“Safe cosmetics”–before  January of this year, that term meant nothing to me.  By the time this past semester rolled around, I began to understand the importance of safe cosmetics through the Supporting a Cause curriculum.  The girls made natural beauty products to sell at the end of the semester.  The girls orchestrated the sale, then donated the profits to a cause of their choice. Fast forward to summer, and I’m an intern,...

This summer, women are almost nowhere to be seen on movie screens. Manohla Dargis pointed out their absence several weeks ago in the New York Times, noting that Bridesmaids and Bad Teacher are among the few summer blockbusters with female protagonists in a season filled with masculine action heroes (X-Men: First Class, Green Lantern, Captain America). Significantly, she notes, Cameron Diaz “at one point washes a car in slow motion while...

Though most of our Pittsburgh mentors and girls have completed Strong Women, Strong Girls for the program year—the college women returning home for the summer to be with their families, the girls preparing for their summer activities—all have left their communities with tangible, sustainable, and quite impressive contributions as a result of the service projects they completed this semester. The SWSG learning model followed by our...

“Don’t you remember Are You There God? Its Me Margaret?!” “NO, what about Goosebumps?!” “Ah! Those were the best – remember the Boxcar Children?” Recently, in the office it was a trip down book memory lane. We spent a good 20 minutes recounting the stories that we read in school, for summer reading, and throughout our pre-adolescence. What sparked this recounting, you may ask? Well, get out those reading specs,...

Today is World Malaria Day. According to scholars, reducing the impact of malaria is key to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, agreed by every United Nations Member State. These goals include not only combating the disease itself, but also goals related to women’s and children’s rights and health, access to education and the reduction of extreme poverty. As members of a women’s community, we are charged...