Olivia's Blog #1

There are so many topics critically important issues one could focus on involving women's human rights. As I am very passionate about so many, I found it very difficult to just choose one. First I narrowed my focus down to three areas: STEM education for young women in elementary schools, mental health of impoverished women, and sexual assault on college campuses. From here, with guiding help from mentors in the program and the previous fellows, I was able to narrow my focus down even more and arrive at my focus of mental health of impoverished women! Focusing my topic down to a particular issue in women's mental health has proved to be a bit harder because the data suggests that almost every mental health issue affects women more than men. My next step in my research is to obtain more data regarding which mental health issue is most effecting impoverished women in North Carolina. I am waiting for this data from a researcher who is part of Wellness at Penny Lane, my potential best practice model non-profit!

Mental health and the stigma associated with it has always been a huge focus within my volunteer work and career goals. Similar to this, I have always been passionate about improving the lives of individuals who need professional mental healthcare help. While doing research, I was surprised to find that solely focusing on the mental healthcare of one gender was not all too common of a practice within the field. I found this interesting because women are impacted by psychopathology in many different ways and face many different problems than men because they are women and are commonly discriminated against. Because women are an "other" class, I wonder if much of the mental health care practices are developed with men in mind, particularly wealthy, white men, and fail to take into account the needs of women, particularly impoverished women of color? Because of this I feel that it is important to focus treatment, and this fellowship, on women's mental heath. I feel that this important because it will provide a more narrow focus to a field that has otherwise focused on a non-gendered approach. These questions above are currently leading my research and I look forward to post in the future with what I find!

- Olivia Horton

Madelaine's Blog #1

For my WomenNC policy brief topic, I am thinking of addressing the fact that many women who are immigrants to the United States do not feel secure in contacting the police in the incident of a domestic violence incident due to threat of deportation. However, several areas in North Carolina, including Chatham county and Chapel Hill, have instituted “Safe Haven” legislation, that allow a police investigation to occur without inquiry into the victim’s citizenship status. This particular area of work, surrounding women and immigration along, with health and domestic violence, particularly interested me because of the inherent and gendered power imbalances at play. In my previous work with health and gender, I observed how the delicate and crucial balance of agency, health, and power is manipulated in a situation where one’s status of a women automatically places you in a high-risk situation.

For the past two summers, I have worked with and NGO called WISER (Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research), a social empowerment program for underprivileged girls in rural Kenya. The structural violence that these young women experience, surrounding abusive schooling systems and predatory adults, is an immense burden to face. The WISER program and the work I did there taught me about the power of opportunity, and deeply instilled in me the critical relationship between gender-safe education, enhanced social autonomy, and improved health outcomes for girls. Every day I found a different reason to be astounded by the dedication and resourcefulness with which young women pursued their education. My work with WISER centered around supporting health initiatives that tap into the inherent strength of communities, and allowing narratives of what girls can accomplish to be changed by the actions and dreams of the women themselves. This experience solidified my determination to pursue a career understanding and reducing gender inequalities in health and education with a lens of equity and valued community participation. I see this opportunity to construct a policy brief that calls for the installation of more widespread and nuanced “Safe Haven” legislation in North Carolina as an opportunity to place the agency and social autonomy that is removed in the circumstance of domestic violence while being labeled as an illegal citizen. There is an opportunity here for North Carolina to stand up for women who face injustices in their lives, and to provide them the basic human right of safety and protection from harm.

- Madelaine Katz

Leah's Blog #1

A potential focus of my policy brief is on creating safer/better neighborhoods and communities for those with lower socioeconomic status – with a specific focus on it’s effect on women of color and their children.  I began doing my research by examining how the environment in North Carolina affects women’s health.  I realized that a woman’s environment consists of more than just the earth we live on and the air we breath.  It was revealed to me that people living in poorer neighborhoods are at higher risk for poor health and chronic diseases.  

Once I start digging even deeper, I found that women of color in lower socioeconomic status are more likely to live in these poorer neighborhoods. These neighborhoods lack the same resources, like availability to healthy food, less crowded living areas, and more outdoor space for exercising, that neighborhoods of higher socioeconomic status have.  Specifically, in North Carolina, it was found that the quality of certain neighborhoods in Durham had a direct effect on the babies being delivered by women in these areas.  Another study in Wake County determined that women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods were at higher risk of having preterm births.

    There’s no way the North Carolinian government can prevent people from being living in lower socioeconomic environments.  What they do have control over, however, is the construction and maintenance of these lower income neighborhoods and communities.  North Carolina has a duty to provide better resources for people living in these areas, especially when the health of women and their children are at risk.

    As a black woman, I’m constantly reminded of my intersectional place in society.  I’m constantly aware of the differences in my experiences compared to others, solely based on my identity.  My interests in human rights include the interests of women of color.  Recognizing and understanding intersectional identities and the experiences of the women who face multiple oppressions is key in eradicating injustices against all women.  That’s why I’m constantly taking an intersectional approach to my research.  My intersectional identity has been key in developing my research focus.

-Leah Ford

Final thoughts - Alison

I have sat here with an open tab, trying to think of what to write to sum up the past nine months of work with WomenNC. Finally, I realized I will never be able to adequately described the great amount of learning, growing and challenges I've gained thanks to this fellowship. With that said, this is my small attempt at tying everything together.

From that group interview with other WomenNC finalists in Beth's living, I felt surrounded by an incredible number of inspired and passionate activists. I distinctly remember sitting in the library around 11 pm the following week when I received the WomenNC acceptance letter--I was so nervous to open the email and then overjoyed I had actually gotten the fellowship (something I had been thinking about for the previous two years).

Then, throughout the progression of the workshops I gained confidence in my own work, continuing to feel amazed by the idea of attending and presenting at the CSW. While no fellow was perfect, I know we all devoted many hours to writing our papers and polishing our presentations. The give and take of the various fellow-mentee relationships and balancing personalities taught me so much about the working of organizations, especially all volunteer organizations. The fact that WomenNC has consistently brought groups of fellows to the UN is staggering, and I am in awe of all the board members' hard work and dedication that made this happen!

Finally, we had our life-changing UN trip and subsequent global-to-local presentations. Bringing the CSW experience (blogged about previously here) back to North Carolina was so rewarding. First, presenting at the Global Center was a great honor--where I've worked since freshman year on UNC's campus--and getting the Carolyn King scholarship was truly surprising. I then enjoyed sharing our lessons with Wake County's UN Association, the group was very engaged and asked excellent questions. Lastly, I attended North Carolina Women United's Women's Advocacy Day. This was my first time visiting state legislators and the power of so many groups in Raleigh was certainly felt--I especially enjoyed hearing the group press conference.

Beth and I at the Women's Advocacy Day press conference.

In sum, I know I will stay connected to WomenNC and will eternally be grateful for this whirlwind experience. I can't wait to share with readers of this blog and all WomenNC supporters my future adventures and I eagerly anticipate hearing about WomenNC's coming successes. Goodbye for now!

final blog post (!!!)

It’s hard to believe that our time as WomenNC fellows is drawing to a close.

I want to start this post by thanking the WomenNC board for their tireless support and all the hard work they've put into making this experience so wonderful for us. 

I am so grateful for this program and all that I’ve learned from being a part of it. I feel so much more confident in my public speaking skills, especially (thanks, Stephanie and Al!), and also more certain in my conviction that I want a career in mental health/LGBTQ advocacy. 

Today I’m presenting my final WomenNC talk to the staff of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (i.e., the lovely people who work on the same floor as I do at Duke). NCCTS is currently ramping up its programming for queer youth, so I’ll be talking about the trauma faced by trans* kids and how mental health professionals can better support them. It’ll be a nice sort of capstone to this experience for me – to combine my extracurricular pursuits and passions with the work I do full-time.

I hope to continue to be involved with WomenNC and to stay in touch with the other fellows – I’ve so enjoyed getting to know everyone these last few months, and I want to thank you all for everything.

Final blog

It is hard to believe that this is my final blog post and that I completed my WomenNC fellowship. I gave my last presentation at my sorority chapter last week, during which I truly realized how much I have learned during this year. There was a problem with the projector so I wasn't able to show them my presentation, forcing me just to talk without any materials. Despite that setback, I was still able to cover everything I wanted to, and several girls came up to me afterwards and asked how they could get involved with WomenNC or do the fellowship themselves!

This last week has forced me to think about the time I spent at CSW a lot. I have been stressing about exams and worrying about getting everything done, almost to a point where I'm getting physically sick. I am forcing myself, however, to take a step back. It is a privilege to feel stress about school, when so many girls aren't able to go to school. I'm so fortunate to be at Duke and have the opportunities that I do, and I need to remember that.

I am so grateful to WomenNC for giving this amazing opportunity to learn and equip me with the knowledge to keep learning and effect change. Thank you for helping me learn to research, do interviews, speak publicly, and become an advocate. I'm excited to see what the future has in store for me.

Last Blog Post_Dina Shehata

I can't believe this is my final blog of the fellowship! Time really has gone by so incredibly quickly. 

I want to start off by thanking all of the members of WomenNC including the board members, supporters, and fellow fellows. You all made this experience so unforgettable for me! I can now say I've presented at the United Nations! If you had told me as a high school student or even as a first year in college that I would one day be presenting about women's rights at the UN, I would have looked at you like you were crazy. Why? Because at that point, I had my heart set on going to medical school to become a pediatrician. I am so glad that I realized my passion for international studies early on before graduating from Carolina and discovering new passions during my first year of graduate school which led me to this fellowship! 

I've learned that it's never too late to immerse yourself in new passions because ultimately, it's what will bring your life meaning and fulfillment that matters!

I've learned so much throughout the fellowship and have met so many incredible people who I know I will stay in touch with in the long run. I've become a much stronger presenter. I've become more confident with networking. I received valuable research experience. I participated in CSW! Best of all, I found a family within the women's rights community! 

As I work to prepare for my final reflections presentation and finish up my last two (very long) papers of my first year of graduate school, I keep thinking back to all of the wonderful experiences I have had and how appreciative I truly am. 

I look forward to finishing up my last year of graduate school during the 2015/2016 school year and working hard to make my goal of working at the United Nations a reality. No matter where I end up, I will continue working towards equality for women. I will continue standing up against the injustices committed against women every day. I will work towards achieving a better life for all women no matter what they look like or where they come from. 

In honor of my upcoming trip to Egypt which I'm very excited about, I leave you with a picture taken on one of my previous trips! 

Thank you WomenNC. Thank you all.