Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights's Blurbs
About me: Welcome to POWER - Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights
POWER is an organization of low-income parents and allies advocating for a strong social safety net while working toward a world where children and care giving are truly valued, and the devastation of poverty has been eradicated.
We are a new organization with a long history. Ten years of working as the Olympia chapter of WROC, the Welfare Rights Organizing Coalition, ended in the spring of 2007. (See http://www.olywip.org/site/page/article/2007/06/02.html for more info.) Since then, former WROC members and staff have been building POWER, a new statewide union of welfare recipients and allies with a stronger foundation. Member-led, consensus-based, POWER holds the following values:
Self Determination: We recognize the right of every person to determine the course of her own life, regardless of her class, race, gender identification, sexual orientation, or ability level. This includes the right to define her own identify, have basic needs met, access knowledge and learn skills; the choice of whether and when to have children; raise children according to her culture, convictions, spiritual beliefs, and intuition; and contribute to her community in meaningful ways. Our organization will reflect this in our treatment of one another, and forward these values in our culture and government.
Intentional and Strategic: We strive for our work to be powerful, responsive, and relevant to the needs of low-income families. To this end, we value independence and interdependence of local branches, and simplicity and openness of operations that allow for flexibility, personal relationships, sharing of power and responsibility, and holistic support of low-income parents. We strive for respectful, honest communication and healthy conflict.
Solidarity: While we are led by low-income parents and work towards their goals, we value knowing our local communities, and working to build coalitions. These coalitions will be inclusive of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability and religious differences, and the spectrum of political orientations of our members and allies. We will build solidarity with groups that have different focuses, and but share similar core values.
Children and Mothering: We honor the presence of children and caregivers in community life. We value the sacred work of care giving, and uphold the human rights of children.
Social Justice: We assert that the key to social justice is the equitable distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally, to meet basic human needs unconditionally, and to ensure that all people have full opportunities for personal and social development.
Woman-centered: We value women, and women’s full participation at all levels of society. We value the traditional work of women - homemaking, child and elder care, and community organizing and we believe women should be justly compensated. We assert that women’s lives are affected not only by sexism, but by the intersectionality of oppressions of gender, race, class, sexual orientation and others. We identify the historical women’s movement; however, we oppose racism and class ignorance within this movement.
Anti-oppression: We view racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and heterosexism as systemic, interrelated, and destructive to all of society. We work to end these and other forms of oppression at every level of our organization, our work and our relationships with each other. We work to create a world in which all people are valued, empowered, and have quality of life.
Throughout our tremendous changes, we have continued our important work:
*Providing information to low income parents about their legal rights to public benefits.
*Educating our communities about the realities of poverty, combating the very prevelent myths and stereotypes about welfare mothers.
Engaging with legislators and policy makers at the local, state and federal level to create and maintain a strong social safety net.
Using direct action to point out social and economic injustice.
Monday July 6, 2009 -- 5:30-8:00PM @ Long Lake! -- on the #68 bus route. Bring the clothes you don’t want to wear anymore and take away the things you do like that other people brought! Kids and kids clothing welcome too. bring your swimsuits and a potluck dish!
Who I'd like to meet: DONATE OR VOLUNTEER NOW!
You can mail us a donation today to POWER at:
701 Franklin SE, Olympia, WA 98501
If you live in Olympia, we hold volunteer meetings every Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 at our office downtown at 7th and Franklin in the Payne Room of the First Christian Church.
If that time doesn't work for you, or you live in another area, but still want to organize for welfare and economic rights, contact us:
* 360-352-9716 or toll free at 1-866-343-9716
* welfarerights@riseup.net
We offer a variety of ways for you to get involved.
Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights's Friend Space (Top 24)
Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights has 663 friends.
I'm truly honored to have you as a new friend. I look forward to getting to know you and to our friendship. Please stay in touch!
Take Care & God Bless, Sharon† *Proud Army Wife & Military Supporter *Bulldog Mom To Winston, Gracie & JJ *"Carolinas PI" and Animal & Child Protection Advocate *NC & SC State Director For Association Of Christian Investigators *NC, SC & GA State Director of Ms. Christian US Pageants “Celebrating the beauty inside and out of virtuous women!” *Owner/Founder of Bulldog Co Network
Hi Parents Organizing for Welfare and Economic Rights ... here is our latest 10 min. Shaman Strings live video 'Cave of Graves’ … everybody trying to see something new from those tombs.
Note: The video has 5 minutes cut from the middle of the live recording. LET US KNOW what you think ;-)
Just stopping by to say "Thank You" for all that you do. I hope that you tell each other that every day and that you know that your efforts are appreciated. There are too few real activists out there. Thanks for being one of them.
I know. HUH. She is so much like her dad. LOL. I know I have been meaning to try and see which one is you. It is odd to me to talk to people that I don't have a face I can connect it to.
Young Sisters Graduate on Saturday, Feb 21st, 2009, at the Democracy Center, which is located at 45 Mt. Auburn, Cambridge, MA 02138. Please join us at 5:30pm to learn more about the YSFJP program and the Young Sisters' transformational experience over the last 2 years. Or join us at 6:45pm for the Young Sisters' Graduation Ceremony. Dinner will be provided. More details to come!
Join the Young Sisters For Justice Listserv Today!
hey thanx 4 the add! im really appreciative of what you guys are working for... its inspiring & gives me hope for the future... keep up the good work! <3
See my New Blog With Famous JFK Speeches - 1OVE - Peace - Happiness - Unity - Success - Opportunity -
We Can Make A Better 2Morrow If We Stand, Love, Share And Lead By Example For Our Fellow Man, Woman and Child!! This Is Our Life, Our Country, Our State - Lets Turn It Into The Dream So Many Have Died For!!! So Our Children And There Children Can Live The Life Weve only Dreamed About!!
--JB
"Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly."
