2010 is officially over. The tree is put away, a new puppy was welcomed into the house, and I'm almost done making my resolutions for 2011. As I think about my goals, I'm also thinking about resolutions all of us can have for 2011 to benefit women and girls.
These resolutions can be what we wish for in 2011, or things we promise to do to move along progress for women and girls. I know how risky resolutions can be. I remember several resolutions from 2010 that never got off the ground. So this year I've developed resolutions that are short, sweet, and easy to do over the next year. And since it would be too easy to frontload these resolutions, get overwhelmed and then dismiss them with righteous enjoyment, I'm spreading them out throughout the year.
I heard someone say something like, "we should consider making evolutions instead of resolutions." I like it. These are small things we can do now to make big changes later for women and girls in Chicago.
Vote. And Celebrate the Inaugural Take Your Daughter to Vote Day.
You probably already vote, but what about the other women in your life? More importantly, what about the girls in your life? Perhaps this year, instead or in addition to Take Our Daughters to Work Day, let's do a Take Your Daughter to Vote Day. Let's model our civic responsibility and spend quality time with girls chatting about our fiercely-fought-for-and-still-young-at-just-over-90-years right to vote.
After our civic outing, we can return home, make some very tasty home-popped popcorn (pass the parmesan cheese, please) and overrun Netflix with requests for "Votes for Women," delightfully subtitled "Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way." Actually, I just checked on Netflix; you're going to have to request the disk ahead of voting day as it's not available to watch instantly. Available instantly, though, is "Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony: Not for Ourselves Alone," should you find yourself popcorn-ed up and no disk in the mail.
If you need to register, or help others register, here's the info. Illinois' primary will be held on Feb. 22 and the general election is April 5. Hey, that makes two times in 2011 you can hang with girls and have fun while educating and celebrating. And if you need to brush up on who's running for what, visit chicagoelections.com. Please know, with Daley not running for a seventh term, we'll need to pay special attention to all of the races and positions, and not just the mayoral campaign. This year could bring about some interesting opportunities for us to ensure that the needs of women and girls are understood and represented in each and every office.
Get Smart with Your Money.
I like money. I like what it can do for my organization and how it lets me provide for my family. I like how its mere presence in small and large amounts can change the game each of us play in life. This year, discover all the ways you can keep more of this money for yourself and for ways you can instill the concept of smart money management as power in girls.
This spring, Chicago will celebrate another Smart Money Week, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank. Cities across the country celebrate with week-long events hosted by many community partners to help members of the general public learn how to better manage their personal finances. Chicago's 2011 Money Smart Week will be held April 2-9, 2011. Mark this down on your calendar and plan to participate in an event or two. The YWCA will hold a seminar that week for women and their daughters and granddaughters. We'll have more information on the YWCA website as we get closer to April.
Read to Change the World
Join me in reading "Reality Bites Back." Ok, it's a book about TV, but the author does an amazing job of breaking down how women - and especially women of color - are constructed in reality TV. She gets to the root of how the women of color we see on reality TV contribute to larger society's marginalization of Black/Latina women as "difficult" or "hypersexualized." (Thanks to YWCA staffer Rachel for the recommendation and review.)
Volunteer. And yes, take the girls in your life, too.
I took my children volunteering over the holiday break and it's a wonderfully quirky and enjoyable experience. There's parental pride in watching your children in a new environment doing things they haven't done before and doing them for other people. It's a wonderful way to instill a sense of service in them at an impressionable age. It's also good for you too. Volunteering helps me remember the larger community in which we all live, and gives me a little nudge to remember and count my blessings. Chicago Cares is a great clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities.
Finally, be good to yourself. I think of resolutions/evolutions as a way to fine-tune the direction I'm heading in life. I certainly don't need them to be yet another set of expectations about which to feel bad if I don't live up to them. Celebrate when you do any of the things you want to do and let yourself know you're on the right track. It's the movement that matters.
Follow Christine Bork on Twitter: www.twitter.com/YWCAChicagoCEO
Hard to see how we're going to win any major battles if everyone stays hunkered down in their (comfort zone) silos.