February 2024 Newsletter: A Bolder Way Forward

A Bolder Way Forward Advocates,

Welcome to the second edition of our A Bolder Way Forward (BWF) monthly newsletter! The BWF is growing daily and moving forward on many fronts. This mid-month newsletter will keep you updated. See announcements and updates to five areas below:

NEW RESEARCH: In partnership with BWF leaders, the Utah Women & Leadership Project (UWLP) conducted a fall statewide survey to establish a baseline of public perceptions related to the awareness, understanding, and attitudes around challenges that Utah women and girls face. We are pleased to announce the release of four new research summaries: Political & Civic Representation, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment & Gender-Based Discrimination. The first three research summaries by spoke (area of focus) were released in mid-January (see summaries here).

LEGISLATION: We want to make you aware of our new public policy webpage. For the 2024 General Session of the 65th Utah Legislature (January 16 to March 1), BWF Spoke Leaders have requested that we highlight proposed legislation that may impact Utah women and girls, specifically as it relates to the mission and spoke bold goals of a BWF. You will see some related social media from the BWF coming out that will keep you updated. We have many partners who are moving legislation in areas like the gender pay gap, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, childcare, civic engagement, K-12 math, and sexual harassment. Thanks to all who are involved in this work.

SPOKES: All the spoke bold goals (outcomes) have now been set, and you’ll see links to related visual dashboards within the next month. You will be able to see the 2023 baseline and how we plan to change by 2026 and 2030. Working groups are being formed around specific topics within each spoke; check out each spoke webpage and let us know how you would like to be involved.

IMPACT TEAMS: We currently have 12 Impact Teams that address issues that permeate across and influence each spoke that will need attention. The four overarching "rim" topics include sexism, male allyship, culture (i.e., arts/music and women's history), and identity (i.e., race & ethnicity, LGBTQ+, neuroequality, disabilities, refugees and immigrants, age, interfaith, and veterans & service women). Contact Brie Sparks at brie.sparks@usu.edu for more details on opportunities within these teams.

COUNTY COALITIONS: We are thrilled to announce that since August, A Bolder Way Forward County Coalitions have been established in 16 of Utah's 29 counties. The support has been remarkable, and the momentum is growing. Work at the grassroots is key to making long-term societal change, and that means getting the message to every city, neighborhood, and family in Utah. We encourage you to get involved in your own county coalition. If you are in the remaining 13 counties (i.e. Beaver, Daggett, Garfield, Juab, Kane Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Wasatch, and Wayne), we can use your help today in helping set things up for our upcoming visits in April and May. Please reach out to Deborah Lin at deborah.lin@usu.edu. We are establishing the Salt Lake County Coalition on February 29, so email Deborah if you want to be involved. Thanks to our partners for this gathering: Salt Lake County, USU Extension - Salt Lake County, United Way of Salt Lake City - Women United, and the Salt Lake Community College Women in Higher Education Network (UWHEN).

GET INVOLVED: If you are interested in a variety of areas, you can take this Interest Survey, and if your company/organization would like to get engaged, you can complete this Organizational Interest Survey. Join us on the BWF social media platforms: LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram. Subscribe at www.abolderwayforward.org to receive these updates to your own inbox if you received a forwarded email.

Share this newsletter to help spread the word. Now is the time, Utah is the place, for A Bolder Way Forward!

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