Women's Resilience Conference Held at Hostos Community College

Hostos Community College wrapped Women’s History Month with a celebration of women’s resilience and empowerment. 
 
On March 23, Hostos’ Center for Bronx Nonprofits and the New York Women’s Foundation teamed up to present the 2018 Women’s Resilience Conference. The informative and celebratory event featured the work of people and organizations whose work helps to empower and enhance the lives of women.
 
Nonprofit leaders and staff, students, those working in the fields of domestic abuse children and family services, public policy makers, government relations and community affairs representatives, and more were in attendance. 
 
The daylong summit was held in from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Hostos Café, and featured panel discussions, pop-up table talks, speakers from various organizations and workshops on discrimination, harassment, stress reduction and empowerment.
 
“Now more than ever it is time to share the important work being done by community organizations around the issues facing women,” said Eileen Newman, Executive Director of Hostos’ Center for Bronx Nonprofits. “I was thinking about the young women here at Hostos, and I wanted to bring people together to discuss some of the challenges they face. The more I thought about them, the more I thought about the resilience women show to create opportunities for themselves and others. After more discussion, we thought partnering with the New York Women’s Foundation, as well as other community partners, would bring this idea to another level.”
 
Guests included a representative from Spring Bank, which offers loans and lines of credits to small businesses; the Executive Director of New York City’s Commission on Gender Equity; and the Founding Director of Women of Color in the Arts, and a native Bronxite, who soon will open the only bookstore in the Bronx.
 
“We realize that women who are resilient are the foundation of all families, are the problem solvers in our communities, and so this just connected so much with our foundation,” said Lorraine Stephens, VP of Strategic Planning and Government Relations at the New York Women’s Foundation, in an interview with BronxNet.
 
The New York Women’s Foundation presented some of the organizations that have received Resilience Grants from them and Safe Horizon conducted a workshop on harassment.