Boston and Mass NOW Annual Conference - November 2009
Topic: Women's Health Care in Crisis
Women's voices and experiences should be shaping the health care system. Instead, a Congress comprised of just 17% women is creating a system of medical care and delivery that will affect the U.S. today and in the future.
Experts discussed the effects of healthcare policies on the lives of women in the United States and abroad.
Keynote: The Link Between Domestic Violence and Health Care
Carlene Pavlos, Director, Division of Violence and Injury Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health and
Panel: Health from an International and Gendered Perspective
Annual Counter-Protest: Massachusetts Citizens for Life March - October 2009
Every October, Massachusetts Citizens for Life holds an anti-choice march. And every year Boston NOW organizes a counter-protest to represent a pro-choice voice and message to the public. It is very important that all pro-choice people and organizations voice their opposition to this march - especially now, as it becomes clear that reproductive freedom is being used as a bargaining chip in the national health care debate.
Every October, Massachusetts Citizens for Life holds an anti-choice march. And every year Boston NOW organizes a counter-protest to represent a pro-choice voice and message to the public. It is very important that all pro-choice people and organizations voice their opposition to this march - especially now, as it becomes clear that reproductive freedom is being used as a bargaining chip in the national health care debate.
Boston PRIDE Parade - June 2009
Boston NOW marches in the Boston Pride Parade every year. This year, we marched in the parade on June 13, 2009. The parade theme was "Trans-forming our Community". Thank you to all who marched with us in body and spirit!
Boston NOW Presents a Wi$e Up Workshop - June 2008
Wi$e Up is a program designed for Generation X & Y women. Its goals are to promote financial security through online education and to encourage responsible saving habits for future retirement.
In June 2008, Boston NOW hosted a guest speaker who presented the Wi$e Up segment on credit, which was designed to show women how to obtain and manage credit. In addition to points on establishing and shopping for credit, the program addressed your debt-to-income ratio, your credit history, solutions to credit problems and protection of your financial identity.
Guest Speaker: Ann Petter, the Wi$e Up workshop facilitator, has had a long and eclectic career, including everything but nuerosurgeon and opera singer. At present, she is a partner in a nano-consulting group, Organizational Strategies Associates, which provides consulting and training in staff development and board development for non-profit and governmental organizations. Their speciality is women and employment; therefore they do occasional work for the Women's Bureau. In the past she has headed RESOLVE, CITAP, a Boston YWCA branch, and the Eastern Regional Displaced Homemaker Center. Currently she is Vice-Chair of the national Board of Directors of Women Work.
For more information about Wi$e Up, visit http://wiseupwomen.tamu.edu.
Boston Pride Parade - June 2008
Boston NOW marched in the 2008 Boston Pride Parade on June 14, 2008. The theme was "Sustaining our Community, Conserving our World". In order to sustain our community and conserve our world, we first need to live in a world where all people live in a community at peace. Peace is only attainable within a community and a world that values respect and equality for all and uses the natural resources available to it wisely.
We at Boston NOW will continue to work for a sustainable community and a world that will continue to thrive for generations to come.
Boston NOW Presents a FREE Homebuying Workshop - May 2008
While the housing market has been in a slump, falling prices have also created opportunities for some first time homebuyers. Boston NOW is working to ensure that women are well-informed about their economic choices and are empowered to make decisions that are best for their personal situations.
In May 2008, Boston NOW hosted a seminar, sponsored by Conway Finacial Services. Speakers included Maureen Moriarty from MassHousing, a representative from Birchwood Credit, and Dennis Lilla, SVP Jack Conway Realtors. The seminar covered topics like, what opportunities exist in this market, how to obtain financing (and stay away from predatory loans), and how to determine your next steps on the path to home-ownership.
Boston GLBT Film Festival - Boston NOW co-presents a film - May 2008
Boston NOW co-presented a movie at the Boston GLBT Film Festival held at the Museum of Fine Arts from May 7 - 18, 2008.
The Movie: Finn's Girl - by Dominique Cordona (Canada 2007, 88 min).
With the intrigue of a thriller and the insight of a family drama, Finn's Girl portrays the lives of Dr. Finn Jeffries and her 11 year old daughter, Zelly. Finn's partner Nancy has passed away, leaving Finn to raise Zelly, while also working long hours at the abortion clinic that Nancy founded. The clinic is threatened daily, her own life is in jeopardy, and defiant adolescent Zelly raises the stakes. As Finn tentatively embarks on a new relationship, she attempts to get closer to Zelly by revealing a shocking truth that will have audiences talking long after they leave the theater.
My Life My Choice Event - April 2008
In April 2008, Boston NOW hosted an event with the My Life, My Choice Project (The Home for Little Wanderers) to hold a very important discussion about the commercial and sexual exploitation of children and domestic sex trafficking.
Speakers Lisa Grace Goldblatt (Program Director of MLMC) and Audrey Porter (Asst. Program Director and Coordinator of Survivor Services) framed the issue, spoke about experiences working with girls, shared a personal story of survival, and discussed next steps and opportunities for people to get involved.
The My Life My Choice Project (MLMC) is a prevention initiative aimed at reaching adolescent girls most vulnerable to sexual exploitation. MLMC was developed with two main purposes:
- To offer prevention programming to girls at the highest risk of being prostituted; and
- To train providers who work with adolescent girls regarding the sexual exploitation of teens.
Lisa Goldblatt Grace, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with an additional Masters in Public Health, and Audrey Porter, a survivor with four years experience providing trainings, groupwork and mentoring to this population.
Celebrate Women's History Month with Boston NOW and Local Women Visual Artists - March 2008
To celebrate Women's History Month (March 2008), Boston NOW teamed up with some local women visual artists for a great discussion about women and art. To find out more about the artists who joined us, visit their blogs at:
Adria Arch - www.adriaarch.blogspot.com
Kaetlyn Wilcox - www.kaetlynwilcox.blogspot.com
Boston NOW Movie Night (at the Other Side Cafe) - January 2008
In January 2008, Boston NOW hosted a movie night at The Other Side Cafe, featuring the movie "Iron Jawed Angels".
The Movie: Women couldn't vote in this country until 1920 (that's less than 100 years ago). Of course, you know women can vote now, but do you actually know how that came about? "Iron Jawed Angels" is the inspiring true story about the courageous women who dared to make a stand for women's rights and ended up shaping the future of America! Starring Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Anjelica Huston, and Grey's Anatomy's Patrick Dempsey. This is a film you don't want to miss!
