Elevating the Voices of Women's Funds to
Dismantle Poverty:
The Launch of the Women's Economic Security Campaign

 

Join CAUSE, our state and national partner organizations for a webinar to launch the Women's Economic Security Campaign (WESC) and to release Creating Opportunity for Low-Income Women in the Green Economy -- the campaign's first major policy brief focusing on strategies that will lead to greater economic security

for low-income women and their families.

 

October 21, 2009
9:30 -- 10:45 a.m. (PST)
Please click here to register.

Speakers:

 

Megan Uzzell, acting assistant secretary for policy, U.S. Department of Labor (invited)

Phaedra Ellis -Lamkins, CEO, Green for All

Joan Kuriansky, executive director,
Wider Opportunities for Women

Maricela Morales, associate executive director,
Central Coast Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy

Jayne Vellinga, executive director, Chicago Women in Trades

Women's Economic Security Campaign
Leadership Team    


CAUSE Green Jobs Green Economy Project: In January 2009, CAUSE and the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County (EDC-VC) prepared a “Green Collar Jobs in the Green Economy” policy brief that included an article, “the Pink in Green” describing the under-representation of women in the growing green job sectors. Recently, CAUSE brought Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. and the Irvington Covenant Community Development Corporation to present their successful models of recruiting, training, placing and retaining women and people of color in the green construction workforce. CAUSE continues to advocate with the County of Ventura and local cities to adopt Project Labor Agreements (PLA) as a frequently used policy tool to increase the number of women and people of color that are trained and hired in the green construction trades. CAUSE is pleased to be invited to participate in the launch of the nationwide Women’s Economic Security Campaign on Wednesday, October 21.”

The Women's Economic Security Campaign (WESC) is a joint effort of four regionally diverse women's funds -- Chicago Foundation for Women, Washington Area Women's Foundation, the Women's Foundation of California and the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis. Working in collaboration with the Women's Funding Network, WESC seeks to harness the voice and power of women's foundations nationwide to improve the lives of low-income women.

Creating Opportunity for Low-Income Women in the Green Economy explores the growing need and interest in educating and training a diverse set of workers, including women, to participate in the developing green economy. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act opened up substantial opportunity to prepare workers for green sector jobs. But challenges still exist and much work remains to be done for public, private and philanthropic partners to ensure that women can train for, be placed in, and retain green jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and benefits. This first in a series of WESC policy briefs highlights green job opportunities, identifies barriers to women in accessing those jobs and provides recommendations for policymakers and philanthropy.

Click here for more information or to register for the WESC webinar, featuring presentations from key policy makers, women's fund leaders, and national and local advocates and practitioners in the green jobs arena.

For more information on CAUSE's Regional Green Jobs Green Economy Project contact Maricela Morales at (805) 658-0810 ext. 203, or at maricela@coastalalliance.com.