and Analysis on Women and Poverty (Week ending January 9, 2009)

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a national foundation-led initiative, is excited to collaborate with The Women’s Foundation to bring you the latest news and analysis on women and poverty.

Spotlight is the go-to site for news and ideas about fighting poverty.  And every Friday, look for our weekly rundown of the top news stories on women and poverty.

Here’s this week’s news:

  • The Washington Post writes that a day care center’s relocation will create a burden for low-income mothers.
  • The Washington Times summarizes what an Obama administration might mean for feminism, abortion rights, and domestic violence legislation.
  • Struggling moms and an elderly woman are the focus of a Chicago Tribune piece on homeless families.
  • The Los Angeles Times considers popular television programs’ portrayals of teen pregnancy.
  • A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial calls for stronger marriage to cut down on the number of families run by single mothers.
  • The Miami Herald writes that teen pregnancy has increased for the first time in over a decade.
  • The recession might force a breast cancer hotline for low-income women to shut down, according to New York Newsday.
  • As noted by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the new Missouri Secretary of Health and Human Services has inspired controversy over her pro-choice views.
  • The Associated Press announced that a new health program for low-income women has been started in Missouri.

To learn more about Spotlight, visit www.spotlightonpoverty.org.  

To sign up for our weekly updates with the latest news, opinion and research from around the country, click here.

The Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Team

Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity is a foundation-led, non-partisan initiative aimed at ensuring that our political leaders take significant actions to reduce poverty and increase opportunity in the United States. We bring together diverse perspectives from the political, policy, advocacy and foundation communities to engage in an ongoing dialogue focused on finding genuine solutions to the economic hardship confronting millions of Americans.

Cuts in jobs available to Urban Alliance internship program hits home for me.

Posted on by Tia Felton

When I saw Philip Rucker’s piece, "Economy Slices into Internship Programs," in the Washington Post, it really hit home for me.  I’m currently an intern with Urban Alliance (also a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation), and I saw the impact of the economic downturn on the program firsthand.

By joining the Urban Alliance foundation during the summer of my junior year, I became one of the lucky ones promised a job.  My summer days were spent working full time in one of the offices owned by Sonnenschein Law firm. The experience was wonderful and the pay not only pleased me, but also my mother, who could spend her earnings on other household necessities without worrying about having to set aside funds for my own personal summer activities.

When the last day of summer work came to an end, I was informed that I would begin my fall internship mid-September.  But, somehow between mid-August and the time the time I was supposed to resume work, troubles began. 

Weeks continued to go by throughout the fall, and as I saw new interns with their starting dates and job sites, I realized that I still did not receive mine.  Finally, I received a call saying that I should report to Washington Area Women’s Foundation at 2:00 p.m. on November 10, 2008–two months after what my initial start date was meant to be.

While reading the Washington Post article suggested to me by my mentor, Lisa Kays, at The Women’s Foundation, I later found out that the reason for my delayed job site was not only due to poor organization skills, but also the economy’s falling.  I was one of the lucky ones who was promised and job and actually received one.

Several students were turned down from the organization after months of training because businesses in the Washington area simply cannot afford interns. Fannie Mae, which is where several of my peers worked this summer, took on no interns this fall season.  I know this internship meant a lot to the students, especially with the overwhelming expenses of senior year: class fees, trips, prom, spending funds, and other items that express school spirit like year books, hoods, shirts, etc.

During this time every little cent counts.

Being a part of the Urban Alliance family, above anything else, has given me great experiences, memories and opportunities.  I have had the chance to work in bigger office spaces where you e-mail more to communicate, and I have also had the chance to work in smaller office spaces where people are more warming to you, which is where I am currently working now.

I know that both experiences will help me through my college years and also my working years.

I am very thankful to have been chosen for this, and only wish that those who were not could have experienced it as well.  It is truly a shame that they could not.

Tia Felton is a senior at McKinley Tech High School and an intern at The Women’s Foundation through Urban Alliance.  When she graduates from high school this year, she hopes to go to college and eventually to become a lawyer.

To learn more about the Urban Alliance internship program, click here.

Washington Post story on local sex trafficking features work of two Grantee Partners.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Yesterday, Washington Post reporter Robert Pierre’s story, "Anti-Prostitution Initiative Taken to D.C. Schools," explains how children in D.C. are being coerced into prostitution and sex trafficking, and how agencies throughout the area are working together to stop this phenomenon.

Two of the organizations involved in this work are Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation: Fair Fund and Polaris Project.

Read the full story in the Washington Post here.

For more on Fair Fund’s work on this issue, and the report they just released on trafficking of youth in D.C. and Boston, or for information on how to get involved, click here.

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.