Economic Opportunity, Special Events
Call for Submissions: 2019 WREN Summit
by Eme Crawford on Oct 11, 2018
“If we continue on the current path, women will not receive equal pay to men until 2059… [A]nd if the rate of progress of electing women to statewide office continues at the same pace as it has since 1975, it will be 200 years before we reach gender parity in South Carolina. So what do we tell our daughters and granddaughters? Do we tell them, ‘it’s not your turn yet. You need to wait.’? No, we should not have to wait for basic equality. The time is now.” –Ann Warner, WREN launch event, 2016
WREN is now accepting presentation submissions for our 2019 summit on April 1 in downtown Columbia.
We welcome submissions that explore how we can build both individual and collective commitments on women’s economic empowerment from speakers from the community and public and private sectors, poets, musicians, researchers, and breakout sessions that explore the theme of The Time is Now through a cross section of issues like:
- Pay equity;
- Livable wages;
- Accessible and affordable childcare, housing, healthcare, and transportation;
- Gender and race wealth gap;
- Women’s leadership in the public, private and political sectors;
- Safe, inclusive, and equitable workplace practices;
- Diversifying participants in traditionally male spaces (e.g. manufacturing, construction, military, sports, agriculture, etc.)
- Women’s entrepreneurship;
- Salary negotiations;
- Caregiving (e.g. childcare, kinship care, caring for children with special needs, caring for aging loved ones, etc.);
- Protections for domestic workers (e.g. nannies, housekeepers, caregivers for the elderly, etc.)
- Valuing women’s work;
- Women and the gig economy;
- Representation of women, girls, and gender-oppressed people in the media;
- Dismantling toxic masculinity;
- Self care and supportive spaces;
- Role of faith in women’s economic empowerment; and
- Freedom from violence.
Click here to see examples of panels and breakout sessions from last year’s summit.
Proposals should:
- Raise awareness of the economic issues (this includes broadening our definition of what impacts women’s economic mobility) women face in South Carolina;
- Be specific in their focus and what they would uniquely contribute to the summit;
- Have a clear call-to-action; and
- Be engaging and dynamic.
Diverse voices build sustainable movements. WREN values and encourages intersectional, interactive, and participatory proposals from a diverse set of presenters. Based on the pool of submissions, WREN may ask that accepted presenters partner with others and adjust their presentation based on the needs of the overall Summit.
How to Submit
Send the following information to ecrawford@scwren.org by 1/7/19:
- Presenter’s bio (100 words max);
- Description of topic and how you aim to present it—individual talk, panel, workshop, etc.—(500 words max) ;
- Description of intended audience (50 words max); and
- Statement of what you envision your audience taking away from your presentation and what action it might inspire (50 words max).
Selection Process
Selections will be made by the WREN Summit’s Planning Committee using a blind submission process base on the bulleted criteria above. Presenters who have been selected will be notified by 2/7/19.
To learn more about last year’s Summit, click here.