Making Connections, Sharing Resources: Join Program Committee Calls!

We are using this image on our actionnetwork.org public petition to the POTUS/Senate to sign and give consent to the ratification of the UN TPNW (Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons).

By Teresa Castillo (Fresno branch) and Barbara Nielsen (San Francisco branch)
Chairs, Program Committee

The Program Committee welcomed many branches at our March meeting. Looking forward to our next call and more branch participation!

We had many branches represented on our March call in addition to our issues committees, and are seeking a representative from as many branches and groups as possible to join in our Program Committee monthly call series. On the call, we share firsthand what our branches and our issues committees are doing and how our activism relates throughout the section. We learned a lot through shared information and questions on national and local activities and actions. We are hoping to increase info sharing and coordination with all branches, particularly those with issues committees that parallel our national issues committees, and to find ways to expand our issues committees’ interactions with branches and groups around the national Solidarity Events that are being promoted via the ONE WILPF calls team.

Several of our issues committees have begun to make connections around the WILPF-based activism supporting the Poor People's Campaign days of action that many branches will being engaged in. The PPC’s third week, around Memorial Day, will focus on Veterans and Militarism and our DISARM-End Wars issues committee members are working on actions then, too. We would like to facilitate sharing of resources that could be helpful throughout the section. Some other examples: Nationwide Spring Days of Action to End the Wars at Home and Abroad on April 14 – 15; Tax Day (Move the Money) on April 17; Earth Day, ANA’s DC Days in May; the WILPF-US Solidarity Events relative to the Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemorative ceremonies and actions in August.

Branches Facebook Pages: Please note we are still seeking information from each branch or geographic region with a Facebook page and to find out who in your branch/region/group is the contact person. So far, we know of these besides the main US Section Facebook page: Boston, Cape Cod, Pittsburgh, Greater Philadelphia, Essex County (NJ), NY Metro, Houston, Rockport Monthly Meeting, St. Louis, Madison, Des Moines, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, Peninsula/Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, Monterey County, Fresno, East Bay-San Francisco, Utah. What branches are we missing? Please let us know by contacting Barbara Nielsen (email below)!

Our goal is to have all branches represented on our monthly committee meeting calls so we can exchange information and overcome the “silo” phenomenon of working parallel but not in conjunction with each other. Then we can work on outreach to our at-large members for your activism in your communities as well. This plan moves us forward in both WILPF membership capacity-building and in promoting effective activism in our communities.

For further information, contact the chairs:
Teresa Castillo (taca_03@ymail.com); Barbara Nielsen (bln.sf.ca@gmail.com)