Council on Women and Girls – Economy, Violence Awareness, and More‏

Friday, September 16, 2011

Weekly Women’s Update Welcome to the Council on Women and Girls Weekly Highlights!   Greetings Everyone – This has been an extremely busy week here at The White House and around the country. One week after his speech to a joint session of Congress announcing the American Jobs Act, the President has sent this bill to Capitol Hill and has been traveling the country talking to Americans about what this would mean for job creation, if passed. In this week’s newsletter, you’ll find a number of tools that we hope you find helpful: Fact Sheets on the American Jobs Act Invitations to Conference Calls specifically focused on women 17th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act – A powerful video from Vice President Biden Remember to update your contact information if you haven’t already In Addition Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the Council on Women & Girls, Valerie Jarrett, CWG Executive Director, Tina Tchen, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton participated in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Women and the Economy Summit,” this week in San Francisco. Check out an empowering video from Sec. Clinton’s speech, as well as a new post from Valerie Jarrett. Thank you so much for the great work you do in your communities around the country. American Jobs Act Fact Sheets You can find specific information on the American Jobs Act here as well as specific information regarding women, non-profit organizations, and state-specificinformation. This Coming Week Specific Conference Calls for Women – In addition to the online office hours that the White House has been holding online through Facebook, and Twitter, we will also begin hosting a series of conference calls specifically for women with senior members of the Administration. Please bear in mind – this is just the first batch. This coming week, we have the following calls scheduled. You will need to RSVP to the link below in order to receive the dial-in information:   African-American Women, Employment and the American Jobs Act: Monday, September 19th– 4 p.m. EDT. RSVP to CWG with Subject: African American Women, Employment, and the American Jobs Act Women-Veterans, Employment and the American Jobs Act: Thursday, Septermber 22nd at 12 p.m. EDT. RSVP to CWG with Subject: Women-Veterans, Employment and the American Jobs Act Women and Non-Traditional Jobs in Transportation – A Call with Department of Transportation Leaders: Thursday, September 22nd at 4 p.m. EDT. RSVP to CWG with Subject: Women and Non-Traditional Jobs in Transportation   More Highlights   17 Years After Violence Against Women Act:Vice President Calls on New Generation to Take Action   This past Wednesday, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden held a reception at the Naval Observatory to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) being signed into law, as well as call on a new generation to take action to reduce the high rates of violence and assault that continues to threaten young men and women across the country. The Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act In a blog cross-posted from the Department of Justice: The White House marked the 17th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by appreciating the great strides that have been made in addressing all types of violence against women and recognize the fact that more needs to be done to create a society free from domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. Women and the American Jobs Act Last week, we shared a blog by Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the Council on Women and Girls, Valerie Jarrett. In the blog she highlighted how much congress should consider the American Jobs Act potential to help America’s women and girls. Read and share a factsheet (pdf) that shows what the programs in the American Jobs Act would do for women. Justice Department Announces $2.7 Million in Grants for Six Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative Projects In an Initiative that Focuses on Expanding Services in Rural and Tribal Communities and Within Culturally Specific Populations the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) today announced awards to six projects for a total of $2.7 million under the Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative (SADI). The SADI is OVW’s first large scale project to determine best practices and needed action in reaching more sexual assault survivors and providing comprehensive sexual assault services.First Lady Michelle Obama: “Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice” As part of the Let’s Move! initiative, yesterday morning First Lady Michelle Obama joined Partnership for a Healthier America, Red Lobster, Olive Garden and other family chains owned by Darden Restaurants to announce a commitment from Darden to reduce calories and sodium in their meals and to provide healthier options in their kids’ menus.First Lady Michelle Obama’s Message to Teens: Work Hard and Believe in Yourself Some of the nation’s leading design talents joined First Lady Michelle Obama earlier this week to help educate Washington DC teens about career opportunities in their field. The designers, who are being honored by the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum for their extraordinary contributions to design in 10 different categories, took part in a Teen Design Fair before attending a luncheon at the White House, which was hosted by Mrs. Obama.Affordable Care Act in Action: Fewer Uninsured Young Adults in America Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, shared some critical updates to the impact the Affordable Care Act is having on young Americans. Young adults are the age group most likely to be uninsured and before health reform was enacted, many young Americans lost their health insurance when they left home or graduated from school. No longer will young adults – who might be college students or in their first job – be forced to choose between paying their rent or maintaining their health insurance. The President’s Plan for the Economy and Education In his speech to Congress, President Obama laid out two job programs critical to ensuring every child has the opportunity for a world-class education. He proposed to invest $30 billion to put hundreds of thousands of construction workers, engineers, boiler repairmen, and electrical workers back to work rebuilding and modernizing our aging public schools and community colleges. Be Part of the Joining Forces Community Challenge Over the past few years, the First Lady and Dr. Jill Biden have seen incredible examples of people and organizations reaching out to military families in creative and meaningful ways. The challenge will award several national prizes later this year that recognize citizens and organizations for their efforts in support of military families. Get Updates If you aren’t already receiving our email updates, sign up for our newsletter using this form. Stay Connected   Facebook Twitter YouTube Flickr iTunes Contact the White House The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111