AAUW: Opening Doors for Women
The roots of the its many
branches, including Flagler County, as presented by the American Association of
University Women (n.d.), first took hold in Boston when fifteen women, alumnae
from eight universities, met to consider “broadening opportunities and
assisting other women in higher education”, along with maintaining “high
standards of education” for women. More than a century later, AAUW and its now “more
than 170,000 members”, representing “1,000 local branches and over 800 college and
university partners”, has produced incredible research topics such as:
attending college is not detrimental to women’s health, studying gender pay gap,
discrimination on college campus, environmental concerns, and “Women in Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics” (AAUW, n.d.). That same story, helping women break through
educational and economic barriers, was as described by Denning (2011), the “plain,
simple, and direct” calling that provided the foundation for the Flagler Branch
of AAUW (p. 41).
How does a national organization
such as AAUW, take a simple story, equity for women, and keep it relevant for
more than one hundred years? As noted by Andrew Stanton, in a presentation by TEDTalks
(2012), “Change is fundamental in stories. If things go static, stories die”.
The common story of advancing educational and economic opportunities for women
maintains its freshness and relevance through the branches. Denning (2011)
outlines an interaction that takes place with the storyteller and the audience.
Therefore, a story told to an audience in Boston or Washington, D.C. may not resonate
with an audience in Selma, Alabama. Denning (2011) provides storytellers must
be able to customize the story. This ability to customize also helps in the
ability to incorporate an audience’s “hopes and fears”, along with “current
priorities”, so that issues are presented as today’s, rather than “yesterday’s
news” (Denning, 2011, p. 54). The branches are able to infuse change at a local
level by following local community news and current events. An incredible
opportunity, provided by the local AAUW Flagler Branch, was the first step
along the path to my membership with this group.
The AAUW Flagler Branch (2015) began in
1984, when fourteen women, similar to the Boston story, came together to
address “a need for the organization in the community”. Their mission is
similar to that of the national group; but, they direct their efforts to
primarily local concerns (AAUW Flagler, 2015). Whether the first sentence of
the story, begins at the national or local level, Stanton states it should lead
to a “singular goal” (TEDTalks, 2012). Women’s equity is the main goal of AAUW,
at the national, state, and local level; and, this simple focus not only defines
who the group is; it accomplishes Stanton’s number one commandment of
storytelling; it makes one care (TEDTalks, 2012). AAUW Flagler’s (n.d.) website
has a simple, thirty second video; and, although it includes audio, it follows
what Stanton refers to as “storytelling without dialogue” (TEDTalks, 2012). A
young girl, opens her closet doors, several times, only to be met with the same
fashion opportunity, a non-descript school uniform dress. Then, one day, she
opens the doors, and not only is she presented with fashion choices, those
choices now represent career choices: firefighter, police, doctor, military,
and professor (AAUW Flagler, n.d.). In May of 2013, this group opened a door
for me that led me to the campus of the University of Maryland.
The National Conference for
College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) was first established by AAUW National
in 2002 (AAUW, n.d.). Although the Flagler Branch had followed similar
programming structure found throughout local branches i.e., fundraising
activities, high school scholarship programs, monthly luncheons with featured
speakers, and internal activities like Reading and Walking Women; its
partnership with Daytona State College, Flagler/Palm Coast Campus, received an exclamation
point with the selection of the first scholarship recipient for NCCWSL. This
was my first formal introduction to this group of amazing women. The scholarship
provided me with the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C., meet other
young, women leaders from across the country, take advantage of a plethora of
seminars, and listen to lessons learned from leaders like, Deborah
Owens, a financial advisor with more than twenty years of experience; and,
a woman who truly understands why women need a purse of their own.
I remember that evening as if it
was yesterday. Each of us put on beautiful dresses, styled our hair, perfected
our make-up, and walked, what seemed like a mile, uphill each way, in heels.
Most of the students in attendance were in their twenties. I was fortunate to
have found two women close to my age of fifty-three. We are still in contact
with each other. As Deborah Owens began to tell her story, Whalen’s (2007) “felt
sense” moment rushed through me as I continued to listen (p. 9). Did I know it
was called “felt sense” (Whalen, 2007, p. 9)? No; but, I related to the story,
one that she had changed for our audience. I still have my notes from her
speech. Why did this strike such a cord? Because, my mother, who had been
married to my father for twenty years, found herself in a position of being
separated from my father and lacked the fundamental understanding of a task as
simple as writing a check to pay the electric bill. She did not have the
slightest clue as to how much money was in the joint bank account, how much my
father’s salary was, or the scope of the monthly budget. Sadly, my mother
passed away before a single divorce paper was filed; but, her fear, fear of not
knowing, stayed with me. Of all of the experiences from the NCCWSL convention:
a guided tour of the Capitol building with a special emphasis of contributions
from women, targeted seminars, and meeting new friends, Owens’ words stayed
with me.
Upon my return, I was asked to
deliver a presentation about my experience to the Flagler County Branch. I sat
at a table and listened as a member told the story of her neighbor who had just
lost her husband. Not only was she lost because of her husband’s death, she was
financially lost, too. She lacked basic skills many take for granted, today. Although
I attended meetings on a regular basis, I only joined the group last year; yet,
similar stories would seemingly find their way to my ears. McKay, Davis, and
Fanning (2009) proffer “communication is about attempting to influence others
to change” (p. 285). This past May, I was elected as the group’s
president-elect.
AAUW Flagler does an amazing job
of addressing educational needs of women through their many scholarship
programs. Middle school girls are given the chance to advance math and science
skills through Tech Trek. High school students, including boys, are able to
receive scholarships to offset tuition costs. College women who have completed
their Associate in Arts degree are offered NCCWSL scholarships to expose them
to leadership opportunities. Local schools benefit from AAUW Flagler’s
sponsorship of the “Supplying Things You Find Fundamental” S.T.U.F.F. bus
through monthly donations of school supplies (AAUW, n.d.). The majority of the
group’s membership represents an older age demographic; yet, there is not a
focus on economic empowerment for women of any age. With many young women
entering college for the first time, or older women returning to school
following a long absence, sound financial advice would empower women,
regardless of age. I am presently considering making a suggestion to the group
that we begin to explore if there is a need for a program as outlined by Owens
in Flagler County; and, if so, could or should the group consider adding this
chapter to our story?
AAUW’s story’s first sentence
began in 1881 (AAUW, n.d.). One hundred and thirty one years later, pages
filled with new text, photos, and chapters are being added to the basic
foundation that is, empowering women by helping break through educational and economic
barriers. Just as the trunk of the tree absorbs nutrients and sends them to the
branches; so, too does the national organization. However, it is through the
branches that change, must like photosynthesis, is infused. Local topics and
community interests help find applicable bases for the mission of the national
group. The changes are written across the headlines: civil rights, equal
rights, and the right to choose a career rather than be relegated to a choice
from yesteryear.
References
AAUW. (n.d.). Our
History: The Story of AAUW’s Place in Women’s History. In About
AAUW
Who We Are. Retrieved from http://www.aauw.org/who-we-are/
AAUW Flagler
County (FL) Branch. (2015, Feb.). AAUW Flagler - Branch History. In
About
Us. Retrieved from http://flaglercounty-fl.aauw.net/about-us/
AAUW Flagler
County (FL) Branch. (n.d.). The Power of Membership. [Video file].
Retrieved from http://flaglercounty-fl.aauw.net/
AAUW Flagler
County (FL) Branch. (n.d.). S.T.U.F.F. Bus. In Activities. Retrieved from
Denning, S.
(2011). The Leader’s Guide to
Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of
Business Narrative. San Francisco, CA. Jossey-Bass.
McKay, M.,
Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages:
The Communication Skills Book.
Oakland, CA. New Harbinger
Publications, Inc.
Whalen, D.J.
(2007). The Professional Communications
Toolkit. Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage
Publications, Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment