[Imc-girls] Draft of Press Release

[zoe g]

it is me, zoe ginsburg who goes to University high. not zoe swords.
-zoeg 


> I just wrote up this possible press release for R.A.G.G.  Please read 
and
> send comments.  I will revise and send out a revision.  When we've 
got one
> we like, we can start distributing it to local papers.
> 
> Shawn, Danielle and Zoe - I made up some quotes and attributed them 
to you,
> please read and make sure you don't hate them.
> As I quoted each of you, I tried to show your other ties to the 
community,
> so people will start to identify us as real people that they know.
> 
> Shawn - I realized that I don't know what you do, and I tried to look 
you up
> on the web at the U of I, but I'm not sure all of the information was
> current and correct.  Please let me know how you'd like me to 
identify you
> in the press release, if you don't like what I dug up (or if it's 
flat-out
> wrong).
> 
> -A.
> 
> ------------------------
> PRESS RELEASE FOR RAGG
> ------------------------
> 
> A group of local girlz and womyn have started to create a space for
> themselves and others through the local Independent Media Center.
>  R.A.G.G. - the Resource and Action Group for Girlz-n-Womyn - is a 
local
> grassroots partnership OF girlz and womyn FOR girlz and womyn whose 
aim is
> to provide safe spaces, resources, and activities to foster 
creativity,
> self-expression, and empowerment.  Inspired by the long-time efforts 
of the
> now-defunct local organization, GirlZone, R.A.G.G. plans to provide 
social
> activities and workshops to girlz and womyn in Champaign County.  In
> addition, R.A.G.G. aims to become a central resource for disseminating
> information about other resources for females in the 
community.  "There are
> programs and resources for girlz and womyn in this community that not
> everyone knows about.  We hope to get the word out to other females 
about
> where the safe and fun places are for us here," says Shawn Williams, 
one of
> R.A.G.G.'s core organizers and employee of the Urban Exchange Center 
at the
> University of Illinois. "Not only do we want to provide safe spaces 
for
> girlz & womyn, we want other organizations and even businesses to do 
the
> same.  If we can be *the* place to go to find out about any female-
centric
> events and offerings in the community, we make it easy for people to 
get the
> word out when they want to offer something along those lines".
> 
> In addition, R.A.G.G. will be listening to it's female organizers and
> participants to find out what they'd like to see in the community 
that's
> lacking.  "Girlz are often looking to learn things that aren't 
available
> from their regular resources - like  non-main-stream foreign 
languages,
> skateboarding, and how to be politically active in their community," 
says
> Zoe Swords, another core organizer and student at University High 
School.
> "If we have somewhere to go where we can say 'Hey - can you find us a
> resource for this', then we have a safe place to open doors for 
ourselves."
> R.A.G.G. aims to fill this need by taking requests from girlz and 
womyn in
> the community and trying to offer, or inspire others to offer, 
workshops,
> classes, or other activities on requested topics.
> 
> R.A.G.G. is a partnership of both girlz and womyn, because females of 
all
> ages have a lot to teach each other.  According to Danielle 
Chynoweth, a
> third core organizer and Urbana City Councilwoman, "while the womyn 
in the
> organization have a lot of resources to offer to the girlz, the girlz 
are
> instrumental in reminding us who we are, what are programs are about, 
and
> inspiring us to learn things we have begun to think we are 'too old' 
to
> learn."
> 
> R.A.G.G. has done some limited initial fund-raising but plans to kick-
off
> with a bang on Saturday, May 29th.  R.A.G.G. will host a day full of
> workshops at the Independent Media Center and other downtown Urbana
> locations, followed by a benefit show and kick-off party in the 
evening.
> Workshops will be limited to girlz and womyn only, but the evening
> entertainment is open to all.  Registration for workshops will be at 
the
> IMC - check the R.A.G.G. website for details in early May -
> http://ragg.ucimc.org.
> 
> Any girl or woman interested in joining the R.A.G.G. working group 
that
> organizes R.A.G.G. activities should send an email to imc-
girls at ucimc.org.
> We're calling for girlz and womyn of all types to join in a community 
effort
> to create a safe and empowering space for all of us. Through skill 
sharing,
> community organizing, education, activism, and just plain old support,
> R.A.G.G. hopes to provide girlz and womyn with a network and outlet 
for
> unleashing their creativity, strength, and power!
> 
> 
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Anne Odom * Product Manager * WebEasel, Inc.
> WebEasel - It's that easy!
> anne at webeasel.net * www.webeasel.net * 217.344.0444
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Imc-girls mailing list
> Imc-girls at lists.cu.groogroo.com
> http://lists.cu.groogroo.com/cgi-bin/listinfo/imc-girls
> 
> 
> 

--