At our meeting last evening (April 26th), the name AWE was overwhelmingly selected by the women in attendance. It stands for Arlington Women Educating and Empowering.
Because we learned later that another group may be using the acronym AWE, the organizers decided on AWE2 (to be read "AWE squared," so we don't lose the second "E" in the title).
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Agenda for the April 26, 2014 Meeting
In response to our issue brainstorming at our last meeting, our program for this meeting is an overview of PLANNING.
We are fortunate to have Inta Malis, planning commissioner and chair of the Columbia Pike Neighborhood Plan speak about the County planning process, and Todd McCracken, chair of the current APS Master Planning Process, speak about the school system's recent efforts to do more long range planning. Being a group of engaged women, we will have additional expertise in the room, so it promises to be a good discussion.
From 7-7:30, prior to our program, we will host our informal social with food and drinks. We encourage those of you who work with non profits to bring information to place on our community information tables. No pressure, but many of you have expressed an interest in learning more about local non-profit groups so we wanted to make information available for those who would like it.
We will encourage everyone to vote on our group's name during this meeting.
We are fortunate to have Inta Malis, planning commissioner and chair of the Columbia Pike Neighborhood Plan speak about the County planning process, and Todd McCracken, chair of the current APS Master Planning Process, speak about the school system's recent efforts to do more long range planning. Being a group of engaged women, we will have additional expertise in the room, so it promises to be a good discussion.
From 7-7:30, prior to our program, we will host our informal social with food and drinks. We encourage those of you who work with non profits to bring information to place on our community information tables. No pressure, but many of you have expressed an interest in learning more about local non-profit groups so we wanted to make information available for those who would like it.
We will encourage everyone to vote on our group's name during this meeting.
February 1st - Notes from our first meeting
We started with a half hour informal meet and greet at the top of the meeting. Again, we want women to get to know each other and speak informally, so we will plan to begin all our meetings this way.
The organizers introduced ourselves, and discussed what we envision this group to be and not to be. It is not intended to be partisan, overtly political or a fundraising group, as there are plenty of other terrific groups that do these things. We do want to educate ourselves on issues and advocate for solutions that our members back. We encourage smaller, issues-oriented groups to form as women make connections and want to discuss items in more depth.
For the record, the organizers are: Ginger Brown, Alice Hogan, Mary Kane, Kathleen McSweeney, Lisa Nisenson, Carmen Romero and Mary Rouleau.
We are an open group and don't have an official membership or dues. We encourage women to bring friends who are interested in the group. The exception is elected officials: women holding office will not be invited to join our group, unless they are invited to address us on a specific topic. Ditto with candidates running for office.
We decided to poll the group for topics of interest, and Lisa led the group in a brainstorming activity. The results are captured in this document. We will identify trends in the comments and issues listed, and will use the information to come up with the program for our next meeting.
We discussed an official name for the group, and brainstormed possibilities at the end of the meeting. We will gather suggestions, and take a vote at the next meeting.
The organizers introduced ourselves, and discussed what we envision this group to be and not to be. It is not intended to be partisan, overtly political or a fundraising group, as there are plenty of other terrific groups that do these things. We do want to educate ourselves on issues and advocate for solutions that our members back. We encourage smaller, issues-oriented groups to form as women make connections and want to discuss items in more depth.
For the record, the organizers are: Ginger Brown, Alice Hogan, Mary Kane, Kathleen McSweeney, Lisa Nisenson, Carmen Romero and Mary Rouleau.
We are an open group and don't have an official membership or dues. We encourage women to bring friends who are interested in the group. The exception is elected officials: women holding office will not be invited to join our group, unless they are invited to address us on a specific topic. Ditto with candidates running for office.
We decided to poll the group for topics of interest, and Lisa led the group in a brainstorming activity. The results are captured in this document. We will identify trends in the comments and issues listed, and will use the information to come up with the program for our next meeting.
We discussed an official name for the group, and brainstormed possibilities at the end of the meeting. We will gather suggestions, and take a vote at the next meeting.
The Formation of an Arlington Women's Group to Strategize/Socialize/educate/Empower/Act
In the fall of 2013, seven Arlington women decided it was time to break down the silos among advocacy groups in Arlington. A few of these women already knew one another, and served on commissions or PTAs together. They met to flesh out an idea. Wouldn't it be great for a group of women who already take an active interest in Arlington, come together to ask strategic questions, educate themselves on issues, come up with ideas and then act on them?
It would also be a great way for women to socialize and network with one another in a fun, informal way. Food and wine would be essential ingredients.
Here is the first email message we sent out to about 100 women we collectively knew in Arlington:
The idea? 100ArlingtonWomen Meet Up to Strategize/Socialize/Educate/
We envision “100ArlingtonWomen” [working title] as a powerful group of motivated women who live/work in Arlington and want to connect both personally and professionally to educate ourselves on crucial and quality of life public concerns in Arlington, from schools to smart growth. Our goal is to empower ourselves to seek solutions and advocate for change. We plan on holding quarterly wine and cheese gatherings and running a moderated listserv. Add your voice, socialize and create new ties - it's our community. Make sure you have a say.
It would also be a great way for women to socialize and network with one another in a fun, informal way. Food and wine would be essential ingredients.
Here is the first email message we sent out to about 100 women we collectively knew in Arlington:
The idea? 100ArlingtonWomen Meet Up to Strategize/Socialize/Educate/
We envision “100ArlingtonWomen” [working title] as a powerful group of motivated women who live/work in Arlington and want to connect both personally and professionally to educate ourselves on crucial and quality of life public concerns in Arlington, from schools to smart growth. Our goal is to empower ourselves to seek solutions and advocate for change. We plan on holding quarterly wine and cheese gatherings and running a moderated listserv. Add your voice, socialize and create new ties - it's our community. Make sure you have a say.
Please join us for our inaugural meeting on Sat., Feb. 1, from 7-9 p.m. at the Lyon Park Community House, 414 N Fillmore St. between N Pershing Drive and 4th Street.
We know the women to whom we are reaching out are ALREADY busy, but believe that by interconnecting skills and existing networks we can increase personal/collective outcomes with little extra time invested. We are not tied to a political party. We want to create an informal gathering of creative thinkers to educate ourselves on issues and propose solutions.
We received many positive emails in response, and met with about 45 other women on February 1st at the Lyon Park Community Center.
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