Herland Sister Resources

thursday
november 13, 2008

The director of an organization focused on preventing violence and prejudice in schools and colleges has been invited to provide the keynote address at the upcoming Stop Hate in the Hallways 2 Conference: Strategies for Preventing School Violence.
The one-day conference presented by the Cimarron Alliance Foundation is set for Thursday, Nov. 13, at the National Center for Employee Development, 2801 E. State Hwy. 9, Norman. The conference will address hands-on strategies for preventing school violence and will feature a keynote address by Stephen L. Wessler, director of the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence at the University of Southern Maine and former Maine assistant attorney general.
Organizers hope educators, policy makers, attorneys, law enforcement personnel and community leaders will attend the conference, which will focus training on the intervention and prevention of bullying and harassment.
“This conference has been developed out of concern for all children and youth who may be bullied or harassed in our schools today,” said Randy Tate, Cimarron board member and conference organizer. “National data on bullying and harassment suggest that bullies most often target children and youth who differ from the mainstream population because of a religious, racial, gender or sexual orientation bias.”
Between 2000 and 2005, FBI data show simple assault in schools went from 16,898 reported cases to 129,675 cases, and intimidation went from 5,154 to 35,715 cases. According to data analyzed by Harris Interactive, for example, 68 percent of Latino students have been harassed or assaulted in high school and 90 percent of LGBT students have reported similar situations.
Wessler will provide keynote remarks during the conference. His center develops and implements programs in schools, colleges and communities to prevent bias, prejudice, harassment and violence and promotes writing and teaching on issues relating to bias-motivated violence. He has conducted scores of trainings on preventing hate violence to educators, students, police officers and community members. In 1998, Wessler participated in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Working Group, which developed and piloted the National Hate Crimes Training Curriculum.
“Stephen Wessler is strong advocate in the fight against school violence. His no-nonsense approach brings the entire school community - administrators, faculty, parents, students, even the school bus drivers - into the fight to make our schools safe for every child,” said Rob Howard, Cimarron Alliance Foundation executive director. “He excludes no children in his efforts, regarding violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth to be as much of a concern to the community as religious, ethnic, and racial discrimination. This is going to be an exceptional one-day conference.”
Beth Reis, a health educator from Seattle, Wash., and co-founder of the Safe Schools Coalition, also will conduct two workshops that will center on helping campuses become safe places where every educator can teach and every child can learn regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
State Attorney General Drew Edmonson is slated to provide opening comments for the conference, which will also feature a panel of high school students who will discuss real-life examples of harassment in their own schools.
Total tuition for the conference is $75, which includes lunch as well as five continuing-educational units (CEUs), three of them for Ethics, for licensed mental health professionals. Training certificates will be given to educators to apply for educational credits with their districts.
The first Stop Hate in the Hallways was held in October 2007 and drew more than 350 attendees from more than 20 Oklahoma communities. Cimarron was supported by 53 partner organizations, including national, state and local nonprofit organizations and three government agencies to develop and promote the conference. Kevin Jennings, founder and chief executive officer for GLSEN, was the featured keynote speaker.
For more information about the conference or the Cimarron Alliance Foundation, visit http://www.stophateinthehallways.org/ or http://www.cimarronalliance.org/.

saturday
november 15
10 am—4 pm
The annual Fall Peace Festival is one of the Oklahoma City Peace House’s premier contributions to the Oklahoma City peace and justice community.  Organizations from across the state display their information or sell their fair trade goods to holiday shoppers.
Organizations that participate are too numerous to name, but range from the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, to the Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus, to the First Unitarian Church’s Peace & Justice Committee, to the Department of Peace.
Thousands of people each year come through the Peace Festival, browsing the table and purchasing holiday gifts.
Entertainment is provided all day long, from 10:00 to 4:00.  The Fall Peace Festival is held in the Civic Center, Hall of Mirrors, 201 N. Walker.

from www.care2.com

“I’m sorry. It’s cancer.” With four words, your life is upended. What do you do? Where do you go? How do you find the information and support you need?  One option is the cancer support group.
My history of participation in cancer support groups began in 1991 with my first breast cancer diagnosis; I received my sixth this year. My first group taught me how to live with cancer. I’ve been perfecting my skills and passing on what I’ve learned ever since. For over four years I have co-facilitated two support groups for young people with cancer, one specifically for women with breast cancer, and the other for women and men with cancer of all types.
I found that first group among the classifieds in a neighborhood weekly, when the Internet was still in its nascent stage. I was relieved to find a group that catered to my specific needs–I sought information about alternative treatments for cancer–while I was simultaneously terrified and determined to hang on to my autonomy. Sometimes as many as 13 women showed up in my drop-in group.
We were different ages at different stages with different cancers, but we all wanted to know what else we could choose along with, or instead of, the standard offering of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. I was 38 and, until three months before, felt little need for conventional medicine beyond my annual visits to the gynecologist and dentist. My preferred form of medical care was acupuncture and I was well-versed in several kinds of non-Western healing traditions. When the lump found by my gynecologist turned out to be malignant, I naturally sought more unconventional ways to deal with it before going further with recommended treatment.
I received far more than information: Most of my breast cancer peers in that first support group had metastatic disease and were undergoing treatments through clinical trials for drugs that are now standard protocols. In my two years of attendance, I watched them navigate treatment failures and shift their priorities to choices about how to live while dying. I’m glad I had the fortitude to stay. I owe everything I know about living with a life-threatening disease to them. Four years later, my disease would metastasize, too, and all the lessons were there to guide me: the best practitioners; the appropriate treatments to add to the conventional methods I did choose; and the knowledge that we can keep on healing even as our disease progresses and, in some cases, outlives us.
FINDING A SUPPORT GROUP THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
Support groups are great for many, but they’re not for everyone. Like cancer treatments, they’re not one-size-fits-all, but you can try them on and you can try more than one. Sometimes you have to shop around, just like you do with oncologists and treatment plans. They’re not therapy, even when they’re led by psychotherapists; they don’t provide “treatment”. An effective group should offer mutual support, a shared commitment to respecting members’ choices, and an exchange of resources and wisdom–rather than advice.
This is a time for listening deeply to your needs, or, as a wise friend once proffered, to “follow your pulls.” If you decide to investigate, here are some points to consider as you identify your preferences:
Leadership
Some groups are led by peers, others by experienced counselors, nurses, doctors, psychotherapists, or spiritual teachers. Ask yourself which you prefer or try on a couple to answer that question.
Demographics
Pay attention to where, and with whom, you feel most comfortable. A good place to start is a support group with women who have recently been diagnosed and are roughly your age. You may find, though, that you want to hear from a more diverse group of people with cancer. If so, seek out mixed-gender groups or multi-generational ones. For metastatic cancer, whether at initial diagnosis or recurrence, consider looking for groups devoted to this stage of disease.
Closed or Drop-in?
Closed groups have the same members at each session, sometimes for a finite number of meetings. In this setting, some find it easier to trust and develop intimacy. Members may change frequently in drop-in groups, though often a core group develops and attends consistently. Drop-ins offer flexibility and the opportunity to hear new voices and viewpoints.
Focus
When starting out, or even when returning (if cancer recurs), you will most likely be focused on treatment options, decision-making, and the consequences and effects of your choices. It’s a given that you will also delve into the emotional aspects of this major life transition and, if you are so inclined, into the spiritual. You may be drawn to groups designed for working with cancer through art, writing and other forms of creative expression.

Wow!  Things here in Mississippi have changed and we can now truly say we are Ovettians! Our neighbors now love us and help us in any way they can. We and all our supporters came through for this little community after Katrina.  Many who would have never even come to this sacred space were forced through a terrible situation to “get to know us.” We are a pivotal member of this community now and to the surrounding areas.
Our co-founder, Brenda Henson died this past February. To say this was a huge blow to us is an incredible understatement. Even the trees are grieving her loss.
We are still operating at full capacity. However, costs have sky rocketed and our supporters are suffering through this economic nightmare as well. We just purchased propane for the winter months and only filled the two main tanks to save money. The cost is $880.
We are respectfully asking for your assistance in raising money to pay this particular bill. We need to get the rest of the propane tanks filled but cannot even think about doing it until we can get this paid. We know that many of you, like us, have little to give. But, you do know other people and they know others and so on and so forth. Would you please assist us and ask your friends and family to consider helping us. We are a non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible.
We have a Paypal link on our web site : www.campsisterspirit.com or our address is PO Box 12, Ovett, MS 39464.  If we could get 800 people to send just $1.00 it would solve the problem and ease our worried minds for at least THIS winter.
Thanking you in advance.
Andrea Gibbs-Henson, M. Ed.
Sister Spirit, Incorporated

Tulsa health care provider, Reproductive Services, is suing the state of Oklahoma, asking the state to throw out the law, and seeking an injunction to prevent the onerous and harmful Senate Bill 1878 from taking effect November 1st. 
SB 1878 was passed in April after the legislature overrode a Governor’s veto. The bill requires women to view an ultrasound one hour prior to an abortion procedure. This includes listening to a detailed description of the ultrasound image. Additionally, the bill includes a refusal clause which shatters the balance between the conscience of the health care provider and the needs of the patient and legislates additional guidelines in administering the medication abortion pill. For a comprehensive look at the law, you can view SB 1878 online.
The Center for Reproductive Rights is representing Reproductive Services. They state that the law intrudes on a patient’s privacy, endangers her health and assaults her dignity. The law also prevents a woman’s doctor from using his or her medical judgment for treatment. “Governments should stop playing doctor and leave medical determinations to physicians and health decisions to individuals,” said Stephanie Toti, a staff attorney for the U.S. Legal Program, a division of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Read more about this at the Tulsa World and at Truthout.org. 
Linda Meek, executive administrator of Reproductive Services in Tulsa, said if the law takes effect, it will be very difficult for her nonprofit clinic to survive. She said the law is an effort to throw up barriers to women who want an abortion. The law will make it more difficult for doctors at the clinic and will be very costly.
Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma will be watching the developments of this lawsuit very carefully and update you, our supporters, as developments unfold.