Turning Knowledge into Action
Women Involved in Learning and Leadership (WILL) at UMBC, part of the Gender and Women’s Studies program, is one of eight groups nationwide participating in a week-long global health event funded by a grant from Americans for Informed Democracy (AID). “Global Women’s Health Action Week: Healthy Women, Healthy World” will run April 27 through May 1.
Jen Keeter ’09, one of the lead organizers of the event, received information about an available grant through AID and was immediately drawn to the idea of helping women. WILL members wrote the proposal together and submitted it in fall 2008. The team decided to highlight global women’s health in five distinct areas by focusing on one each day: environmental justice, reproductive justice, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), maternal and children’s health and holistic health. Events run 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for five days, and each day is filled with interactive games, exhibits, speakers and giveaways.
Eva Jannotta ’12, was involved with planning the holistic health day and said there will be gift baskets, giveaways, alternative health products and a Wii Fit Yoga demonstration in The Commons. WILL kicks off the week with a guest speaker from MADRE, a renowned transnational feminist organization that WILL is raising money for during the week. Communications Director Yifat Susskind will speak on Monday, April 27, at 4:30, in the University Center, Room 312.
Other days will hold similar activities including tours of a constructed mock kitchen (environmental justice), advice from a doula (maternal and children’s health) and a sexual health Jeopardy game (STIs), hosted by the Peer Health Advocates from University Health Services (UHS). Free, anonymous and confidential HIV screenings through UHS will be available on Thursday morning. Participants will also have the opportunity to contribute their voices to help form a set of health-related concerns that will be sent to President Barack Obama and other national and local decision-makers.
The health action week will operate in a similar manner as WILL, through teamwork and strong effort. The leadership program is academically connected to UMBC’s Gender and Women’s Studies program, designed to be co-curricular and guided by students.
“Everyone in WILL collaborates and makes decisions as a community,” said Jodi Kelber-Kaye, gender and women’s studies faculty member and director of WILL. “The heath action week will highlight not only how each day’s themes are interrelated when examining issues of women’s health, but also show what amazing things can be done when WILL students apply their intellectual work in gender and women’s studies to grassroots activism.”
But WILL’s work will not be finished after the health action week. They will submit a short video detailing the preparation and execution of the event to AID, who will highlight the videos on its Web site. Viewers cast votes for the best video, and the group will receive an additional $500 if they win. If other campuses would like to replicate the same campaign, they will also be funded $750 (the same amount WILL received for the event).
The event not only affects the present but also the future of WILL and the students involved.
“WILL is about leadership development and taking those skills into your own work,” said Kelber-Kaye. “I think this event will allow us to showcase the dedication and commitment of the WILL students and enable us to continue to build important and meaningful partnerships across campus.”
After graduating in December 2009, Keeter hopes to utilize the skills gained through WILL by organizing and advocating for services on the community level in Baltimore.
For Jannotta, her career at UMBC is just beginning. She hopes to continue working toward creating change and will remain a member of WILL in upcoming years.
For more information on the Global Women’s Health Action Week: Healthy Women, Healthy World, contact Jen Keeter at jen21@umbc.edu.
4/23/09
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