Good Evening,

My name is Lawrese Brown and I am working in conjunction with the Africana Studies Department at Gettysburg College on the upcoming Central Pennsylvania Consortium Africana Studies Conference taking place on February 26th and 27th. It's an annual event between Dickinson College, Franklin and Marshall College, and Gettysburg College, and this year's theme is Public Health, Human Prosperity, and Justice: Public Policy in the African Diaspora. The conference features panels with leading scholars about topics such as Race, Public Policy Issues, and Health; The Failure of AIDS Policy in Africa, and Environmental Justice and Urban Policy in the United States. There will also be food, a free concert, and an art exhibit available. If you or students you know are interested in attending this event please contact Sheila Supenski at shooker@gettysburg.edu <mailto:shooker@gettysburg.edu>  or 717/337-6796.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Below is a link offering more details about the event.

http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/african_american_studies/cpc_africanastudiesconference/2010-cpc-africana-studies-conference/

Love, hate and a quest for change in small town America.

Event type: Film
Location: Stern Center Great Room
Fee: Free

The announcement of filmmaker Joe Wilson’s wedding to another man ignites a firestorm of controversy and a quest for change in the small Pennsylvania hometown he left long ago. Drawn back by a plea for help from the mother of a gay teen being tormented at school, Wilson takes viewers on an exhilarating journey through love, hate and understanding in rural America. Film screening followed by panel discussion and community dialogue. For more information visit: http://wpsu.org/outinthesilence/ and http://www.facebook.com/OutintheSilence.
Contact: vernerj@dickinson.edu

• Thu, Feb 25, 2010, 7:00 pm [Add to Outlook

Gifting a GLBT Legacy

http://www.dickinson.edu/news-and-events/publications/dickinson-magazine/2010-winter/Gifting-a-GLBT-legacy/

Colleagues,

Several students in my WGST 300 (Love, Sex, Desire) have expressed a desire to continue conversations beyond the classroom, specifically to think about how we can take the material we learn in class (i.e., consciousness, raised) and apply it beyond the halls of Denny (i.e., action). There is no particular issue on the table, but rather a pressing need to explore praxis and application in practical ways.  To facilitate this conversation, I’ve reserved the resource room of Landis House, at the corner of College and Pomfret, for Thursday, Feb. 25, 6-8 p.m.  If you’re inclined, please join us for an informal chat about how we can talk the talk AND walk the walk. (there’s no one way to do this, to be sure … but won’t it be fun to think about applying the core concepts of your degree before you graduate??)

Sincerely,

Prof. Gilmore

Stephanie Gilmore

Assistant Professor and Chair

Women's and Gender Studies

105 Denny Hall

Dickinson College

Carlisle, PA 17013

(o) 717.245.1063

(f) 717.245.1479

gilmores@dickinson.edu

"Why did I eat that?" "I'm so fat!" Have these questions ever crossed your mind? Sign up for a group reading and discussions of Jessica Weiner's insightful and easy-to-read book, "Do I Look Fat In This?" She advocates that "your life doesn't begin five pounds from now," teaching readers how to like who they are NOW, because life is happening NOW. Discussions will be meaningful yet fun; book provided and cost covered by the Women's Center. Please email tighec@dickinson.edu ASAP to sign up or for more information. Men and women of all class years and interests welcome.

RAD – Self Defense Class for Women

Public Safety is holding a RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) class, open to all women staff, faculty and students starting March 28, 2010. The class is also open to female family members of staff and faculty, over the age of 16. RAD is a comprehensive self-defense program for women and combines classroom and hands on self defense training. The system teaches realistic defense tactics which are easy to learn and retain.

This is a 15 hour course which will take place once a week over 4 weeks. There is no cost for this course, but you must register by March 15, 2010. Class size is limited to 20 participants.

The class will be held at the Public Safety building between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. on March 28, April 3, April 11, and April 18, 2010. Register by e-mail at security@dickinson.edu. To learn more about RAD, visit http://www.rad-systems.com/.

Hey all,

Happy Monday.  The tone today will be a bit more serious but I hope you can read the joy beneath it!  I've been thinking a lot this week about being accountable and doing good work.  With some great achievements this year (including the OVW grant project, the Landis House move, and lots of smaller landmarks), I've also made some big (and small) mistakes. Try to learn from them, but there they are.  Folks who study social movements, social work, education, student development, and/or psychology will recognize the themes in these questions.  I'm thinking: 

• How can we individually and collectively be at our best without working ourselves to the fraying point? (the "burnout" question)
  
• How do we define success in a world that demands we spend a lot of time justifying the value of our work in the first place?  (the "fighting for scraps" or "within the system" question)
  
• How can I do work on myself that doesn't lead me to reproduce the things I supposedly work against? (the "deal with yourself" and "know your privilege" question)
  
• What is the point?  This is not a nihilistic question, but a way to figure out what direction my energy goes.  What is your focus?  What direction would you like to see for/from the Women's Center? (the "you're only human" question)
  

 These are the things I think about when I'm not working on the tasks listed below.  It's very rewarding to think about these things, by the way.

 On a related note:  I saw this great blog this morning and loved it so much I am excerpting below.  I often tire of conversations that ask me to be accountable to rape myths when, if you care about sexual violence, it's pretty easy to educate yourself out of the lies that a rape culture reproduces.  Ahem.  Check it out.  There are curse words in it, just FYI.

  ... Not to be a broken record about this, but the notion that most rapes are a matter of women making drunken choices and regretting it later doesn’t match the realities.  It’s not like “the feminists” running the “campus rape industry” (I can’t wait for my checks that keep not rolling in), as MacDonald kept calling us, are just making s**t up.  There’s actual research into who rapes and why they do it, and it looks nothing like the picture of innocent frat boys who had consensual sex with deceitful women, as anti-feminists like to claim. --Amanda Marcotte, pandagon.net 

  This week I am working on...

• A Legacy of Success conference work : connecting with distinguished alumnae who will be speaking at the event, posting it on Facebook, following up with faculty, creating a short draft text for the next faculty meeting, helping to develop a poster to advertise.... these and much more!  
• Assault Coalition minutes & agenda:  someday soon I'll sit down and take care of these!  They are important administrative work but often get pushed aside in light of meetings, student conversations, and other more urgent tasks. 
• Budget review:  We have specific modeling requests for how we'll be working with next year's budget cuts, so I need to write those today.
• Grade papers  & Intro prep     
• OVW grant writing:  Still working on text for the grant writing group for the Office of Violence Against Women grant application  to bring a Program Director to work against dating violence, domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault on campus.  
• YWCA follow-up:  research project to provide resources for local women working toward economic self-sufficiency  
• Student recommendations   
  

 I'm also going to be hosting a visit from the Yellow Breeches Educational Center to discuss healthy relationships.  Very exciting!  I welcome your thoughts, questions and feedback at women@dickinson.edu.  Become a Facebook fan! 

 Be well,

Susannah

Hello All,

The info session has been changed to 4:30 at the Landis House (corner of S. College St and W. Pomfret St.) so that we can meet with the Dickinson Law School. We'll be discussing the writing workshop and  Dickinson's monologue event, in addition to this, there are limited places for participating in the law school's production of the Vagina Monologues, either performing your own personal monologues or Eve Ensler's originals.  

Daniela Castejon '12

Diversity Assistant

Office of Diversity Initiatives

 Hello All,

 The Office of Diversity Initiatives and Women’s Center are looking for students and faculty members interested in participating in this year’s Vagina Monologues. Please forward this email to any one who might be interested. Below is some background on the event. Just to clear up any confusion, this event was originally cancelled for this year but now it is definitely back on! Please don’t hesitate to contact me for more information regarding this exciting event!

Thank you,

Daniela Castejon ‘12

Diversity Assistant

Office of Diversity Initiatives

The Vagina Monologues:

Originally a one woman play written by Eve Ensler in 1996, The Vagina Monologues were a collection of women’s thoughts, stories, and experiences relating to vaginas, and ultimately representing themes like female empowerment and struggles, sexual freedom, gender issues, and violence against women. Since then it has become the cornerstone of V-Day, a movement to end violence against women. The play has been performed and adapted on college campuses and local communities all over the country as well as the world.

The Dickinson Vagina Monologues:

Dickinson students will have the opportunity to write and perform their own vagina monologues through a workshop led by Susannah Bartlow, director of the Women’s Center. For those of you who went last year, you remember how amazing the event was! This semester Dickinson College will be collaborating with the Dickinson Law School, whose students will be performing some of the original monologues.

If you are interested please attend our information session:

Thursday, February 25th

3 p.m.

Hub side room 203

Or email castejod@dickinson.edu or odi@dickinson.edu

Dating at Dickinson.

Dear all,

This week, with no major snowstorm currently underway, I am almost finding a routine.  My Intro to Women's and Gender Studies course has finished theoretical introductions; we're now poised at the verge of the very fabulous Kate Bornstein's My Gender Workbook.  The group working on the Office of Violence Against Women grant has started meeting weekly to write the grant narrative. And, at long last, I have unpacked my files!

At Landis House, we have starting hosting regular meetings of the sexual violence grant working group and of Spectrum, Dickinson's LGBTQ/allies student organization.  We'd love to see you drop in and make use of the space--first and foremost, it is yours!  So just come on by.  If you're curious about reserving a space for a meeting or event, check out the policy here.  Angelo has been doing a killer job with painting--only a few more rooms to go and some colors are now on the walls that weren't at the open house! 

By far, the most exciting event I know of this week is a visit from the legendary human Sonia Sanchez, who will be reading on Friday night in Memorial Hall at 8pm.  Visit the Africana Studies page for more details.  This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; even if you're not a poetry person, Ms. Sanchez's brilliance and talent transcend her specific art form.  Not to be missed. 

I have a few things to do to pass the time between now and then, including:

• Two student recommendation letters
  
• March 9 outreach, especially for student panels and leadership panel
  
• Intro prep
• OVW grant writing:  Each member of the group has taken responsibility for specific sections of the grant narrative; I'm working on framing our purpose (the big picture for why we're applying) and drafting our timeline, how we'll be incorporating the requirements for direct services, the specifics of implementation, and plans for sustainability (what we will we do to be sure the services are still here when the grant funds run out?).
• Assault & Sexuality Coalition minutes & next meeting agenda       
• YBEC outreach:  Students from the Yellow Breeches Educational Center are coming to Dickinson to talk about women's community, healthy relationships, and wellness.  Last year it worked really well to have colleagues join us for the conversation--let me know if you're interested!          
• YWCA follow-up for a research project on women and best practices for economic self-sufficiency        
• Candidate review for Counseling Center Director position   
• Budget review:  voluntary budget cuts are part of the current world.... so I need to get down and dirty with my budget to see what I might be able to do     
• Ellen Hagan is an incredible poet who came to Dickinson last year and formed an exceptional connection with students in a short period of time.  I want to bring her back for a short-term residency next fall or spring.

As always, love to hear your thoughts, feedback, comments, criticisms or suggestions at women@dickinson.edu or bartlows@dickinson.edu.  Looking forward to another great week!

 Be well,

 Susannah

 Dickinson has partnered with the YWCA to provide a victim advocate.  Contact the victim advocate for:

    1)      Crisis support and intervention
    2)      Information about healthy relationships
    3)      Advocacy through the conduct and criminal processes
 
OPEN OFFICE HOURS IN LANDIS HOUSE (at the back entrance)

Just drop in - no appointment necessary!
Monday 12pm-2pm
Thursday 12pm-2pm

LANDIS HOUSE USE AND ACCESS POLICY

Landis House is an educational and resource center available to the entire Dickinson community.  The Conflict Resolution Resource Center, Office of Diversity Initiatives and Women’s Center invite you to use the space bearing in mind these guidelines.

Business Hours (8:30am-4;30pm) Use and Access

•  Free and open space:  Landis House has an open-door policy during the day!  All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to use the downstairs space for meetings, lounging, creating community, checking out resources, etc.  We’d love to see you! 

• Scheduling a meeting:  You can reserve these spaces by contacting one of our offices (see below).  Landis House also has a full kitchen.

• Resource room:  a living room ideal for discussion and casual hangout groups; can seat up to 14 on couches and comfortable floor pillows; radio/cd player and chalkboard
• Reading room:  a work and lounge space that can seat up to 3 on chairs and hold up to 25 for larger discussions/film screenings/readings/other events
• Seminar room:  ideal meeting space with seats for up to 20, whiteboard & seminar tables
• Upstairs conference room:  lounge & meeting space with a four-person table and couch

Anyone at the college is welcome to reserve a room; since this is a student-centered space, our policy is to give priority to student events and organizations.  You do not need to be a registered student organization to reserve these spaces.

• Office coverage:  You can expect to see a friendly face in the front office with Lori Loudon, Women’s Center Administrative Assistant, providing coverage from 8:30am-12pm Monday-Friday.  The Office of Diversity Initiatives’ Diversity Assistants will otherwise provide coverage on weekday afternoons (schedule posted in the front office). 

• Student workspaces (front office and upstairs office) are for use by Sustained Dialogue students and Diversity Assistants only.

After Hours Use and Access (4:30pm-1am) Use and Access

•  Space is available:  Students, faculty and staff are welcome to use Landis House for meetings, lounging and/or workspace after business hours. 

•  Volunteer office hours:  We welcome volunteers to provide office hours!  Contact one of the offices below if you’d like to start working in or for Landis House.

•  Key sign-out system:  3 keys will be available at Landis House, and 2 keys in Old West (Shalom Staub’s office), for any Dickinson community member to check out.  We give priority to students hosting programs, providing pre-approved open house/office hours, or doing administrative work for CRRC, ODI, or the Women’s Center. 

•  To reserve a key, simply contact women@dickinson.edu or mediate@dickinson.edu or stop by Landis House during business hours.  When program or work hours are done, the student signing out should return keys to the designated dropbox.

•  If you’ve signed out the key, you have primary responsibility for making sure that the house is locked, lights off, trash disposed of, etc.

Landis House

Conflict Resolution Resource Center Shalom Staub, Director, staubs@dickinson.edu

                     LeeAnn Kunkle, Administrative Asst, kunkle@dickinson.edu

         General questions:  mediate@dickinson.edu

Office of Diversity Initiatives, Paula Lima, Director, limap@dickinson.edu

General questions:  odi@dickinson.edu

Women’s Center, Susannah Bartlow, Director, bartlows@dickinson.edu 

Lori Loudon, Administrative Assistant, loudonl@dickinson.edu

General questions:  women@dickinson.edu

Because of the wild and woolly winter weather, the Dating Violence Lunch & Learn originally scheduled for tomorrow (2/10/10) has been postponed!  Please mark your calendars for the rescheduled date:

DATING VIOLENCE LUNCH & LEARN

with Carla Maddox, Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland & Perry Counties

and

Susannah Bartlow, Director, Women’s Center

Wednesday, April 14, 12-2pm

Landis House seminar room

Please email women@dickinson.edu for more information.  Thanks very much!

 Stay warm,

Susannah

Dear all,

On Friday, we celebrated Landis House with an opening reception and our first event--an ODI and Women's Center co-sponsored Ladies' Night!  Now that a crew of visitors has warmed up the space, it really feels like a home for our work.  Please make it a habit to stop in and say hello or use the resource room and reading room as a hangout and workspace as often as you like!

For me, this week is compacted--I'm traveling to Washington, D.C., on Thursday and Friday to participate in a two-day seminar on human trafficking.  This is a partnership between the Women's Center, Religious Life and Community Service, and the Department of Women's and Gender Studies.  Students from my First-Year Seminar on American Women, Spirituality and Social Justice, and students from both sections of this semester's Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies, will be traveling to the United Methodist Church's Office of Church and Society to meet and learn from representatives of local and national organizations that work on violence prevention and safety from trafficking.  Under the guidance of senior department major Nina Antonsen, along with Mira Hewlett, Stephanie Gilmore, and myself, the students will return from the trip with a much more full and concrete understanding of this significant social and international concern.

As I prepare for the trip, I'm also looking ahead to the amazing plans in the works for a conference on campus on March 9th that will focus on Dickinson women's legacy of success.  More details to follow but mark your calendars for sessions on women in leadership, student leaders, and women in science!

Also on my radar:

Files:  because of some moving confusion and the start of the semester, I have not yet been able to unpack my files from the old office! 
  
WGST grading and prep

leadershape group:  This week I'll follow up with my students from the LeaderShape retreat to schedule our next dinner reconnecting our LeaderShape experience with Dickinson

leadership panel outreach:  Specific colleagues would really enjoy the leadership panel at the March 9 Legacy of Success conference, so I'll be doing some direct outreach via email and other methods

YWCA follow-up:  Take a closer look at a series of emails related to a research project for the YWCA that focuses on best practices for helping women in poverty   

Diversity ally award:  I've been asked to help contribute some notes to aid the division in developing a possible award for a student who demonstrates great work around diversity

Assault Coalition minutes and agenda:  The Assault and Sexuality Coalition held a short, sweet and productive meeting last week; I need to type up those minutes and use them to send out the agenda for our next meeting

 March 9 student press release:    A student has asked for more specific information about our March 9th event and I need to remember to respond once that's clarified   

Support staff summary and job descriptions:  Paula and I have a specific outline together but I need to type up our support staff needs into the most effective format       

Student recommendation letters

 Re-read OVW grant:  The writing team for our Office of Violence Against Women grant is having our first meeting tomorrow to hammer out the details and I need to be sure I have a command of the grant's requirements and our past notes and outreach.  Love to hear your thoughts; please email bartlows@dickinson.edu if you'd like to talk about the grant plans!

****

Also, a short note:  because of the weather this week, we've had to cancel Wednesday's Dating Violence Lunch & Learn with Carla Maddox from Domestic Violence Services.  We will definitely be rescheduling this event so stay tuned!  Email women@dickinson.edu if you'd like to be sure you get the direct email about the rescheduled date.

Hope to see you all in Landis House soon!

Be well and warm,

Susannah  

 WOMEN’S AND GENDER-RELATED EVENTS SPRING 2010

 For details about these events, visit the Compass (Dickinson's online calendar) or email women@dickinson.edu!

  February 19                       Sonia Sanchez Visit

  February 25                       Documentary Out in the Silence (7pm, Stern Great Room)

  February 26                       Gay-Straight Alliance Leadership Summit @ Dickinson

  March 3                               Female Masturbation discussion, 135 N. College St, 7pm

  March 4                               Pleasurable Sex discussion, Social Hall, 7pm, led by Prof. Megan Yost

  March 8                               International Women’s Day student panel, 8pm, Stern Great Room

  March 9                               Women at Dickinson:  A Legacy of Success Conference

  March 10                            Marie Garlock dance performance on Tanzania, Human Rights, HIV

  March 25                            Women at Dickinson Awards, 7pm, Social Hall

  March 27                            Central PA Consortium of Women's Studies conference:  Women in Higher Education with keynote Gloria Steinem

  April 2                                  Ladies Night (6pm, Landis House)

  April 6                                 Clothesline Project exhibit and Take Back the Night rally (7pm, Britton Plaza)

  April 15                Research on Women & Gender by Students symposium (7pm, Stern Great Room)

  April 25                                Heel the Soul run/walk with Unity Rally

Dear all,

Happy Monday!  It's great to be working in a bright and totally painted office here in Landis House.  I'm catching up from a winter cold but have much beauteous news to report.

First of all--I'm very excited to announce two fabulous opportunities, one in February and one in March, one a funded service trip and the other an exciting campus-based seminar!

On February 11-13--that's right, next week--the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, the Women's Center, and the Office of Religious Life and Community Service are co-leading a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in a seminar about human trafficking.  We will also serve a community of women facing domestic violence while we're on that trip.  This unique learning-and-service opportunity has been paid for by a grant from the United Methodist Church's Board of Higher Education Ministry.  This trip is open to all Dickinson students, so if you're interested to learn more about human trafficking, please email me (bartlows@dickinson.edu) or Mira Hewlett (hewlettm@dickinson.edu) for more information.

On March 9, College Advancement and the Women's Center are hosting 125 Years of Women at Dickinson:  A Legacy of Success, a daylong conference showcasing some of Dickinson's greatest past, present and future leaders.  The day will include a morning panel on Women in Leadership, a lunchtime panel on student leaders, and an afternoon celebration of Women in Science.  We invite you to join us for any of these panels; please email women@dickinson.edu if you're interested.  The Women in Leadership panel will include:

 Sylvia Rambo '58 -- Chief Judge, US District Court (Major: Political Science)

Kellie Newton '81 -- Attorney, partner at McKenna Long and Aldridge LLP (Majors: Political Science and History)

Linda Steckley '63 -- former VP for Development and Acting VP for the Center for Public Education at Brookings Institution; Leadership positions in fundraising for Duke and NYU Schools of Law, and University of Miami Schools of medicine and Business. (Major: English)

 Rhonda Ebert '76 -- Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley (Major: History)

 **

Also on deck for me this week:

• Women's and Gender Studies 200 class prep and grading 

• Outreach and advertising for the March 9th event, especially the student panel and the Women in Leadership panel    

• "Big picture" text about the 125th anniversary for the March 9th event

• Support staff needs:  Paula (Director of ODI) and I will be meeting to discuss our shared and discrete needs for support staff in the new facility.   In an ideal world, what kind of support would our offices need?  More to the point, what kind of support would we like to begin to pursue to function with maximum efficiency?    

• grant case statement:  deferred from last week (mostly due to my cold), I need to draft a short missive that will help summarize for broader college partners the value and purpose of our application to the Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women grant.

• victim advocate survey questions:  another illness-deferred item:  to finalize questions for the victim advocate survey of students and to roll out the naming contest!

• first year experience programs:  I'm part of a team of folks working to create more integrative and compelling programs as part of orientation & the first-year experience, and it's on my calendar to check in with our team leader this week about any tasks/areas on which I should focus

• Counseling center search review:  I'm also on the search committee for a new counseling center Director, and need to re-familiarize myself before our meeting this week  

• YBEC collaboration:  Following a great collaboration last year, the Yellow Breeches Educational Center will be returning to Dickinson for visits to discuss healthy sexuality, relationships, and gender 101.  I need to find some college partners for these visits and/or develop an itinerary for the students and teachers.

***

As always, let me know if you'd like to get involved or find out more about these projects.  Looking forward to another fabulous week that will culminate in our open house on Friday at 4:30 pm.  Hope to see you all there!

Be well,

Susannah

Come see the live performance of Sara Felder's radical juggling at the Weiss Center during Common Hour, on Thursday, February 18, 2010, at 12:00 pm. - 1:00 pm.  Juggler, comedian and performance artist, Sara Felder brings a fresh perspective, witty monologues and very sharp knives to her unique performance.  With circus tricks and a queer sensibility, Sara's show juggles Jewish traditions, GLBT issues and American life.  We hope to see you there!

The Center for Environmental and Sustainability Education and the Women's Center invites you to share this opportunity with student advocates on campus working on environmental, sexual and reproductive justice, policy and/or health advocacy.   The One Voice: Reproductive Health and Population Summit is an annual peer-networking and consciousness-raising conference in Washington D.C., with two days of training and policy advocation on Capitol Hill.   This year's conference is March 26th - 28th.

 Interested students should complete the attached application and essay, or visit http://onevoicesummit.org/.  Accepted youth advocates will have travel, conference, and accommodation expenses paid for.  Deadline for applications is Wednesday February 3rd at 5pm. Questions can be forwarded to Sustainability Education Coordinator Sarah Brylinsky.

 Best,

Sarah Brylinsky and Susannah Bartlow

ONE VOICE: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND POPULATION SUMMIT

CONTEST DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010 at 5pm EST.

Win a trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the fifth annual summit!

Enter an essay contest for youth advocates co-sponsored by

Advocates for Youth, SIECUS, and the Sierra Club!

 Are you are interested in sexual and reproductive health and rights?  Do you want to unite local-to-global advocacy efforts around issues like international family planning, comprehensive sex education, gender equity, and environmental protection?  Then the One Voice Summit is for you! Find out what YOU can do to take real action for the issues you care about.

 There is a direct connection between our health and the health of the planet. Today, more than one billion adolescents–the largest number ever–are entering their reproductive years. At the same time, we face dwindling access to sexual and reproductive health information and services as well as pressing global challenges like water scarcity, global warming, and poverty. The voices and decisions of this generation will have an impact on our world for years to come.

The One Voice Summit is a two-day training and policy maker education day for youth activists who are interested in environmental and reproductive justice issues domestically and globally.  The Summit provides a forum for participants to gather and share information relevant to the intersections of sexual and reproductive health and the environment through a human rights framework; build skills on how to work with the media, policy maker education, community organizing, and advocacy; and discuss and commit to actions that they will take in their own communities to advance reproductive and environmental justice.  Finally, participants will participate in a policy maker education day, meeting with their Members of Congress to request support for domestic and international policies supportive of evidence-based sexual and reproductive health programming.  For more information about the One Voice Summit, please go to www.onevoicesummit.org. 

 We invite advocates ages 16-24 to tell us in an essay of no more than 500 words about the potential roles youth can play in advocating for a more just and sustainable world, where all people have access to sexual and reproductive health services and a healthy environment. Please describe how you will use your experience from the One Voice Summit to advocate on these issues in your community in the coming year.  To enter the contest, please go to www.onevoicesummit.org.  If you are unable to access the link, please submit the attached form and your essay to onevoicecontest@advocatesforyouth.org.

 To qualify, contestants must be between the ages of 16 and 24, currently reside in the United States, and demonstrate a passion to work on issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights and the environment. The name and contact information for one reference is also required.  Winning contestants will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the One Voice Summit taking place March 26-29, 2010. Flight, accommodations, and meals will be covered.

 CONTEST DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2010 at 5pm EST.

To submit your contest entry, please go to www.onevoicesummit.org.  If you are unable to access the link, please email the following completed form and your essay to: onevoicecontest@advocatesforyouth.org.

ONE VOICE: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND POPULATION SUMMIT

ESSAY CONTEST ENTRY FORM

CONTACT INFORMATION

NAME:  _____________________________________________________________________

DATE OF BIRTH:  ____________________________________________________________

ADDRESS (INCLUDE CITY, STATE AND ZIP CODE):  ____________________________________________________________________________

PHONE:  HOME:________________________CELL: ________________________________

EMAIL ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________

US CITIZEN:  ___YES    ____NO

 IF NO, WHERE DO YOU HOLD CITIZENSHIP? ______________________________

 SCHOOL AFFILIATION (if any): _________________________________________________

 ORGANIZATION OR GROUP AFFILIATION (if any): ________________________________

REFERENCE NAME, RELATIONSHIP TO YOU, AND CONTACT INFORMATION:  ______________________________________________________________________________

 ESSAY QUESTION:

 There is a direct connection between our health and the health of the planet. Today, more than one billion adolescents–the largest number ever–are entering their reproductive years.  At the same time, we face an increasing lack of access to reproductive health information and services and pressing global challenges like water scarcity, global warming, and poverty. The choices this generation makes will have an impact on our world for years to come. 

What potential roles can youth play in advocating for a more just and sustainable world, where all people have access to sexual and reproductive health services and a healthy environment? Please describe how you will use your experience from the One Voice Summit to advocate on these issues in your community in the coming year.  (500 words or less)