Where in the World is Women Employed?
The leaves are changing colors and falling, the sun is setting earlier, and there’s a slight crisp in the air letting us know that fall is now here. But even though the seasons have changed, our commitment to improving the economic status of women has not. Picking up where we left off in August, we kept working women in the spotlight―speaking at tour stops on the importance of care; sharing thoughts, ideas, and concerns about how American Rescue Plan Act funds should be used; and joining our partners in reimagining how we can amplify the voices, the work, and the triumphs of our community at this critical moment in history; and so much more.
But in case you missed out, here’s a snapshot of where we’ve been. And be sure to read all the way to the end to find out where we’re going next!
The Cost of Not Caring
Caring Across Generations partnered with Tony-award winning playwright and actress, Sarah Jones for a three-city tour of her work-in-progress show, “The Cost of Not Caring.” Kicking off on Sunday, August 18th, Associate Director of Coalitions, Starr De Los Santos was the MC for the Chicago stop and moderated a panel discussion on why care is central to building a better future for all.
“The Cost of Not Caring” celebrates a diverse range of characters across class, race, ability, gender, and generations as they navigate shared experiences of care, illustrating the urgent need for change.
Age Guide’s Aging Summit
WE’s Senior Research Analyst, Corinne Kodama, attended Age Guide’s Aging Summit: Advancing Economic Resilience Across the Lifespan at Northern Illinois University on Wednesday, August 21st. The day-long conference included advocates, policy makers, government agencies, and direct service providers working in the older adult space, with topics covering Reimagining Social Security, Protecting Your Wealth, The Cost of Caregiving, and Empowering Women: Strategies for Economic Security.
Career Foundations Consortium Meeting
Women Employed’s Career Foundations Consortium held their first partner meeting of FY25 on Tuesday, August 27th. WE’s Director of Policy and Programs, Christina Warden; Senior Career Pathways Manager, Tara Driver; and Programs and Research Coordinator, Efrata Sasahulih joined our consortium members — a group of community-based organizations delivering our Career Foundations course — to share strategies for building career pathways that will help more adults move into family-sustaining careers.
Cook County ARPA Community Voices Meeting @ Kennedy King
The Cook County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Voices Meeting was on Thursday, September 5th. WE’s Senior Career Pathways Manager, Tara Driver, was in attendance as guests expressed their thoughts, ideas, and concerns about how ARPA funds should be used.
Raise the Floor Alliance Labor Day People’s Soirée
WE’s Executive Vice President of Policy, Programs, and Research, Sharmili Majmudar attended Raise the Floor Alliance’s Labor Day People’s Soiree on Friday, September 6th. The event celebrated worker power and justice at Herban Produce, a Black-woman-owned farm on Chicago’s west side.
Tukiendorf Training Institute Open House
Corinne Kodama, WE’s Senior Research Analyst, attended Tukiendorf Training Institute’s (TTI) open house on Monday, September 9th. There, she shared information about our Healthcare Career Pathways research study. TTI is one of Women Employed’s healthcare training provider partners.
Forum for Excellence
The ASPIRE team (WE’s Director of Policy and Programs, Christina Warden; ASPIRE Senior Program Manager, Christina Green; and ASPIRE Program Specialist, Lauren Wheeler) and Dr. Lonetta Oliver, Dean of Humanities at Illinois Central College (ICC) presented on work ICC accomplished with funds received from ASPIRE and Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) grants at the Forum for Excellence on Tuesday, September 17th. The Forum for Excellence is Illinois’ premier professional development event, and their conference highlights the partnership of career, technical, and adult education in Illinois.
Chicago Foundation for Women Annual Luncheon
The Chicago Foundation for Women (CFW) held their annual luncheon on Tuesday, September 16th. As a CFW grantee, members of the WE team were proud to come together to celebrate our collective journey! Associate Director of Development, Michelle Schwartz; President and CEO, Cherita Ellens; Associate Director of Coalitions, Starr De Los Santos; Executive Vice President of Policy, Programs, and Research, Sharmili Majmudar; Chief of Staff, Mary Kay Devine; and WE Board Director, Ambar Mentor Truppa, joined CFW President and CEO, Keenya Lambert, and world-renowned journalist, Lisa Ling, as they unpacked THE WHOLE STORY and reimagined how CFW, in partnership with partners, donors, and grantees, can amplify the voices, the work, and the triumphs of our community at this critical moment in history.
Career Foundations Instructor Training
The Career Foundations team held an instructor training on Thursday, September 19th. WE’s Programs and Research Coordinator, Efrata Sasahulih, and Senior Career Pathways Manager, Tara Drive,r trained the Chicago Housing Authority’s LevelUp staff on the Career Foundations curriculum, an innovative course that helps non-traditional students explore their options, identify a future career, and learn what academic programs they’ll need to get there.
ScaleLIT’s American Job Center Systemwide Partner Meeting
On Friday, September 20th, WE’s Senior Career Pathways Manager, Tara Driver attended ScaleLIT’s American Job Center Systemwide Partner Meeting and Illinois Community College Board’s Adult Ed 508 Area Planning Committee meetings at the King Center. There, she had the opportunity to connect with many of our partners in adult education and workforce services, and even ran into former WE staff member, Shrilondra Brooks!
Still to come!
Equal Pay Chicago Coalition Webinar
Join us and the Equal Pay Chicago Coalition for a powerful virtual event: Research → Action → Impact: Leveraging Data to Close the Wage Gap for Latinas!
· Thursday, October 3, 2024
· 12 p.m. — 1 p.m. CT
· To register, visit http://bit.ly/3Zt0nIG
