Why I Care About the SAFE Teen Act

By Aviva Norman, JWI Intern

Throughout my internship this summer at JWI, I have learned a great deal about teen dating violence by working on a  variety of special projects.  In particular, my work on JWI’s healthy relationship curriculum has given me a lot of insight into these types of issues.  The work I’ve done has taught me to think critically about how to most effectively reach the high school age group in a way that is both accessible and interactive. My contribution to the program has been a distinctive collaboration of the organization’s pre-existing materials and my own insight into these core issues in producing a useful guide for the revised curriculum.

I care deeply about women’s issues, and it has been very rewarding to have the opportunity to provide informational resources in an effort to teach about dating abuse and healthy relationships. I feel very fortunate to have input in empowering young women and providing tools for women to be able to exercise their own independence and autonomy in their relationships. I am horrified that in today’s society 1 in 4 adolescents report emotional, physical, or sexual violence annually, and 1 in 10 report being a victim of physical dating violence, and I am hopeful that healthy relationship curricula, such as JWI’s, will be made more readily available to every teen across the country.

That is why I’m delighted that The SAFE Teen Act was introduced today in both the House and the Senate. The “Stop Abuse for Every (SAFE) Teen Act, or SAFE Teen Act, strives to reduce the prevalence of teen dating violence in order to increase student health, safety, and academic achievement. This bill would allow schools to use existing grant funding for teen dating violence prevention programs, support better teen dating violence research, and encourage teen dating violence prevention to become a more significant part of the existing program, Safe Schools, Healthy Students. I hope you’ll join me in advocating for the passage of this critically important legislation.

Adventures in the Non Profit World (Part II) by Allison Cossman

Live from Washington, DC, summer marketing intern Allison Cossman is taking you behind the scenes of JWI. A Maryland native, Allison is a senior at the University of Michigan, majoring in communication studies. She is blogging throughout the summer for Michigan’s Communications Department blog about her life as a non-profit intern, her attempts to figure out her future, and highlights from her summer working in the nation’s capital. 

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by Allison Cossman

And so, my adventurous non-profit intern life continues, as I remain seated at my same back-corner desk, stare at the same computer screen, and chit-chat with the same fellow interns (may I be so bold as to call them friends). Despite the same backdrop, I somehow feel that in just these past two weeks I have (please mind the cliché) grown and learned a tremendous amount about my future, the non-profit world, and myself.

There is something about interning at a 9-to-5 job, and wearing professional clothing, that makes you feel more mature by the minute. Heading to work at Jewish Woman International (JWI) everyday makes me feel like I am “a real person” (AKA: a post grad who is responsible, fully grown-up, and capable of running his/her own life). Though I realize I am still an undergrad living with my parents, I feel like each day that passes at JWI I become more confident in my professional abilities, more enthralled about succeeding on work assignments, and more in tune with what I want out of life.

In these past two weeks, I helped put together JWI’s Summer Series (www.jwi.org/summer: an event where interns learn and discuss issues relevant to them such as financial literacy, dating abuse, and eating disorders). I helped plan and execute this event from start to finish and in turn got to enjoy the incredible feeling of accomplishment when the series ran smoothly.  I helped Jewish Woman plan new ways to push more readers onto and interacting with the online version of the magazine. I wrote more articles to be published in the online and print versions of Jewish Woman.

DC Interns attend JWI’s Summer Series

Outside of JWI, I have been making an effort to take advantage of my time in the nation’s capital by networking with interns around the city, meeting successful professionals for coffee, and taking part in NCWO’s (http://www.womensorganizations.org) weekly leadership seminar and speakers forum, New Faces More Voices. Constantly meeting and hearing from activists who endlessly pursue their desires to change the world encourages me to go after my dreams, no matter how far-fetched or seemingly unachievable they are.

Motivated by living in D.C. and interning at a non-profit dedicated to enhancing the lives of women and children, I am becoming closer to figuring out what I want from my future. I know that I want to make a difference in the lives of underachieving or underprivileged young women by inspiring them to realize their potential and chase their own dreams. I am no longer afraid to admit to myself this somewhat clichéd and ostensibly implausible life ambition because I have met and read about women who have achieved similar dreams.  I had a taste of professional accomplishment after planning a successful Summer Series, and hope to experience this feeling again and again throughout my life as I work fervently to achieve my long-term goals.

The JWI interns (I am in the middle) smile after a successful Summer Series

In the next few weeks at JWI, I hope to learn and interact more with incredible women who have realized their seemingly impossible goals. I hope finding mentors like this will help me learn practical means to plan a career and a life around my aspirations. I hope to continue writing for the magazine and brainstorming creative marketing strategies, because I am realizing how much I truly love doing this. I will continue to put my all into my work at JWI not only to make a good impression, but because I believe my persistent efforts are helping, in whatever small way they can, JWI achieve their goal to empower women and girls.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”-Anne Frank

Institute of Medicine Releases Landmark Report on Preventative Health Services

By Miri Cypers, Senior Policy and Advocacy Specialist

This week, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a landmark report recommending that birth control, screening and counseling for domestic violence, yearly well-woman visits, among other things, are essential women’s preventative health services and therefore should be covered by health insurance plans at no cost to women.

So what does this mean for millions of women across the United States? Women will not have to pay co-pays for birth control and can better avoid unintended pregnancies. More women will be able to fill prescriptions and undergo cancer screenings. The list goes on and on.

I am proud to work at an organization that for decades has recognized the importance of prevention in every woman’s life. Jewish Women International (JWI) is an unwavering voice for women’s access to comprehensive reproductive health services.

While the Department of Health and Human Services still has to determine which screenings and services will be available to women based on the IOM’s recommendations, we at JWI applaud the notion that contraception, counseling, and screening is preventative health care.

To access the full report, please click the link below:

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Clinical-Preventive-Services-for-Women-Closing-the-Gaps.aspx

Congress Needs to Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act

Melanie Fineman, JWI’s intern from the Machon Kaplan Summer Social Action Internship Program at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC), shared information about the hearing with the RAC’s supporters.

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By Melanie Fineman

Earlier today, I was in the presence of Dr. Phil. Yet it was not across the table in a doctor’s office, nor was it from the audience chair of a television studio; on the contrary, I was in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. I was attending a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and the celebrity Dr. Phil was testifying.
This summer, I am working at Jewish Women International (JWI), a leading Jewish nonprofit organization working to empower women and girls of all ages. Whether building a children’s home in Jerusalem, teaching young women financial literacy, advocating for legislation on Capitol Hill, or celebrating the achievements of Jewish women in the Jewish Woman Magazine, JWI implements programming designed to help women succeed and thrive. At the heart of all of the organization’s work, JWI embraces the Jewish values of social justice and tikkun olam, or healing the world. Together we work to make our world – including the Jewish community at large – a better place.

L-R: JWI interns Aviva Norman, Stacey Nisenson, Elizabeth Roseman, Allison Cossman, and Melanie Fineman

Straight after our final intern Summer Series event, JWI Program Director Deborah Rosenbloom, my fellow interns and I all hopped in a taxi, zoomed through security, and made it to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “The Violence Against Women Act: Building on Seventeen Years of Accomplishments.” Originally drafted by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, VAWA was reauthorized by Congress in 2000 and 2005. Now in 2011, the legislation is up for reauthorization, and VAWA lies currently in the hands of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Since its original passage, VAWA has provided funding and support for victims of domestic violence. In addition, VAWA has led to the creation of resources, such as housing and phone hotlines, that can further help the victims of domestic violence regain their lives and succeed.

The hearing featured five powerful testimonies from individuals who all have different relationships with victims of domestic violence. As a young woman advocating for social justice and trying to change the world, I felt privileged to watch the hearing. Seeing Dr. Phil and the other witnesses who were taking time out of their lives to stand up for the individuals who could not be there themselves was a truly empowering experience. Through pieces of legislation such as VAWA, government can truly implement positive change, and I truly hope that the legislation will be reauthorized under this Congress.

JWI Addresses Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee

By Miri Cypers, JWI senior policy & advocacy specialist

Yesterday I joined JWI’s board of trustees chair Susie Turnbull at a meeting hosted by the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee. Twenty senators from across the country gathered to hear from approximately 15 Jewish communal organizations about the issues affecting the Jewish community. Susie was a featured speaker along with representatives from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), and the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC).

Susie discussed three of JWI’s major priorities: the impact of budget cuts on women and families, ending gender-based violence on a domestic and international level, and the importance of women’s access to reproductive health services. In her comments, she highlighted the importance of women’s economic security and JWI’s work on the issue.

Susie Turnbull (middle) greats Kathy Manning (left), Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Jewish Federations of North America (who spoke on behalf of JFNA), and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld (right), Executive Vice President of the Rabbinical Assembly at the briefing. Manning and Schonfeld have been selected by JWI as Women to Watch in 2011.

“We must take into account that cutbacks to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security will disproportionately harm women who rely on these programs as the source of their health coverage and economic stability,” Susie said. “JWI strongly supports women’s economic empowerment at all stages of life and offers financial literacy programs to women and girls to learn about money management skills and the importance of financial freedom.”
Susie also spoke about our work to end violence against women. “JWI is proud to be working on an advocates’ draft for the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act,” she said. “Violence occurs throughout the continuum of a woman’s life- teens, mothers, grandmothers are all victims of violence. We urge you to support a VAWA bill that reflects the expanding population of victims and that must include robust funding for comprehensive prevention programming.”

It was a privilege to hear directly from so many influential Senators who talked about the need for the Jewish community to stay engaged as Congress makes key decisions about the debt ceiling and budget cuts.

The Exciting Senate Hearing Adventures of a DC Intern

By Allison Cossman, JWI intern

Twenty-four hours ago, I had never been to a Senate hearing. I had never heard of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). I had never known anyone who faced domestic abuse. I had been turning a blind, and naïve, eye to the abuse millions of women facing every year. Today, my eyes are open. I have been to a Senate hearing. I not only know about the Violence Against Women Act, but am devoted to fighting for its reauthorization. 

How did this vast change occur so suddenly? My intern supervisor, Deborah Rosenbloom, took me and the other JWI interns, to the Violence Against Women Act hearing before the Senate Committee yesterday morning. Pushing my fears of sounding like a dork to the side, I will admit that I loved the hearing. I loved every minute of it. I was so inspired by the passion and optimism of the countless organizations that wrote the act, the intelligent lobbyists who spoke with such zest to the Senate committee, and the myriad of people who listened to the hearing with hope that VAWA will make a difference. It is truly an incredible feat to sit and watch the slow-but-steady process of government happen. To watch a cause that can improve the lives of millions of abused women and their children. To listen to voices that are fighting to make the world a better place, and to watch senators who have the power to do so.

Imagine watching Dr. Phil show gruesome pictures of domestic violent victims, hearing a woman remember a time when her soon-to-be-divorced husband falsely accused her of domestic abuse to avoid deportation, listening to a man retell personal crisis stories of suicidal victims of dating abuse.

These hard-hitting, personal, true stories and images made me realize that I can no longer turn my head to the horrors facing domestically abused women anymore. I need to open my eyes and support what I believe will help the world. I need to listen to Dr. Phil as he says, “domestic violence is not just a statistic, but a real problem happening to real people.” I need to get involved, because being inspired by these devoted individuals yesterday made me realize that fighting for what you believe in can actually change the world. #supportVAWA

Read more about the Violence Against Women Act

Twitter: @alliesara

Administration launches “Apps Against Abuse” technology

This week, Vice President Joe Biden, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius issued a challenge to the American public to create “Apps Against Abuse.”

 This important technology initiative challenges individuals to create “apps” so that young adults, particularly young women, can stay connected with friends and family in an emergency situation. At Jewish Women International, we focus on the importance of prevention and believe it’s critical to invest in ideas, services, and programs (like ours) that seek to prevent and end teen dating violence. For more information about this technology challenge, read the press release below:

Administration launches “Apps Against Abuse” technology challenge to help address sexual assault and dating violence

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/07/20110713a.html

In Today’s Women’s eNews: Women with Assets Demand Inclusive Company Boards

At Jewish Women International, we believe that financial literacy and women’s economic empowerment are strongly interconnected.

Despite the fact that women make 85 percent of the purchasing decisions when it comes to products and services offered by Fortune 500 companies, women only comprise 15 percent of the Fortune 500 corporate boards. This article argues that women must continue to leverage their power as consumers and shareholders to have a greater stake at the corporate table. Responsive financial decision making can only occur if women are both involved in the process and their needs fully represented.

In today’s Women’s eNews:

Women with Assets Demand Inclusive Company Boards

(WOMENSENEWS)–Women may be only 15 percent of corporate boards on Fortune 500 companies, despite what we’ve known for a long time: Women make 85 percent of the purchasing decisions about the products and services offered by those companies.

Journalist Amaya Gorostiaga, in an article in Business for Social Responsibility, writes that women control $20 trillion globally in annual consumer spending, a number that could hit $28 trillion in five years.

Facts like that rumbled into the annual meeting of the Women’s Funding Network earlier this year and electrified the global alliance of 166 non-profits that invest in women and girls.

Read the full story at Women’s eNews

Adventures in the Non-Profit World by Allison Cossman

Live from Washington, DC, summer marketing intern Allison Cossman is taking you behind the scenes of JWI. A Maryland native, Allison is a senior at the University of Michigan, majoring in communication studies. She is blogging throughout the summer for Michigan’s Communications Department blog about her life as a non-profit intern, her attempts to figure out her future, and highlights from her summer working in the nation’s capital. 

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by Allison Cossman

As an incoming senior living in arguably the most “professional” city in the world, Washington D.C., there has yet to be one day this summer where I have not been asked, “what do you want to do after graduation?” Despite three years of college, one semester studying and working abroad in London, four internships, and twenty-one years of thinking about my future, I am ashamed to say the three most dreaded words in a college senior’s vocabulary: “I don’t know.” My biggest issue trying to figure out what I want to do after graduation is that I have such wide-ranging passions for media, writing, marketing, reading, advertising, public relations, Judaism, film, women’s rights, and democracy. Different ideas for careers I am interested in float in and out of my head daily, and limiting myself to just one seems impossible. So I have decided to spend this summer, my last chance to intern before graduating, trying my hand as a marketing intern at a non-profit organization that combines almost all of my passions – Jewish Women International (JWI).

JWI is a DC non-profit working to empower women, fight domestic violence, and help abused children. I am entering my fourth week of work here and could not be happier. Everyday, I come into the office, sit at my desk near the other interns (four to be exact), and get to work on legitimate assignments whose end purpose is to carry on JWI’s mission of empowering women and girls. This to me is the greatest perk of working at a non-profit organization, employees with a desire to make the world a better place in whatever way they can. I love being surrounded by people who share a similar aspiration to advance the lives of women, and whose daily tasks are meaningful and critical means to achieve this goal.

As a marketing intern, my main job is dedicated to JWI’s magazine, Jewish Woman (www.jwmag.org). I come up with ideas for articles, write them, brainstorm ways to best promote the website and JWI’s mission, implement creative ideas to better bridge the print and online versions of the magazine, and edit articles. Outside of the magazine, I work with the other interns to plan events such as JWI’s Summer Series, a series of breakfast roundtables with young women to discuss critical issues in their lives. Since a non-profit uses their money to advance their mission rather than hire thousands of employees, they utilize me and my time to the best of their ability – and I could not be more appreciative of that. I am trying to take full advantage of this opportunity by putting my all into my work, and networking with every employee and intern I meet around the city.

In these past four weeks, I have learned an incredible amount about the non-profit world, been inspired by people who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for women, met countless interns around DC in my same shoes, and am making baby steps in figuring out what I want to do with my life. My goals for the rest of this internship are to be as professional as possible at work, network and get to know people’s stories (I may get some much needed insight and advice), put 110% into all my assignments, and most of all, not to stress about my future, but rather view the fork in the road ahead of me as an adventure of endless possibilities.

L-R: JWI interns Aviva Norman, Stacey Nisenson, Elizabeth Roseman, Allison Cossman, and Melanie Fineman

You can view the articles I have written for Jewish Woman magazine here:

-Summer Shabbat Celebrations

-Father’s Day Gift Ideas

-Summer Museum Exhibits

-A Shavuot Book for Kids

“I see my path, but I do not know where it leads. Not knowing where I am going is what inspires me to travel it.” –Rosalia de Castro