Women leaders promote social change
By SARAH NESTOR
News Writer
Joann Kane, CEO of McAuley Institute, and Sylvia Puente, of the Latino Studies Department at Notre Dame, spoke together Thursday in a forum about the importance of women as community leaders.
The forum, "Women as Catalysts for Social Change: Women's Leadership and Community Development," allowed the women to share their ideas about how communities can work together to fulfill their needs.
A grant has allowed Puente to work with community members, especially immigrants, so that everyone is involved in building the kind of community they would like and still be able to afford it. Puente does this through surveys of what the community needs.
"The community can decide for itself what it needs through assessments," Puente said. "For the past year I have worked in Mexican immigrant communities outside Chicago. Their first priority was education, not surprisingly, as it is in most cases."
The McAuley Institute also works in developing communities by focusing on homelessness among low-income women and their families. The Institute was formed by the Sisters of Marcy of the Americas in 1984 and has since made affordable housing for 10,000 people nationwide.
"We are consultants and counselors," Kane said. "We work in public policy for not only the immediate needs of the community but for the future."
The Institute has also formed a peer support group for women across America, known as The National Network of Women in Community Development. It is open to all women working in communities who share a commitment to their community's goals and missions.
"Women leaders are essential to operate outside the bounds," Kane said. "A lot of people say women are motivated by children and family, but that is only one entity of their identity."
Joann Kane and Sister Jean Forkin of the McAuley Institute will be discussing opportunities for internships and how students can become involved in the new collegiate level of the National Network for Women in Community Development today at noon in the Wedge Room of the dining hall.
All News Stories for Friday, April 12, 2002
