Adventures in AAUWLand
By Charmen Goehring, Meetings Planner, meetings@aauw-ca.org
(December 6, 2021) Calling all AAUW adventurers!! On Saturday, April 30, 2022, we will all be explorers, searching for new routes to connect to AAUW and its mission. Join us for a redesigned, virtual state convention – Adventures in AAUWLand. There will be a morning session filled with inspirational words from keynote speakers, as well as presentations for and accomplishments, an advocacy review and a surprise or two. We will also be inspired by the three Speech Trek finalists’ videos. We will continue our trek in the afternoon with “Choose Your Own Adventure” sessions (via breakout rooms), where we will have the opportunity to talk with others about a variety of topics related to AAUW.
Every successful adventure needs a guide! You can host one of the afternoon’s informal 30-minute breakout rooms for your fellow travelers. What topics, experiences, stories are you (or someone you know) dying to talk about? No agenda. No PowerPoint. Just inspiring conversation! Learn more, see potential topic ideas and sign up here.
Celebrating the Holidays Inclusively
By Elaine Johnson, Director and Janice Lee, DEI Committee Co-Chairs diversity@aauw-ca.org
(December 6, 2021) Many religious and secular holidays will be observed during the upcoming winter months providing opportunities to recognize and appreciate the richness of living in a multicultural society. It can also create underlying tensions when groups feel their holidays are not appreciated. AAUW’s efforts to create diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization and the larger society we live in, call for us to consider how to make holiday celebrations more meaningful and inclusive. Here are some suggestions to foster understanding and awareness of each other’s holiday traditions:
- Be respectful of how people observe different religious holidays.
- Avoid scheduling mistakes by checking an interfaith, multicultural calendar or winter celebrations calendar.
- Provide food options that respect different dietary and cultural needs.
- Seek ways to make decorations inclusive and explain the religious traditions they represent.
Meet AAUW 2021 Fund Awardees
(December 6, 2021) Black Holes? Rural women’s health? Social classification? These are among the incredible topics the 37 AAUW-funded fellowship and grant recipients are studying. Three virtual sessions were held in October and November showcasing their personal stories and fascinating studies. If you missed the live sessions, you can still watch video recordings here.
2021-2022: The Year of M&Ms!
(September 26, 2021) Marketing and Membership are our goals! AAUW California is keeping its eye on the prize. We will be holding a Planning Day scheduled for August 28th from 9-4 via Zoom. We have embraced the goal of increasing AAUW’s visibility and reach (Marketing!) which should help your branches grow (Membership!). The Board of Directors backed it up by approving the hiring of a professional marketing firm to guide our efforts. Now, as a result of their research and recommendations, we have a roadmap to M&Ms! To go down that road, we have designed four workgroups to implement the marketing consultants’ recommendations under the overall guidance of Sandi Gabe, President-Elect.
- Working Age Recruitment Workgroup – Will investigate methods to attract the younger population with messages and content that resonate with their needs and interests. Chair: Crystal Stebbins
- Retirement Age Recruitment Workgroup – Will develop strategies to engage individuals who are at or approaching retirement age. Chair: Sharyn Siebert
- University and Organization Collaboration Workgroup – Will leverage the College/University program to expose more college students to AAUW and investigate other organizations for collaborative programs. Chair: Michelle Galaz-Miller
- Social Media Workgroup – Will expand the strategic use of social media platforms to engage different populations with relevant messaging. Chair: Sandi Gabe
Never lazy, your state leadership will also continue its focus on retooling Tech Trek to rocket it into the future. This effort began in February with the creation of five workgroups to assess changes suggested by Tech Trek stakeholders. Overall guidance is provided by Tracey Clark, Communications Committee Chair; the workgroups are Administration, Campers, Finance, Marketing and Evaluation, and Curriculum.
Our Danville-Alamo-Walnut Creek branch is part of the AAUW California You should receive the California Connection! before the 10th of each month with information about our AAUW CA activities and programs.
Please check your email address in the Membership Services Database (MSD) on the national website. This will be the email address used to send the California Connection! If you need help verifying your email address is up-to-date, reach out to our membership committee or contact Julika Barrett in the AAUW California Office at 916-448-7795 or at office@aauw-ca.org and she can assist you.