On April 23rd, our Spring panelists joined Tom Williams on Utah Public Radio’s Access Utah program to ask: Now What?

Last year, the Giving Circle asked, How can we take a stand against sexual harassment? In our own lives, in our families, in our communities?

In 2019, the Giving Circle asks, How can we reweave the fabric of gender culture and create healthy relationships?

On October 15, 2017, actress Alyssa Milano sent out a pivotal message on Twitter: “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.”

The response were shocking.

Within 24 hours, her request generated thousands of replies, comments and retweets, inspiring thousands more original posts on social media, with women and men from around the world sharing personal stories that had often never been disclosed.

The #MeToo movement kicked off numerous important conversations, movements and legislation. In this interview, we asked: What Now?

How can each of us take an active role in reweaving the gender culture in our country?

Featuring: 

Christina Jepson, the chair of the Parsons Behle & Latimer’s Employment and Labor Law practice group, regularly representing employers in sexual harassment lawsuits and providing training and consultation to shift corporate culture.

Jennifer Oxborrow, the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization, the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition, and in addition to her work in advocacy, Jenn has worked as a therapist in private practice serving adults and children with a history of trauma and victimization.

Tiffany Turley, the Title IX Coordinator at Brigham Young University, serving as the director of BYU’s Women’s Services & Resources prior to that. Tiffany is a passionate advocate for women and a certified sexual assault crisis counselor.

Listen in to the recording here.

UTAH WOMEN’S GROUP INVESTS MORE THAN $150,000 INTO WOMEN & GIRLS FOLLOWING EIGHTH  YEAR OF AWARDING GRANTS  

Salt Lake City, Utah –– The Utah Women’s Giving Circle, a grassroots group formed in 2011 to  award grants to nonprofits in Utah whose programs benefit women and girls in Utah, awarded its eighth round of grants on Thursday, January 24^th.  In the past eight years the Utah Women’s Giving Circle has awarded  more than $150,000 in grants  with a total of 41 high impact projects.

Eight local nonprofits made it to the final ballot and made in-person presentations for  $17,000 in funds with projects targeting the group’s 2018 focus on sexual harassment, mirroring the prominent cultural movement taking place across the country. Members voted to award their collective pool of $17,000 across five initiatives:

$5,000 Grant: Utah Rape Recovery Center

Financing the production of targeted public service announcements tackling the subject of sexual harassment from the lens of enthusiastic consent, encouraging Utahn’s to consider the many ways that a consent culture can be created here in our state.

$4,000 Grant: Utah Women’s Coalition

Funding to support policy change in the 2019 legislative session to protect Utah workers employed at companies with 14 or fewer employees, who currently have no legal protection from sexual harassment or discrimination based on gender, religion, age, disability, race, national origin, or sexual orientation.

$3,000 Grant: Utah Public Radio

Funding the 2019 Access Utah original series “Stopping Sexual Harassment” paired with a community outreach event to raise awareness, share experiences and expertise, and collectively seek solutions to solve the problem of sexual harrassment.

$3,000 Grant: International Rescue Committee

Supporting the expansion of the Bridge to Safety program, which responds to domestic violence and sexual assault among refugee women, to include sexual harassment education for resettled refuge women and girls in Salt Lake City.

$2,000 Grant: Boys & Girls Clubs of Salt Lake

Supporting the delivery of the Safe Dates program at seven Boys & Girls Clubs locations in 2019, an evidence-based program for middle and high school students designed to stop or prevent the initiation of dating violence, victimization, and perpetration.

“The collective action and genuine community present in the Giving Circle makes membership very rewarding, all with a very accessible membership donation amount,” shared Pearl Wright, a longstanding member of more than five years who voted  in person at the event.

Stephanie Pitcher, a member of Utah’s House of Representatives and founder of the Utah Women’s Coalition, which received it’s very first grant from the Utah Women’s Giving Circle in 2016 and another award this year reflected, said “The one thing that’s always been really meaningful to us is the opportunity to be funded by women from our local community, which really speaks to the values in our state.”

Another two-time grantee, Tom Williams from Utah Public Radio noted, “The Utah Women’s Giving Circle amplifies and enables the great work being done by many organizations in our state. Utah Public Radio is grateful for the support which enables us to fulfill important parts of our mission and share this work with our entire community.”

---

Membership is inclusive for women of all ages and incomes through a $250 annual donation or a $50 annual donation for girls under 18. Women can become Lifetime Members through a one-time gift of $1,000. Public and corporate donations and sponsorship are also welcome. For more information, visit www.utahwomensgivingcircle.com or email wgc@utahcf.org.

The Utah Women’s Giving Circle is fiscally sponsored by the Community Foundation of Utah, a catalyst for philanthropy that is visionary, diverse, and inclusive. More information can be found at www.utahcf.org.