Branch Activity of the Year Award – 2022

What is it? 

The Branch Activity of the Year Award is the recognition of a signature branch activity presented during the period of one year ending on March 1, 2022. The program provides branches an opportunity to showcase and share an activity that is novel, inspirational, reproducible, and promotes AAUW’s mission and image. The activity may be a one-off program or event or a sustained recurring project for which the branch is known. Note: the application deadline has passed.

Winning Projects

Congratulations to the three projects that were announced at the AAUW Annual event on April 30, 2022.

• Title IX at 50: You Need It As Much As Ever – Petaluma
• Women Who Protect and Serve – La Mesa-El Cajon
• Step Up for Pro-Choice – Los Altos-Mountain View

Projects submitted

Click on the title to view the description and contact information.

We had a successful event on International Women’s Day during Women’s History month on the history of women in Nigeria in West Africa. The speaker, Margot Lovett, PhD, a Professor of History and Gender and Sexuality Studies at Saddleback College and an expert on this issue of gender and labor history, corrected many Western preconceptions about women in Africa, enlightening us about the gender equality that existed prior to the imposition of British Colonial rule in the late 1880’s and women’s efforts to regain these rights Three branches were involved in this program. Participants during Q & A wanted to know more, and we all support the idea of jointly sponsoring a similar program  in the future.  Zoom made it possible to reach more members throughout our county.

We invited select branch members to research and write narratives for a culturally diverse list of nine now-deceased 20th century women in varying professions. RBG convenes a small group of women, and one businessman, to a gathering where the women highlight their lives, accomplishments, and obstacles to their achievements. This live collaborative presentation aligns with the AAUW vision of Equity for All, and our mission: to advance gender equity for women and girls.

This webinar on Title IX covered progress toward equity over the past 50 years, why the law remains important today, and what needs to be done to ensure that the law remains effective. The program was scheduled early in the year to prepare for the 50th anniversary of Title IX in June 2022 with the idea that it would be followed by additional Title IX related programs and activities. Title IX “Facts” were featured in our monthly newsletter starting in September to lead up to the program. The webinar format allowed us to engage non-local speakers who are experts on Title IX and to share the program more widely than an in-person meeting. A small team met a few times over several months for planning and publicity. Over 350 views of the webinar have been recorded. As follow-up to the webinar, a branch group christened “Title Niners” formed to take action related to Title IX. The specific tasks adopted are:

1. Create a Directory of Title IX Coordinators for local schools to facilitate cooperation and communication on Title IX issues
2. Establish regular contact with elected officials through postcard writing and social media and “in-person” meetings
3. Reach out to student groups at local colleges to educate students about their rights
4. Demonstrate support for women’s sports by attending local sporting events. 

The Chief Mission Delivery Officer spoke about how the Girl Scouts’ mission aligns with AAUW’s mission and how we can support one another.  The four pillars are STEM, Life Skills, Entrepreneurship and the Outdoors. 50% of all business women were Girl Scouts, as were 76% of female US Senators, 90% of female astronauts, and 100% of female Secretaries of State. Focus: life skills for success, developing business smarts, being problem solvers and empower girls to be future leaders! We will be working with our local GS leaders to bring more girls into our Tech Trek, to apply for our scholarships, and to take part in Speech Trek.

We held a free community event and invited the City of Mission Viejo and the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce to co-sponsor with us.  Gathering community members together for updates from law enforcement and education by experts about strategies to combat human slavery not only raises awareness, which is critical, but also provides ways to prevent and stop it.  Over 91% of human trafficking victims in our county are women. 

To promote inclusiveness within our branch and to combat the isolation created by COVID-19, for the second year each member made a Valentine’s Day call to the person listed above her in our directory.  Last year we contacted the one below us.  Most participated and some called several people. We also sent Valentine’s Day cards to members aged 90 and above.  We are continuing by sending cards for spring. 

A panel of five women working in law enforcement, homeland security, firefighting, paramedics and dispatch presented their experiences as women in predominantly male professions. Topics such as equal pay, gender harassment, promotions, family life, and gender equity were discussed. We learned that female firefighter’s equipment was designed for males and did not fit the female body. This is a topic we hope to explore more in the coming year. The dispatchers spoke about being part of a female majority and training men under female supervisors.

We contacted presenters from the Colorado Deptartment of Public Health to plan a program addressing our concerns for understanding and being respectful of new gender terms. Aaron Shipman-Negrete, Jamie Richards, and Deja Moore presented a thoroughly informative program to our members and guests with a PowerPoint presentation combined with discussion and answering questions. It was extremely impactful as it allowed our members to speak with transgender professionals who were willing to share their lived experience. This was totally in support of our branch 2022 theme of learning about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. These presenters have expressed interest in doing this program for any AAUW branches interested.

AAUW Los Altos-Mountain View  organized and hosted a virtual event marking the 49th Anniversary of Roe v Wade. AAUW’s policy priorities emphasize support for choice in determining reproductive rights and access to health care and family planning services. This event, which has been held in-person since 1985, has been virtual for the past two years due to the pandemic. We publicized the event in our newsletter, contacted other area AAUW branches, local media, and used social media. The Zoom format allowed us to host top-flight speakers from remote locations. The branch event was the only local California event to commemorate the anniversary with pro-choice information and drew attention far more widely than past in-person meetings.