Meet our Grantee: Barrio Logan College Institute

As a teen girl, can you imagine dealing with issues like:

- My father thinks that college is only for my brother.

- My family’s aspirations for my career is to learn how to keep house, get married and raise a family.

- My family doesn’t want me to move away from home.

Barrio Logan College Institute (www.blci.org)developed Circulo de Mujeres, a gender specific support group for girls that meets weekly to discuss the challenges they are facing at home or in their community while expanding their future outlook with regards to education options and careers.

The mission of BLCI is to prepare students in Barrio Logan for academic success by offering academic support, building skills in weekly Steps to Success workshops, and by providing adequate resources that will build college knowledge. One of their programs is the College Success Pipeline, an afterschool college prep program from 3^rd grade through college completion that ensures the girls get the general resources they need to get to college and succeed there.

Women Give San Diego has granted $15,000 for two years to support both the Circulo de Mujeres and the portion of the College Success Pipeline that serves girls only.

The Circulo de Mujeres provides a necessary space for female students to explore personal and academic issues critical to their healthy development. This component specifically tackles issues that detract from girls’ educational and career goals, such as coping with the negative influences in the underserved communities where the girls reside.

This group allows these young women to express themselves and have someone to confide in.

The group discusses ideas like: What does it mean to have an education? What does it mean to move away from home?

One of the students, now a sophomore at High Tech High, was having problems at home pursuing her academic goals. Her mom approached the staff at Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI) explaining that her husband was impeding her daughter’s academic goals by only allowing her brother to use the computer for homework. The father would also turn off the light in her bedroom while she was studying. Consequently, the young woman had to hide in the kitchen to do her homework.

The staff at BLCI intervened and let her borrow a laptop so she can complete her homework. Today, she has a 3.5 GPA while her brother is struggling with his grades. Although she is excelling in school, she is still not allowed to participate in BLCI field trips because her father will not grant her permission to leave the local area. Her father desires his daughter to have a traditional place in the home and learn from her grandma how to cook and keep house instead of going off to college. Ironically, grandma endorses the support of BLCI’s help in her granddaughter’s pursuit of a higher education understanding that staying at home will limit her ability to achieve her goals.

Through the Circulo de Mujeres, BLCI leverages their relationship with parents to break down stereotypes and expectations that limit opportunities for their girls, such as the expectation that women don’t need college, or if they go to college, they should live at home until they get married, thereby limiting their college options. They also address other gender stereotypes common in the Latino community that may limit girls’ career options. They expect this strategy to increase retention of girls in their pipeline while encouraging them to pursue higher paying, and sometimes non-traditional careers, particularly in math and science.

In March, the Mujeres talked about Women’s History Month and the limitations that women have had over time and how many more freedoms women have today. Each girl created her own timeline of when she will go to college, start a career, get married and have a family. Through this planning process, the girls recognized that in today’s world she has the ability to plan for these milestones in their life. Not so long ago, women did not create a timeline for them. Barrio Logan College Institute has provided resources and a path for these young women to achieve all they want in their lifetime despite the boundaries they are experiencing through their family, culture or community.

BLCI finds it very important to provide their students with positive role models. As part of the Circulo de Mujeres, they invite female guest speakers to share their stories with their young women. They envision members of WGSD participating as guest speakers at the Circulo de Mujeres providing a great opportunity for the students to learn from local San Diego women and their higher education and professional experiences. There will also be opportunities for Women Give members to become mentors to these young women. If you are interested in being a guest speaker or mentor, please contact Tanya via email: Tanyam@blci.org or call: ext. 107

Business Women's Mega Mixer

The Business Women's Mega Mixer hosted by Hera Hub was held Thursday, March 22 at the Provide Commerce in UTC. It was an evening of female inspiration with over 200 businesses - mostly women-owned - and 500 attendees. Best of all, Women Give San Diego was the beneficiary of the event!!

BIG thank you to our members that helped make this event a success: Katie Collins, Gayle Tauber, Linda Katz, Kelly Weaver, Dr. Jenn Gunsaullus, Johanna Schiavoni, Megan Lim and Sabrina Johnson.
Another HUGE thank you to Felena Hanson for selecting Women Give as the beneficiary and allowing our group to have such a strong presence at this event!!

WGSD Member Spotlight: Felena Hanson

Felena Hanson joined Women Give San Diego (WGSD) this past year because her “passion is supporting women.” This passion for women has inspired her to launch a collaborative work, meeting, and event space for female entrepreneurs. Hera Hub was conceived to fill a huge gap between the various space options available to local business women. Hanson states, “I am honored to be able to host such amazing women and give them the space and the platform and help them achieve their goals and dreams.” While working from home is convenient and cost effective, it can be isolating and does not give one’s company a professional presence. On the other end of the spectrum, full-time office space is expensive and takes considerable resources to maintain.

Not only does Hera Hub host female entrepreneurs, they host nonprofit organizations that support women. “Hera Hub is not as much about space as it is about community - one that focuses on connectivity and solely on helping women.” In January, Hera Hub hosted the Women Give membership meeting and extended its open doors to WGSD grantee, Just in Time, by hosting a program in October 2011 and again in January 2012.

“One thing I am very confident about is serving and helping female entrepreneurs.” She knows that women often approach business differently and are looking for more support and community as well as an opportunity to collaborate and connect.

Felena is drawn to Women Give because she finds that its “approach to philanthropy is completely different”. She sees the benefit of Women Give welcoming younger women by offering graduating giving levels where other groups can be cost prohibitive. “This creates a warm, inclusive feeling.” She knows how important this connection is for women in the business and philanthropic world.

In 2010, Felena co-founded the Business Women’s Mega Mixer, a celebration of women’s history month, a showcase of professional women’s organizations, and fundraiser for local women in need. This year, Women Give will be the non-profit partner on the 2012 and funds will support our mission to elevate the economic status of women and girls in San Diego.

When: Thursday, March 22, 2012 – 5:30-8:00pm

Where: Provide-Commerce, University Town Center

Tickets: $35 (through March 8, 2012) and $45 (after March 8, 2012)

Attendees include women from all business sectors including C-Level executives, CEO’s, small business owners,
solopreneurs, executives, managers, directors and sales professionals. Our attendees
own, work and/or represent large corporations, state/local agencies, county offices,
non-profit organizations, middle market firms and small businesses.

Please join us at the Business Women’s Mega Mixer! Buy tickets here: http://businesswomensmegamixer.com/

The case for funding women and girls

As members of Women Give, we have already committed to give our money to organizations that work directly with women and girls to increase their economic status. A recent study, compiled by U.S. Trust Philanthropic Solutions titled: High-Impact Giving to Women and Girls: A Guide for Donors, points out why it is important to support women and girls and how we give, will make an impact.

Not surprisingly, according to the study there is:

“a strong body of research demonstrating that the most effective way to change the world is through investments related to women and girls. Improving the life of a woman creates benefit and opportunity for her extended family, future generations and even the larger community in which she lives. Since women are often disproportionately impacted by the issues of the world—including poverty, health care, human trafficking, natural disasters, education, homelessness and human rights, among others—supporting women and girls, if done well, is high-impact philanthropy.”

As philanthropists supporting women and girls, the study asks us to consider these questions when making our funding decisions:

· What is your vision for a better world for women and girls?

· If you are successful in bringing about the change you envision, what will be different for women and girls?

· Where do you want to invest your resources?

· Do you want to focus on your local community or on a wider geographic area?

· Where do you think there is the greatest need?

· Where do you think you can have the greatest impact?

Why fund women and girls?

By supporting women and girls,

we can turn these abysmal indicators around and

begin to solve many of the world’s most critical problems.

· Research has demonstrated that women worldwide are more likely to use their available resources on food, education and health care for their children, thus creating a permanent path out of poverty. The World Bank found that women and girls reinvest an average of 90 percent of their income in their families, compared to men, who reinvest 30 percent to 40 percent.17

· According to UNICEF, empowering women and eliminating gender discrimination produce a double dividend. “Healthy, educated and empowered women have healthy, educated and confident daughters and sons. The amount of influence women have over the decisions in the household has been shown to positively impact the nutrition, health care and education of their children.”18

What is the result of funding women and girls?

Women are better educated,

will have a smaller family

that she can support through her education

and be a participating citizen in her community.

The Girl Effect — a campaign seeded by the Nike Foundation — calls for investments related to the world’s 600 million adolescent girls to unleash the following powerful ripple effects:

· When a girl has seven or more years of education, she will marry four years later and have 2.2 fewer children.

· When 10 percent more girls go to secondary school, the country’s economy grows by 3 percent.

· When women participate in public life, government corruption declines. 19

To read the full study: http://www.ustrust.com/publish/ust/capitalacumen/fall2011/features/women-and-philanthropy.html