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National Congress Of Neighborhood Women
To Meet At Smith
Public Invited to Strategy Sessions in Grassroots
Community Development
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- Over the weekend
of Feb. 19-22, people in the Valley will have a unique opportunity
to learn about -- and from -- representatives of the National
Congress of Neighborhood Women (NCNW) when they gather at
Smith for a conference, titled "Sharing
Strategies: Thirty Years of Grassroots Women in Community
Development."
NCNW representatives from areas including
St. Louis, New York City and the Appalachian region of Tennessee
will join members of the international organization GROOTS
(Grassroots Women Operating Together in Sisterhood) for three
days of discussion on topics ranging from the history of NCNW to international
organizing strategies. The following events, which will take
place in Neilson Library Browsing Room, are free and open to the public.
- "Communities
Claiming Knowledge: Three Communities Develop Living Learning Centers
as a National Demonstration." 3 to 6 p.m., Friday,
Feb. 20
-"Local Organizing/National Networking in a Global Context." Veteran
leaders of National Congress of Neighborhood Women will reflect on the history
of the national network, their roles in developing their respective communities
and the influences of grassroots women abroad in their local work. A reception
will follow. 2:30 to 4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 21
-"Campus/Community Partnerships: What Works, What Doesn't?" Women
from Holyoke, Mass., community organizations and the Pioneer Valley colleges
and universities with whom they've partnered, will join NCNW members for a
critical review of their collaborative efforts. This discussion is supported
by a "Raise Your Voice" grant from Massachusetts Campus Compact
that is part of a national effort to engage students in public life through
support for student voices, service and engagement in our democratic processes.
4:30 to 6 p. m., Saturday, Feb. 21
Founded in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1975 as "the
first national federation of blue collar, neighborhood women," NCNW
is committed to empowering working-class women, helping them become effective
leaders in their communities. Over the years -- with financial support from
HUD, the Ford Foundation and elsewhere -- NCNW has developed a network of
grassroots women leaders and organizations from both urban
and rural areas from Puerto Rico to the Pacific Northwest. The group has
an extensive program of education, job skills and leadership training --
including the founding of several community-based satellite college
programs -- and focuses on housing, job training, education and making a
place for women in community development.
The NCNW meeting is the 2004 Kathleen
Ridder Conference, an annual Smith event designed to explore current research
on gender. It is made possible by the Kathleen Ridder Fund, which honors
former Smith College President Jill Ker Conway.
Additional funding was provided
by Smith's Project on Women and Social Change, Office of
the President, Women's Studies Program, and the Sophia Smith Collection,
as well as the Ford Foundation and Woman Connect. The event is being
held in collaboration with this year's Kahn Liberal Arts Institute program, "Problems
of Democracy." For
more information, e-mail René Heavlow at kahnevents@smith.edu
or visit https://www.smith.edu/kahninstitute/democracy/conference.html.
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Office of College
Relations
Smith College
Garrison Hall
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063 |
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Marti
Hobbes
News Assistant
T (413) 585-2190
F (413) 585-2174
mhobbes@email.smith.edu
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