Puffin West is continuing its philanthropic support of The Women’s Fund and will be a major sponsor of the screening the film GIRL RISING to 250 students, their parents and families from Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls and Columbus School for Girls on December 10, 2013; 6:30pm – 8:30pm at the Columbus School for Girls Theatre. This film will share with these young women the importance of girls’ education both locally and globally. This project will bring together students from a Columbus Public School and a Columbus Private School and will help start and hopefully cultivate an engaging relationship between them. On the Friday following the event, Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls will host a lunch for leaders of the 8th grade from both schools. The Women’s Fund will participate as observers of the luncheon. The girls will be asked to discuss the film and how they can move forward as girl leaders. This film has great cultural relevance as whenever it is shown it promotes the fact that if women stand together, they have the power to change society. The film’s messaging will help shape and sharpen the dialogue so that women and girls not only remain in the conversation, but also are able to begin the conversation!
PFW supported the 2012 SRO screening at the Arena Grand of MISS REPRESENTATION which gave a commentary on how media manipulates public perception and alters the public’s sense of what is beautiful. The collective message that women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, not in her capacity as a leader. These media’s images of women and girls have degraded them consistently and methodically to erode their power, barring women from having a ‘seat at the table’ or ‘voice in the room’. This event was a call to action for all women and girls, and a reminder that leadership roles should not be denied them and that they could and should step up. PFW also contributed to the visit to Columbus, OH by Abigail Disney in 2011 which was sponsored by WOSU when she spoke to an audience about the impact of war on children and their mothers and how woman can mobilize their collective powers for peace building.
