YWCA Greater Atlanta is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The association has four core programs that have been curated to ensure positive change for women and their families in the Atlanta community. One of these programs is YWCA Greater Atlanta’s Georgia Women’s Policy Institute (GWPI), focused on educating cohorts of passionate women about the state policy change process and developing them into lifelong advocates for women and their families in Georgia.
Why state level policy?
Engagement in the state policymaking process is critical to making Georgia a safer and more equitable place for women and their families. Many issues that women and families face in Georgia are systemic, meaning policies and procedures have been put into place within our governmental and societal systems that make life more challenging for marginalized groups.
To solve these issues, those policies must be dismantled and replaced with ones that will have positive impacts on the lives of women and their families. State-level policies often shape people’s daily lives more than federal ones; because they determine how local and state resources are used and the state’s values and priorities.
It is imperative that individuals engage in the policy-making process. Democracies rely on citizens and advocates to keep the government accountable to its people. By forming coalitions, many individuals may wield greater influence over issues they care about.
And why women?
Legislators cannot be experts on every topic. It is vital that the people who are most directly impacted have “seats at the table” so that they may have the chance to speak about how proposed policies could work in their lives. Unfortunately, women are disproportionately affected by nearly every issue, from health and safety to economic empowerment and social justice. We also recognize that black,…
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