News-Record.com

I take that as a rhetorical question. Unfortunately, the Commission will probably survive, and for reasons that elucidate the problems of modern big government. Once a program exists, especially if it has some morally powerful word in its title ("Women"), it will exist forever, even if there are a dozen other programs that duplicate its efforts. Should someone try to scrap it, accusations of turning the clock back, sexism, the cruelty of budget cutters, doesn't anyone care???, etc., etc. will come aplenty, and the program will get refunded.

Locally, it may be possible to defund such programs, but nationally it's almost impossible. Still, I predict the Commission will be around in 2106.

Another quick point: why didn't the story raise the question Allen does? The whole premise of the story is that the Commission needs to find something (anything!) useful to do.

If the commission can't find a focus and engage active people to be on its board, then we don't need the group (and I'm old enough to be a feminist). However, the group has not done a good job of finding board members; many have applied and no one's been interviewed that I know of.

The group should meet with a professional to assess its future, its mission and its goals. If they've been met and the future doesn't have new tasks in store, then it should be disbanded.

However, I think there's LOTS for this group to do. they just need some goal-setting and we have the professionals in town to help with that. A real shame that the leadership of the group let it down so hard...

I agree, Sue. Is it lack of effective leadership, though, or a lack of a clear role and mission?

Or has that mission changed or been lost?

What do you see the commission doing that it's not?

I could list the names of several civic-active women who've applied for this commission and heard nothing. My first suggestion would be to take the leadership into a meeting with a CCL facilitator (or similar) and develop its mission and goals. Once they realize that women still make less than men and that female parents are treated less fairly than male parents in upward mobility, then they'd find the focus that they've forgotten.

The committees could be formed with willing and eager women from all parts of Greensboro who would probably break out like this:
1. Programs/events
2. Education/information
3. Strategies sessions to move the message forward
4. School involvement
5. Working with existing GSO groups to move the message forward.

My specific suggestions? A real wish list:

a. Bring more young women into technology education with the fabulous stuff offered by GCS

b. Bring female university professors to high schools to talk about education -- and being a teacher is great and so is being a professor or a Chancellor

c. Get on the phones and find women to volunteer at a variety of venues, including Big Sisters, and other Y programs.

d. Start making young women healthier without obesity or anorexia; contac the MCWL Health Foundation and get a program in place.

e. Get poor women health care (yeah, I know, but they could help) and start some community walking clubs

f. Use Mel's Kitchen and collaborate for healthy and easy recipes for working women on limited budgets - certainly that could be done as well on WFMY in some way.

We have the talent. We need the vision. We need people (women) to move this forward and they've been trying to get involved for years.

Why not find out how come no one's hearing back from their applications?

Editing my own stuff: Big Sisters isn't a Y program, I think. That should have said, "Big Sisters and programs offered by the Y"

Mea culpa.

Good suggestions, Sue, especially school involvement. There are many girls who could use mentors and role models. Existing programs address some of those needs, but there is plenty of room for more help. As for Big Brothers, you're right. It operates under a nonprofit called Youth Focus Inc.