The National Congress of Neighborhood Women presents:
"Sharing
Strategies" Thirty Years of Grassroots Women in Community Development
The
2004 Kathleen Ridder Conference at Smith College
February 19-22nd, 2004
Smith
College, Northampton, Massachusetts
The purpose of the weekend is
1)
For participants in the current NCNW project, Neighborhood Women: Sharing Community
Strategies Globally, to share the outcomes of the peer learning experience, and
2) For leaders of NCNW, students and faculty at Smith College and other members
of the public to hear and share reflections on the history of NCNW and the future
plans of NCNW and our Living Learning Centers.
There will be presentations on the strategies implemented in three communities: Clearfork Community Institute in the Clearfork Valley, Tennessee, Woman Spirit in St. Louis, Missouri and Neighborhood Women Renaissance, NYC Public Housing Residents Alliance and The Fifth Ave. Committee in New York City. Participants will hear panel discussions and participate in lively discussions around the experience of grassroots women organizing in the U.S. Discussions will also link the local work to the work of grassroots women around the globe. Students and faculty of Smith College will document the proceedings. We will also review the archives of NCNW, located at Smith. Out of the discussions at the conference, NCNW will develop an action plan for the three Living Learning Centers being developed by the organizations mentioned above.
The Smith Archive is currently the largest women-focused archive in the United States; it includes the papers of the National Congress of Neighborhood Women, MS magazine, Gloria Steinem, Francis Fox Piven.
This weekend will be a unique opportunity to review the state of grassroots women's organizing.
Friday, February
20th
"Communities Claiming Knowledge:
Three Communities Develop Living
Learning Centers as a National Demonstration"
Three local organizations of the NCNW, from East Tennessee/Appalachia, St. Louis, and New York City, share stories of how they developed and implemented strategies and overcame obstacles in their 30 years of community development work. Participants will review these strategies as a way of assessing the knowledge that they will continue to value and share through Living Learning Centers.
3p.m., Neilson Library Browsing Room, Smith College
Saturday, February 21st
"The State of Grassroots
Women's Organizing:
Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?"
"Local
Organizing/National Networking in a Global Context"
Veteran leaders of NCNW reflect on the history of the national network, their roles in developing the communities in which they live, and the influences of grassroots women abroad in their local work.
- 2:30 p.m., Neilson Library Browsing Room, Smith College
"Campus-Community Partnerships:
What Works, What Doesn't?"
Women from community organizations in Holyoke, MA and their partners from valley institutions join members of NCNW for a critical review of the partnerships and building of connections between community organizations and local colleges and universities.
- 4:30 p.m., Neilson Library Browsing Room, Smith College
Thanks to the many contributors who made this conference possible: a "Raise Your Voice" grant from Massachusetts Campus Compact, Woman Connect, and the Ford Foundation. Particular thanks to all of the Smith departments and programs for their generous support: the Office of the President, the Project on Women and Social Change, the Sophia Smith Collection, and the Kahn Liberal Arts Institute project for 2003- 2004, "Problems of Democracy."
** All events are free, wheelchair accessible and open to the public. **