Service Learning Proposal

                                                Service Learning Proposal

1)      Community Partner:

Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) working with National Organization for Women (NOW)

400 Central Fl. Blvd.

Orlando, Fl. 32816

Contact Maria Roman, maria.roman@ucf.edu (YWLP)

              Kelly Quintero, k.quintero@knights.ucf.edu  (NOW)

     YWLP “promotes middle school girls’ leadership abilities, pairing collegiate women with middle school girls. In mentoring pairs and small groups of Big and Little Sisters, participants focus on learning competence and autonomy, independent thinking, empowerment, self-esteem, and encouraging girls to think about their futures” (“Young Women Leaders Program”). YWLP has assembled a group of strong, intelligent college age women to become “big sisters” to middle school girls to lead them to the path to help them become the best they can be. This is extremely beneficial to the younger girls because it gives them someone that is not too far removed from their situation but has moved on to the next phase of their lives. In doing this the younger girls have positive role models and a person to look to at a time peer pressure is everywhere. This is made possible through a federal grant and work is needed on many levels to continue this funding though fundraisers and meeting the requirements for the grant.

     NOW is a national organization with chapters all over the county. They are focused on the issues that impact women and their lives. It is the largest of all the feminist organizations and has been around for almost fifty years. Their mission “to take action to bring about equality for all women. NOW works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society”(“NOW”).

2)      Proposal: The proposal is twofold and will address two important issues that women face daily. The proposal will give some background of the issues and how both relate to each other and how NOW and YWLP will benefit from the project. Although the relation to women’s studies is apparent I will provide more details to its relevance.

     First we will look at the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment). First written and introduced in 1923 by Alice Paul. It was introduced again every year until finally in 1972 it was passed in both the Senate and the House by the two thirds vote that is required. While one would believe that after fifty years a victory was won it only put the game into overtime. The states then needed to ratify the ERA to have it added to the constitution and now forty years later there are still fifteen states that have not ratified it. Of those fifteen we are in need of only three of them to ratify for the victory and Florida is among those fifteen. Without this amendment there is no constitutional protection for cases that specifically impact women and their rights. What is truly sad is that 76% of Americans believe this is already a Constitutional Amendment which means it does not get the attention it needs and deserves. Senator Nan Rich (D – Broward, Miami-Dade) and Representative Lori Berman (D – Miami-Dade) have sponsored Bills that have been presented for vote during this year’s legislative session. Senate 2012 ERA bill SRC 180 and House 2012 ERA bill HCR 8003 have already picked up a few co-sponsors but it is imperative that all other Senators and Representatives are made aware of the importance of passing these bills. A letter drive to individuals in office will not only make our voices heard in Tallahassee but will also spread awareness to the fact that the ERA is not an amendment and will encourage more participation at all levels. The letters will be drafted and a list obtained of the Representatives and Senators that are not involved yet. We will then table with information on the Bills and give people the opportunity to send a letter to the Senators and House members that represent them.

     Next the grant for YWLP requires participation in Equal Pay Day. By equal pay we are talking that all people are paid equally by their experience and qualifications. This sounds simple and most people take this concept for granted but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The inequalities of pay not only affect women but also the families that depend on them for financial security whether they are a dual income family or a single mother. In 2010 overall women made approximately $0.77 for every $1.00 a man made, but African American made $0.67 and Latino $0.59. The larger earners were Asian American who made $0.87 but there still is a large gap. Equal Pay Day is a day set aside to bring awareness to the issue. April 17, 2012 is the scheduled day this year. This date not only promotes equality it is also signifies the amount of time that women must work into the year to begin making what men do.  We plan on organizing and holding a bake sale on Equal Pay Day that will bring awareness to this problem along with information so that people can understand in very basic and understandable terms.

     Both the ERA and equality of pay are directly related to Women’s Studies. The fight for the ERA has been ongoing for almost ninety years and the fact that it has not been ratified yet shows the importance of Women’s Studies. By looking at both of the issues and studying how we have gotten here it gives us not only an understanding but lessons in what we must do to achieve not only the ERA and equal pay but also the many other issues we as women face.

     Timeline:

 1. Meetings:

a. Initial – Jan. 31^st

b. Proposal solidification – Feb. 14^th

c. Pre-Spring Break Check-Up – Feb. 28^th

d. March general – Mar. 20^th

i. Review communications manual

ii. Review press release, Facebook event

iii. Review blog and Tumbler for launch

e. Pre-Bake Sale – April 10^th

i. Communications debriefing

ii. Finalize Bake Sale schedule

f. Presentations preparation – April 17^th

2. Events:

a. Allocations for promotional materials

b. Letter-writing campaign

c. Blog launch

d. Facebook event launch

e. Tumbler launch

f. Press release

g. Wage Gap Bake Sale

 

Works Cited

"2012 ERA Bill SRC 180." Florida Senate. Florida Senate. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/180>.

"Equal Pay Day." National Committee on Pay Equity NCPE. National Committee on Pay Equity. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pay-equity.org/day.html>.

"Florida House Of Representatives - HCR 8003 - Equal Rights for Men and Women." Florida House of Representatives - MyFloridaHouse.gov. Florida House of Representatives. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=47039>.

National Organization for Women (NOW). National Organization for Women, 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.now.org/>.

"UCF: CAH: Young Women Leaders Program: Schools." UCF: CAH: Women's Studies Program: Mentoring Programs for Faculty. UCF Women's Studies Program. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://womensstudies.cah.ucf.edu/ywlp/schools.php>.

Welcome to Ratify Equal Rights Amendment Florida - Www.RatifyERAFlorida.net. Florida Equal Rights Alliance, 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.ratifyeraflorida.net/>.

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