We kicked off the new year right with fun outdoors icebreakers and group activities. Many thanks to the Adventure Network!

	Habitat For Humanity WOMEN BUILD A group of WILD women went up to the Bridgewater, NJ to work on their Women Build site. 30 women only on the worksite. We helped place aluminum siding, build a shed, caulk windows, etc.
	Ambassador Susan Burk U.S. Special Representative Susan Burk engaged WILD members in her rise from average college student to successful public servant and political leader.
	Linda Orlando Board of Trustees member Linda Orlando engaged WILD members in her rise from average college student to successful corporate leader. She also emphasized the importance of social media and reached out to students as a mentor.
	Lynn Richardson WILD members learned basic money management with money mogul, Lynn Richardson. Everything from learning how to save to living within one’s means, to managing credit card debt was covered.
	Letters To My Younger Self w/Ellyn Spragins Award-winning author, Ellyn Spragins, came to Georgian Court to lead our WILD women in this acclaimed reflective exercise from her series “Letters To My Younger Self.” This exercise benefits participants in allowing them to tell themselves something at a younger age that they’ve learned, to give encouragement to their younger self, to bring closure to past hurts, etc. WILD members enjoyed it immensely.
	WILD VIII Welcome Dinner We officially welcomed the newest members of the Women In Leadership Development program with dinner and an individual introductions as well as an introduction to the WILD Steering Committee.
	WILD VIII Retreat By far, one of the most engaging and touching WILD retreats since WILD began in 2003. I was amazed at how quickly our newest members jumped right into icebreakers and getting to know one another. Our WILD mentors did an excellent job in leading icebreakers and guiding their mentees throughout the process and the rest of the year. Critical Concerns Week Student Panel Students tackled the issue of racism and participated in panel discussions to open a dialogue about race relations.
	Healthy Relationships Seminar w/Ellen Gootblatt Mrs. Gootblatt won over WILD as soon as she set foot on GCUs campus. Her personality and “straight-no-chaser” talk about how to build and maintain healthy relationships was a winner during the Fall semester.
	In Her Shoes “In Her Shoes” is an interactive scenario-based training designed to help participants learn what dating is like for today’s teens from their perspective. Catholic Charities’ representatives came to lead WILD in this activity.
With 2010 under our belts, we’ve got our sights set on 2011 and we are charging full-speed ahead!

As we sleep-deprived WILD members trudged into the North Dining Room at 8:30am, after braving hurricane-like weather in our signature business casual outfits, the main thought on everyone’s mind was what is being served for breakfast and how fast can I inhale a cup of coffee. After finishing a fabulous breakfast and bracing cup of coffee, we were greeted by a cheerful and energetic Catholic Relief Services (CRS) organizer named Candice.

Far from the standard presentation I was expecting to receive about the merits of advocating on the behalf of others, Candice explained that we would be focusing on women during the day’s presentation. After briefly illustrating the difference between charity and justice, we were told that our topic for the day would be advocating for justice for women. We explored a range of topics, from trafficking in women and immigration, to conflict minerals in the Congo (think “Blood Diamond”) and severely lacking maternal health care services in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, to sweatshop conditions of women in India and the advances Fair Trade certified products are making in their communities, to microlending to women.

We are a very diverse group of women, and soon enough questions about cultural practices and motivations for them were flying around the room. Everyone felt very comfortable in asking questions and sharing their own life experiences. One student originally from Sierra Leone shared her personal testimony about the civil war in the early ‘90s. Although these were emotionally taxing issues, rather than walking away feeling depressed, we began to feel energized and empowered. We were offered so many opportunities to play a role in addressing these issues, that you couldn’t help but feel that you needed to do something positive as soon as you walked out of the room.

Candice engagingly shared with us the many efforts CRS is making in country to work with local populations to resolve the issues at hand. We were presented with various resolutions currently before Congress aimed to correct these dire situations and educated about how specifically those resolutions would help. We discussed protests and tips for visiting your local representative’s and senators’ offices. We shared with one another the keys to a successful lobby trip. By the end of the session, we were all fired up to go out and make our political mark and advocate on behalf of women suffering cruel indignity world-wide. Just hours later, we already have several WILD women preparing to take part in a march/protest for immigration reform in Washington D.C. this coming Sunday. I can’t wait to see what my fellow WILD women and I will achieve in the near future as we combine our considerable strengths, talents, and passions together on the behalf of our global sisters!

God Bless,

Amanda Brown