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The Connection
The e-newsletter of the Girls Coalition of Southwestern Pennsylvania
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Greetings!
This issue of The Connection is
jam-packed with great information, upcoming events, opportunities and research. The members of the Girls Coalition of Southwestern Pennsylvania contributed much of the content. It is incredibly gratifying to have such involved participation by our members.
Please read on and Get Connected! |
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Events and Announcements
Member Announcement: Women's Law Project Forming Western PA High School Athletics Working Group
In 2007, the number of female high school athletes in the United States
hit its highest mark ever - over 3 million girls were playing on sports teams
at their schools. Girls reap many benefits from participating in sports. According
to the National Federation of State High School Associations, high school athletes are less  likely to abuse alcohol and
drugs. They are also more likely to
exercise regularly throughout their lives, less likely to have body image
problems and eating disorders and less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy.
And for many high school students, playing on a sports team is a ticket to
college financial aid, often in the form of scholarships that do not have to be
repaid.
But in western Pennsylvania,
the situation is bleak for girls. Some schools in our area have many more
athletic opportunities for boys than girls, and many of the girls' teams that
do exist suffer due to lack of resources, equipment, and equal facilities. The
Women's Law Project is working to increase the number of athletic opportunities
for girls in western Pennsylvania
high schools and improve the treatment of female athletes. First things first,
we're forming a working group to discuss these issues and the best ways to
achieve change in our communities. If you want to get involved in the Law
Project's Western PA High School Athletics Working Group, or if you know women
athletes/athletic directors/interested parents/others who are committed to
equality for women and girls, drop us a line at infopitt@womenslawproject.org.
Member Announcement: POWER Announces Recovery Month Activities
This September marks the 19th annual observance
of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, sponsored by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This year's Recovery Month theme is "Join the Voices for Recovery: Real People,
Real Recovery". POWER is
participating in a variety of activities in September to celebrate the
accomplishments of people in recovery and we hope you will join us in being
their voice!
On
Saturday, September 20, Team POWER will walk at the third annual Message Carriers of Pennsylvania Rally for
Recovery at Frick
Park. The Walk/Run begins at 10 a.m. The $10 registration fee includes a T-shirt,
food, games, prizes and music. To join
our team, please call Cheryl Werber at 412.243.7535, ext. 220 by Thursday,
September 4.
On Wednesday, September 24, POWER will host a reception at Caesar's Designs Fine Jewelry Creations
in Shadyside, where Caesar will present his new POWER Collection line. The
reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will include
refreshments, entertainment and the opportunity to support POWER by purchasing
a stunning piece of jewelry. This will
be an "open house" event, so it is not necessary to RSVP. For more information, please call Emily
Lamison at 412.243.7535, ext. 223.
In addition to the above
events, POWER will be featured on Comcast
Newsmakers. Tune in throughout September
to catch an interview with POWER Executive Director, Rosa Davis.The interview will air at 5 minutes before
and 25 minutes after the hour at random intervals on Comcast Cable Channel 33 throughout the entire month of September.
Member Announcement: I'm a Girl 2 Summer Edition"I'm a Girl 2" summer edition will be available
the week of August 18th online at http://www.imagirl2.com. Our next issue is themed Going Somewhere. Summer
is a great time to get outside and go. This issue is about all the places
we go and the things we do during the summer - vacation, the park, the
pool, a picnic, or a walk. Summer is also a great time to be healthy by eating
foods that give us energy and using safe sun practices. We hope you will
"Go Somewhere" with us. Sign-up to receive the latest
newsletter at friend@imagirl2.com.
"I'm
a Girl 2" is
a newsletter for girls 3-7 years old that celebrates "being a girl"
- a girl in all its glory - by sharing a world that is colorful,
fascinating, fabulous, sparkly, smart, athletic, fun, silly, and healthy. It is
designed to inspire self-confidence and playful exploration. It is
something fun that you and the special young girl in your life can do together.
Member Announcement: Alliance for Justice and The Women and Girls Foundation (WGF) and the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime (CVVC) Present: Worry Free Advocacy for Nonprofits Workshop
  Come learn, in a one full day
workshop, on September 12, 2008,
the rules on nonprofit advocacy activities, including sessions on
Advocacy and Lobbying for 501(c)(3)s, Permissible Election-related Activity for
501(c)(3)s and (c)(4)s, Pennsylvania state rules on lobbying activity and other
advocacy issues, and Working in Coalitions and with Affiliated Organizations.
Network with other
grassroots community members, receive publications and manuals from
Alliance for Justice on
Advocacy, Lobbying and Election-related Activity and reaffirm your
organization's ability to engage in Advocacy- worry free! Sessions
will be interactive and allow for questions, and lunch will be provided.
Registration is $40 through
August 29th, and $60, beginning September 1st and includes
all workshop materials, continental breakfast and lunch. If your organization
is a member of the Girls Coalition, the Women and Girls Foundation (WGF) strongly
encourages you, and a Board member from your organization, to attend this
workshop and WGF will provide a scholarship to cover registration costs for your
Board member. If you are interested, please contact Adriana Dobrzycka at adriana@wgfpa.org. Finally, members of the
Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (GPNP) will receive $10 off
registration ($30 for Early Registration, $50 for Standard).
Click here for additional information and to register online.
To reach Alliance
for Justice, please contact Jeff Prior at 202.822.6070 or jeff@afj.org
To reach the Women and Girls Foundation, please contact Adriana
Dobrzycka at 412.434.4883 or adriana@wgfpa.org.
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Get Connected!
Call for Members
Join the Girls Coalition and enjoy these benefits to membership:
- Raise the profile of your organization through a detailed profile in the Annual Resource Directory of Girl-serving organizations
- Post and promote your events on the Girls Coalition website
- Reach Girls Coalition members with eblasts about your organization's monthly events and special opportunities
- Learn about the latest information, resources, and trends about girls
- Receive advanced notice for all Girls Coalition professional development and educational events
- Connect and collaborate with a network of like-minded agencies and individuals on projects and amplify the regional profile of girls and girls' issues
Download Girls Coalition membership application now.
Welcome, New Girls Coalition Members!
See a full listing of Girls Coalition members. |
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Profiles
Amazing Girl Olivia: Helping Farmers in Nicaragua
Olivia volunteered to travel to Nicaragua to help local farmers
further develop their coffee co-op. This
year, she was one of 11 young adults between the ages of 15-18 who helped
Building New Hope, a Pittsburgh and Nicaragua based
non-profit organization created to support grassroots development projects. In partnership with her local church, the
group traveled to the El Porvenir coffee co-op where shade grown organic
coffee is grown. It is the women who
hand pick the beans that are then transported to America and can be purchased at
local grocery stores. Olivia's volunteer
work included a lot of manual labor including carrying wood and palm leaves up
to a look-out site which was being built for visitors.
Olivia observed that life and schooling for the children in Nicaragua
is very different than what children experience in this country. Since most girls don't participate in sports,
Olivia taught the girls how to play soccer. She also spent time teaching the
children how to use crayons and coloring books. The children were not only
unfamiliar with crayons, they also did not have a lot of food to eat. Olivia ate beans and rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It only took a day or
two for the volunteers to realize that the neighboring street children were
hungry. Olivia explained that, "Every day we made sure we shared our leftovers
with the kids. We also made sure they had plastic forks to eat with."
Spending time helping others in another country has changed
how Olivia views our excess of food and "stuff." Olivia no longer wastes
food. She said, "If I have a big meal and can't finish it, I can no longer leave
it on the plate. It has to be eaten by someone." Olivia also discussed the
freedom women have in this country. "Here, we have so many things we can do, we
can play sports, work and travel. Most girls over there will only work in the
home." Olivia is a musical theatre major
at the Creative and Performing Arts School.
Call for Amazing Girl Nominations
The Girls Coalition of SWPA
is accepting nominations for "Amazing Girls" to be featured in our newsletter. We have established broad criteria to consider when submitting an "Amazing Girl." We are interested in showcasing girls who
demonstrate the following characteristics: leadership; commitment and willingness to work hard; perseverance; the
drive to excel despite challenge; and creativity. The purpose of this feature is to hear about
girls who may be "truly amazing" but have not yet been recognized. Please share your recommendations, and we can all see how she shines!
Send us an email about an Amazing Girl you thing we should profile.
Member Profile: FISA Foundation
FISA Foundation is one of the
largest private foundations in the country governed by women. Its mission is to build a culture of respect
and improve the quality of life for three populations: women, girls, and people
with disabilities. Funding is restricted to southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Foundation's mission goes
back to 1911, when alumnae of girls' college preparatory schools formed a
membership organization known as the Federation of Girls' School Societies,
which was later renamed The Federation of Independent School Alumnae. They founded
Harmarville Convalescent Home for Women, which provided a safe haven for low
income women to recover after childbirth or surgery. By 1956, community needs
changed and other safety nets became available, so the women refocused the
mission on meeting the rehabilitation needs of people with disabilities. They
converted the convalescent home into Harmarville
Rehabilitation Center,
which became known internationally for its innovative therapies. By 1996, it
had become economically unfeasible to continue to operate Harmarville as a
nonprofit hospital, and the facility was purchased by HealthSouth Corporation.
The proceeds of the sale became the endowment of the FISA Foundation, which today
continues this long legacy of charitable work.
In its girls' grantmaking, FISA is
particularly interested in programs focused on empowerment, mentoring, issues
related to teen pregnancy, health and wellness, prevention of and intervention
in sexual assault and domestic violence, and programs that intentionally
welcome and include girls with disabilities. Information about the grant application process is available at www.fisafoundation.org. Letters of inquiry are accepted every
month.
FISA Foundation is proud to be
one of the founders of the Girls Coalition of Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Member Profile: Women and Girls Foundation
The
Women and Girls Foundation (WGF) is an independent community-based foundation whose
mission is to achieve equity for women and girls in the eleven counties of Southwest Pennsylvania. Our work involves building strong
community coalitions, engaging in public advocacy and investing in regional
efforts to increase women and girls' rights. Through these initiatives, we aim
to achieve equal political representation, economic and civic participation,
and leadership development for women and girls in all areas of their lives.
WGF was incorporated in 2002 and in 2004 the
Foundation made its first grants to support high-impact projects aimed at
seeding and achieving long-term equity for women and girls in Southwest
Pennsylvania. Throughout the years, WGF partnered with regional
organizations to advocate for better public policies; launched a Road to Equity
Tour to discuss the Status of Women in SWPA; created Catapult- a salary
negotiation initiative; and engaged local girls in philanthropy through the Girls
as Grantmakers program.
As
an independent women's foundation, WGF promotes social change philanthropy in
the region by addressing fundamental social inequalities identified by women
and girls. WGF is
part of a larger social change movement in the United States, one that
encourages individual women -as well as men- to see themselves as change agents
working together to achieve gender equity, a goal that serves our entire
community.
Join
us as we work together to ensure that all people can live, work, and thrive in
our community. For more information on WGF please visit wgfpa.org or call us
at 412.434.4883. |
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Resources
Research
NEW REPORT: Violence by Teenage Girls: Trends and Context
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/218905.pdf
Recent media accounts have described a significant rise in violent behavior among girls as a burgeoning national crisis. This Bulletin by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
assesses the accuracy of these assertions using the best available
data. Drawing on information from official arrest sources, nationally
based self-report and victimization surveys, and studies reported in
the social science literature,
the authors examine the involvement of girls in violent activity
(including whether such activity has increased relative to the increase
for boys) and the contexts in which girls engage in violent behavior.
DVD Rental
The Strength to Resist: The Media's Impact on Women and Girls is available to rent from the Girls Coalition for $25. To rent, or for more information, please contact Stephanie at sfedrobyrom@girlscoalitionswpa.org.
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Opportunities
Girls Coalition Announces Second Book Club Selection
Our next reading adventure for the Girls Coalition will be
The Last Lecture, by Randy Paush and Jeffrey Zaslow. Almost everyone has heard about
Randy's recent passing as well as his last lecture, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." But have you had a chance to talk about it
with other colleagues and how it can impact your work with girls? You can buy
the book, order the audio download, or visit the official website. You can still view The Last Lecture on YouTube which has had close to 6 million visitors. The Last Lecture was selected for many
excellent reasons, the most important one being helping others to achieve
childhood dreams.
If
you would like to be part of the Girls Coalition Book Club, please send an email to jstephens@edenhallfdn.org. Watch for our next meeting date, time, and location in the September newsletter.
Member Internship Opportunity: Tickets for Kids Charities Seeks Intern
Tickets for Kids Charities (www.ticketsforkids.org) is seeking an intern. Duties may include ticket distribution, data base entry, mailings, marketing, website updating, development tasks and additional more
advanced duties depending on skills and areas of interest. Must be very detail oriented, responsible,
efficient, able to work independently, have a sense of humor, able to
communicate effectively, and be very comfortable speaking and working with the
public. Hours are flexible, M-F. This position is unpaid. Email resume and cover letter to Marcia Koren at marcia@ticketsforkids.org detailing
why interning at Tickets for Kids Charities is of
interest. No phone calls please.
Tickets for Kids Charities
brings the wonder and magic of live arts and cultural, educational,
sporting and family entertainment events to lower-income children and their
families who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience what most
of us take for granted. For more information, visit our website or email info@ticketsforkids.org.
Funding Opportunities
 Jewish Women's Foundation Call for Proposals
The Jewish Women's Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh is pleased to announce its
2008 grantmaking cycle. The JWF is interested in funding innovative
projects that address critical issues impacting adolescent girls.
Examples of the types of projects that have been funded by the foundation
include those that focus on education, gender equity, leadership development,
dating and intimate partner violence, advocacy and girls' health.
Additional information about guidelines and the grant application process may
be found on the JWF website,
or call/email Judy Greenwald Cohen, Executive Director, at 412-727-1108 or jcohen@jwfpgh.org. Proposals are due on September 12,
2008.
Opportunities for Girls
GirlTalk
Radio Saturday
Academy:
Create your own radio show!
Girls are talking. You should listen. GirlTalk Radio is a show connecting
girls with amazing women in Pittsburgh
and beyond in math and science. What
does a CIA agent really do? A marine biologist? GirlTalk Radio girls get up
close and personal with women in edgy science careers. The Girls, Math &
Science Partnership has teamed up with The Saturday Light Brigade to offer
girls the chance to interview emerging and established female mathematicians,
scientists, and engineers. Girls will learn multimedia production, audio engineering and recording
technology first hand as they record and
edit their interviews at The Saturday Light Brigade's $250,000 state-of-the-art
digital studios. The finished GirlTalk
Radio interviews will be aired to over 70,000 regional families and
available on CD and iTunes.
Ages: Girls, 12 -
15
Dates: Saturday
afternoons, November 1st - 22nd, 2008 with evening orientation
on October 14th, 2008 and red carpet premiere party on December 10th,
2008.
This program is
free to the selected participants. Find more information at www.BrainCake.org/girltalk
or download the application here.
Thank you to GlaxoSmithKline Consumer
Healthcare for their generous sponsorship of this program.
For a full listing of all Girls, Math and Science Fall 2008 events and program offerings, please click here.
An Opportunity for Girls and Those who Work with Girls
The women's publisher Seal Press is calling for submissions on girlhood issues for a 2009 book on girlhood. The author,
Elline Lipkin, is hoping to collect a wide array of quotations from girls and from adult mentors who work with girls for her book, which will explore the multifaceted experiences of girls in
America.
She is gathering short anecdotes, comments, and thoughts from
girls aged 6 to 18, and from adults who work closely with girls up to age 18,
for a short book on girlhood and feminism. The book will be published by Seal
Press in 2009 and will examine an array of questions,
issues, and important texts pertaining to girlhood and girls in the United States.
All contributions will be unpaid, and if your comments are
selected to be included in the book, they may be edited for length and style.
Please send all submissions either by email to elline.lipkin@yahoo.com or
by postal mail to Elline Lipkin, 3125
Berkeley Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Please let her know
whether you would like your comments to appear under your own full name, or a
pseudonym. Comments can be any length, but 300
words or less is preferred.
Along with your comments, please include:
- A signed permissions agreement
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Your age
- If you're an adult, your job or volunteer experience working with girls
- Where you live
- A few sentences (or a paragraph) about yourself
If you are interested in participating, please send an email to sfedrobyrom@girlscoalitionswpa.org for a permissions agreement as well as a list of questions the author would like girls to answer. She is interested in hearing girls' responses to a list of age-appropriate questions.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Harvard University Announces No Tuition for Low-income Families
If you know of a family earning less than $60,000 a year with an honor
student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to
pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that
from now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to
Harvard for free...no tuition and no student loans!
In making the announcement, Harvard's president at the time, Lawrence
H. Summers said, "When only 10 percent of the students in elite higher education come from families in lower half of the income distribution, we are not doing enough. We are not doing enough in bringing elite higher education to the lower half of the income distribution."
Other
schools are trying to follow Harvard's lead on what is actually a controversial move on their part. Less well endowed schools, especially public universities and colleges, are left at a disadvantage trying to compete with such an offer. Read more here about Harvard's policy and the reaction of other schools.
To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $60,000 a year, visit Harvard's financial aid website or call the school's financial aid office at 617.495.1581.
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Cool Stuff for Girls
The Dove Self-Esteem Fund
Chances are that you may have heard about the Dove True Beauty
Campaign, but turns out there is more to the campaign than meets the eye or
rather the television set and magazine ads. If you delve a little deeper, you will find that Dove has some
great on-line educational resources including a "Girls Only Interactive Self-Esteem Zone" and a "Moms and Mentors" section. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund "invites you to play a role in supporting and promoting a wider definition of beauty." Check it out here!
Dragon Boat Racing
As the 2008
Olympics in China are in full swing, a group of girls in Allegheny
County have had an
opportunity to experience one of China's oldest sports - dragon boating. The Dragon
Boat Festival is all about memorializing the famous poet and
statesman Qu Yuan, who lived about 2,300 years ago during the period of the Warring States. Full of sorrow and out of agony over betrayal, Qu Yuan drowned
himself in Mi Lo River in Hunan Province. People then
rushed out on boats to either save him or at least his corpse. Drums were hit
to scare away the fish, which otherwise might take a bite of him. Today's Dragon Boat
Races on the anniversary day of this event symbolize the rescue
attempt and are one of the oldest Chinese traditions.
The girls (and boys) who participate in the Communities in Action for Peace dragon boat team called the Peace Paddlers meet every Thursday evening to expand
their skills in dragon boating as well as learn skills for peace
making. They are taught to understand the dragon boat as a metaphor for living peacefully and working together and have pledged to live in peace with each other and their communities. The Peace Paddlers, one
of three youth teams in Pittsburgh, are
coached by a variety of people, including female members of the Pittsburgh
Paddle Fish Dragon Boat Team. The Pittsburgh
Paddle Fish Women's Team recently won the right to represent Western
PA at the 6th Club Crew World Championships and the 8th Asian Dragon Boat
Championships in Penang, Malaysia (see http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08198/897135-13.stm).
The Peace Paddlers is a joint venture sponsored by Communities in Action
for Peace and Three Rivers Rowing Association. Practice sessions are
held at the Three Rivers Rowing Association docks,
located in Millvale. On June 28th, the Paddlers won all three
of the Annual Pittsburgh
Dragon Boat Youth Races held at Station Square. The Peace Paddlers are currently preparing for their next race at the
Kipona Festival at Riverfront
Park in Harrisburg.
It is speculated that
the University of Pittsburgh
will start up a female
Dragon Boat Team. Other college teams include Point
Park University
and LaRoche College.
For more information on how to get involved with the Peace Paddlers, go to http://www.capeace.org/ and click on "youth acitivities." |
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Please continue to help spread the
word about the Girls Coalition. Hit the forward email link below to
send out the newsletter to colleagues, friends, and parents. As always, we welcome any feedback.
Sincerely,
P.S. Watch for a new and improved Girls Coalition website coming soon!
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