AAUW San Diego Branch holds a variety of general meetings and special programs throughout the year. General meetings include Public Policy, Women’s Health, Author’s Luncheon, Honoring Senior Members, Current Issues and Voter Information.

Additionally, the Branch has Special Interest Book and Play Reader Groups which meet monthly at member homes. We have an active “Lunch Bunch” who enjoy meeting once a month at various restaurants. If you are newly retired, or have a non-traditional work schedule, you may enjoy visiting one of these micro-gatherings.

Our General Meetings usually are held as a Saturday morning or luncheon event.  Special Programs, which include a variety of Scholarship Fund Raisers for Middle School through PhD-candidate girls and women, are listed below.

Tech Trek is a math/science/technology camp designed to develop science appreciation andself-confidence in young women who will enter eighth grade in the fall. It features hands-on activities in math, science and related fields. Our AAUW-San Diego branch sends at least 3 girls a year to Tech Trek at the UC San Diego campus.

Tech Trek has been held each year since 1998 and is located at several college campuses: Stanford University, Mills College, California State University Fresno, University of California (UC) Santa Barbara, UC San Diego and Whittier College.
   
This specialty science and technology camp has been created to provide attendees with exposure to core science and math subjects and a number of rotating labs. Instructors include teachers as well as professional women currently engaged in math, science or technology fields. Programs in astronomy, engineering, marine biology and environmental studies enhance the learning experience and introduce students to a variety of potential career opportunities.
   
Campers are nominated by local area seventh grade math and science teachers. The selection process also includes an essay and personal interview. Local AAUW branches pay each camper’s fee for room, board and most education materials. Each camper and/or her family is responsiblefor a $50 materials fee.
   
Tech Trek is a wonderful opportunity for young women. The San Diego branch of AAUW is proud to sponsor the excellent caliber students who attend Tech Trek each summer.

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Mission: The AAUW Educational Foundation provides funds to advance education, research, and self-development for women and to foster equity and positive societal change. The American Association of University Women EF in California is pleased to have 37 fellows studying in California for the 2006-7 academic year. There are many opportunities for members to support the AAUW EF which is the world’s largest funding source for women at the graduate level.

For many years the San Diego Branch has raised money for EF principally through the Red Sock Luncheon. The annual event is held the second Saturday in December. Members receive an invitation along with a red sock in which to put their donation. Live entertainment, a fellows guest speaker, traditional turkey and trimmings make the EF Red Sock Luncheon a kickoff to gift giving during the holiday season. 

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LAF works on behalf of all campus women across the nation, including students, faculty, staff and administrators. Because equity is still an issue LAF believes that raising awareness of inequities and illegal behavior is the first step in promoting fair, healthy campuses for women and men.

 The Legal Advocacy Fund’s case support program challenges discriminatory practices such as sexual harassment, denial of tenure and promotion, pay inequity, retaliation, and access to athletic opportunities. In all LAF has provided more than $1.3 million to help defray plaintiffs’ legal costs in more than 100 cases.

LAF provides hundreds of hours of technical assistance and information to campus women and men each year. Through LAF’s nationwide referral network, experienced lawyers and social scientists serve as consultants to individuals seeking advice on sex discrimination in educational settings. The network – with more than 300 participants across the country – provides the information people need to make the best decisions about their legal recourse and options.

AAUW San Diego holds an annual Legal Advocacy Fund Raising event in the Spring of each year. In March, 2007, we held a “Framing the Feminine” Silent Auction soiree in conjunction with the San Diego Women’s Caucus for Art. Members of the Women’s Caucus for Art, generously donated original artwork for AAUW San Diego’s  LAF Silent Auction.

For information on how you can contribute to LAF, please e-mail eunis@aauwsandiego.org.

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The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund, which was originally established to fund college graduates in developing countries, supports a wide variety of projects in far-flung areas of the world: from Argentina to Senegal and Samoa to Georgia. During 2006, a total of $101,957 was approved to support 22 project grants, in addition to a grant for the International Federation of University Women Triennial Conference (August 2007 in Manchester, England). These 22 projects represented programs devised and implemented by women-based organizations for activities supporting literacy training, micro-credit, vocational skill training, girls’ education, and health care in addition to awareness programs that address such issues as gender equity, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, and female genital mutilation. A recent gift of one-million dollars was received by the VGIF, donated by its generous and beloved benefactor, Virginia Palmer. This most gracious gift provides the VGIF with an opportunity to move forward and to grow!

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Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations

Since 1956, the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women convenes its annual session for two weeks in late February or early March, a time frame that includes International Women’s Day (March 8th). The CSW is made up of 45 government delegates who are joined by representatives from approximately 100 other countries. Throughout the two-week period, these delegates deliberate on a specific topic related to the advancement of women and girls, e.g., ending violence against women and girls. Workshops and panel presentations as parallel events are also scheduled for the 5,000 representatives from hundreds of nongovernmental organizations (e.g., AAUW, IFUW) that also participate in the CSW. AAUW members interested in attending next year’s meeting are invited to contact Anne Hoiberg, International Interests Committee at ahoiberg@aol.com.    

By joining AAUW you belong to a community that breaks through educational and economic barriers so that all women have a fair chance.