My Involvement

My experience with NOW is just beginning. I did make a call to one of the ladies at our local NOW, and asked if they are currently taking volunteers, and she said yes. I also asked if there were any limitations as to who they can/cannot take or see: she said that they don't discriminate against race,age or gender. Although the organization is titled National Organization for WOMEN- there are men who get involved too. The organization is what I expected- they really are there to help promote gender equality amongst women. I plan to go and volunteer in the summer and hopefully through the fall. I felt very relaxed while talking to the people at the organization. All of the workers and volunteers are very welcoming and make everyone feel very comfortable. I really look forward to being able to volunteer at NOW, and hopefully help with women's gender equality.

The Commission for the Status of Women

The Commission for the Status of Women (CSW) is known best for trying to give equality to gender and advancement of women. Every year representatives meet to discuss the progress on gender equality, any challenges, set the global standards, and then begin to set and discuss policies (concrete) in order to promote gender equality and the advancement of women. The Commission for the Status of Women was established on June 21st, 1946. It was established by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The aim was to give reports and recommendations to the Council on promoting women's rights: in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. CSW also make the Council aware of any immediate problems that need attention in the area of women's rights.

CSW currently consists of 45 Member States of the United Nations. Each Member state has one representative and are elected by the Council. Each member is elected for a period of 4 years. There is currently no volunteer work for the CSW, but people can always get involved with local organizations such as NOW. The Commission serves all women and men who want to fight for the equality of women’s rights. They look at all countries and see what can be done to better the life for women and families.

Some of the strategies used to get this organization out in to the world is by having local organizations to promote equality of women's rights. They also give speeches, hold rallies, and use various forms of advertisements. The target group would be women who face problems in their countries on the basis of their rights.

CSW holds annual meetings at the UN to discuss the progress and bring up suggestions as to how to continue to help women across the country. At each meeting they agree upon conclusions for priority themes for the year. After the agreed conclusions are set they contact Governments, intergovernmental bodies, and other istitutions on both local and regional levels. The goals is to continue to get information out to countires where women's rights are being interfered upon. The annual meetings will continue to go on to discuss the progress and recommendations of each country and what actions need to be made.

Again for more information on the CSW visit the website: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/index.html

International Organization

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/. I decided to do my international organization the Commission of the Status of Women. It is through the United Nations, and it brings equality amoung women. I will post more in the following few days. But, check out their website- it is so full of information.

How?

The main group of people that NOW targets are women- ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!! Some of the strategies the women and their groups use are: rallys, conventions, meetings, and ads. They constantly discuss ways to get more awareness out in to the societies and to make the suffering of women END! There are call centers, donations, memberships, and many ways to gain the money in order to advertise and do what they need to do in order to get the information out there to every woman. Each group has leaders, and there are groups in each of the 50 states- not to mention in various counties too. NOW is a non-profit organization. The variety of groups continue to bring equality amoungst women!

What?

NOW stands for National Organization for Women and their goal is to help women talk about the issues that they face on a daily basis in society. Some of the issues that are discussed in NOW are Lesbian Rights, Abortion and Reproduction Rights, Ending Sex Discrimination, Promoting Diversity and Ending Racism, and so MANY more. Each and every group has members and leaders. The goals of each group are to bring awareness of what they are fighting for. Even though there are different groups, they are similar in the fact that they are all fighting to stop discrimination against them. Some groups go as far as going to government officials and even congress to pass bills/laws. It takes a lot to go farther up the ladder of officials, but these women are willing to fight for what they know is right! Each state has different organizations, but again they all work together to fight for justice and equality.

Who?

The first question that came to my mind when doing research on NOW was who runs the organization and other staff. National Organization for Women have different chapters in each state, and within the states there are members. Each member of each chapter serves to help women in the society. Most/If not all of the people who work there are women, because it is easier and more comfortable for the women in need to call in a talk to another woman. There are 4 NOW Officers- one president and 3 vice presidents(each work with each other, but help in different areas of the organization. http://www.now.org/officers/ . At NOW there are call centers in which people can come in and take calls. There are also job openings, internships, and volunteers to help with various meetings and rallys. There are different groups in terms of what issues the women may have, but there is no form of discrimination for race or ethnicity/gender/class. All of the groups interact with each other when it comes to having rallys to bring awareness of the problems women face in society. Each groups defines the organization as a way to get awareness out there to women who are being harmed. The goal is to bring awareness and help as many women as possible so there won't be so much suffering.

There is light at the end of every dark tunnel- and NOW is there to help!

My Organization(NOW) and Me!

When I was looking through the lists of organizations, I knew in the back of my head that I wanted an organization that was there to help women from all over with anything that they may need. When I came across National Organization for Women(NOW) it really hit me. After researching the organization and calling the local branch I realized that I wanted to get involved in this. This organization impacts me because in this organization it isn't just narrowed down to one specific area, but it is focused on ALL of the rights of women and the daily issues. I really like how they help all with any issue that they may face in life. The people there are very caring and have the compassion about each individual and what they may be facing.

If I had more time I would love to be able to volunteer in this organization because all my life I have always wanted to help people. I may be able to this upcoming summer or longer. I can't wait to learn more as I volunteer.