National NOW Times >> Winter 05-06  >> Article

Campus NOW Chapters Provide Resources for Young Feminists

By Emily Reynolds, Young Feminist Coordinator

With the situation in our country getting scarier by the minute, young feminists across the country are stepping up to the plate. Emily Reynolds, the Coordinator of Young Feminist Programs, is ready to help campus activists prepare for the oncoming battles. Reynolds will help interested students organize Campus NOW chapters and Campus Action Networks (CANs), fuse young feminism into the campaign du jour, and identify new ways that NOW can reach young feminists.

The Action Center has received many requests to start NOW groups on college and high school campuses. Young women around the country are concerned about the current state of our political system, and are looking to NOW as a base for their activism.

As some CANs are getting started, existing CANs and campus chapters have been organizing great actions. Young feminists across the country mobilized around the Roberts nomination. For example, Indiana University developed a letter writing campaign, and the University of Utah CAN organized a coat hanger action to raise awareness about the danger Roberts presents to Roe v. Wade. Kristen Doyle, President of Ithaca College NOW CAN, wrote an article for her campus newspaper to raise awareness about the hearings.

Love Your Body Day is another popular campus campaign. The Rutgers Chapter, led by Katie Blouse, organized an extremely successful Ladyfest event, including a silent action. Liz Funk leads the Capitol City District (NY) Chapter, made up mostly of high school students who have organized ongoing MTV protests and postcard campaign. Liz uses blogs as an effective way to spread the word about her events.

Mark your calendars for our Young Feminist Summit in July 2006. The Summit will feature young feminist speakers, workshops and entertainment. For more information and to register for the conference, visit the conference Web page at www.now.org/conference. To bring NOW to your campus, please visit the Web site, www.now.org/campus, or contact Emily Reynolds at youngfeminist@now.org.