Life in the Central Valley is not without challenges, particularly for our comunidad. While the multi-year pandemic and life after Roe v. Wade hits hard in many places, our team’s commitment to show up for each other and our beloved community is strong! Our people are among the most creative, resourceful and courageous … ¡y le echamos ganas!

ACT for women and girls connects community members to opportunity and resources year-round and 2022 is no different. We’ve been on task fostering networks of care, sharing skills, getting out the vote and engaging individuals and families across Reproductive Justice issues.

Take a look at the incredible work we’ve done this year

This work impacts countless lives in our community and we continue to advance our Reproductive Justice mission –relentlessly and with pride! At ACT, we are super excited about what 2023 brings and look forward to updating you. Stay tuned.

We are also grateful to our supporters for contributing to the Fall fundraising campaign! You can still donate if you missed the opportunity to support during the drive. Please consider making a contribution today in the range of $25-$50 – or any amount you feel it’s doable for you. Everything we raise by Dec. 31st will support programming in 2023.

Thank you for being involved and contributing to ACT’s success! These wins are yours.

In community,

Caroline Farrell
Board Chair

ACT for Women and Girls (ACT), a 17-year-old reproductive justice organization building power through leadership development, community organizing, advocacy, and policy change in our Central Valley communities, is searching for fierce, courageous, new leadership to work for youth leadership development and gender, racial, and reproductive justice!

Located in Tulare County, in the Central Valley of California, we need executive leadership that will provide unwaveringly committed and compassionate support and guidance to our team. We are eagerly seeking candidates who can demonstrate their ability to enrich our community-based reproductive justice work centering youth leadership and focused on a range of intersectional justice issues in the rural Central Valley, in California, and across the country.

Toward this goal, we ask that you please:

• Read and share this post and information with those you believe could be or who may help to identify strong candidates
• Post, like, and share information from this message throughout your social justice networks
• Like and elevate ACT’s social media posts regarding this search
• Send candidate recommendations directly to EDSearch@actforwomenandgirls.org, with the subject line: “Candidate recommendation – [Candidate name]”.

Some of the qualities and characteristics we are looking for in a candidate (full list below):

• A tenacious, clearly demonstrated commitment to and passion for justice for all people
• Integrity, humility, compassion
• Supportive and patient leadership with a sense of humor
• Comfortable making decisions, and both giving and receiving feedback
• Adaptable to a fluctuating, evolving work environment
• Ability to work independently, take initiative to propose solutions, and work collaboratively in a team environment
• Skilled in keeping team focus on shared organizational vision and goals.

Some of the skills and experiences we are prioritizing include:

• A background in community mobilization, organizing, and building power for justice; policy advocacy; community and civic engagement and relationship-building
  Understanding of ACT’s vision for our community and can clearly and easily articulate it
• Alignment with and able to hold and uplift a focus and direction to keep ACT on track
• Long-term planner with an eye toward short-term details
• Proven, effective management of people, programs, and budgets
• Consistent ability to move from dreaming to learning to building and executing strategies, as well as implementing, evaluating, and revising them
• Experience in power-sharing and working with BIPOC/Queer and Trans (Queer, Trans, and Non-Binary people who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color), young people, undocumented families, low-income communities
• Can focus on and stay grounded in a mission, strategic goals, and work plans, while also noting practical ways an organization can evolve and grow in response to emerging community needs
• Knowledgeable of collective histories of struggle by marginalized people, and of reproductive justice and comprehensive sex ed politics in Tulare County, CA

Supporting ACT’s organizational mission is a fundamental expectation of all employees and volunteers of ACT, regardless of their position or work. Our mission is rooted in reproductive justice which has, at its heart, explicit support for the rights of QTBIPOC and for the right of all people to access contraception and safe and legal abortion without judgment or discrimination.

Reproductive justice has never been more important. Whether in sharing information or resources, written correspondence, speaking one-on-one with community members or to a group, or while representing ACT in any capacity, all members of our team are required to maintain this commitment.

ACT’s current annual budget is over half a million dollars. We currently have 3 dedicated and inspiring full-time staff members, as well as teams of seasonal workers and temporary staff. The location of the Executive Director position is in the Central Valley of California.

We are here and we are doing the things! Quite simply, there is a lot we have accomplished together in the last year and so much more impact that your involvement with us will bring about in 2022.

ACT for Women and Girls launched the RJ Collective this summer – a weekly community space led by women and queer identified youth of color to help inform comunidad in the Central Valley about a range of issues, including abortion access in the post-Roe era.

“We begin with land acknowledgements, share our names and about ourselves, then we educate about different topics.”  That’s Alexis (they/he/him/él), long-time youth leader at ACT.

Workshops cover issues such as youth voting, queer inclusive sex ed, and abortion access in the Central Valley. Together with the staff, Alexis helps facilitate many of these topics. And since Roe was overturned last June, the RJ Collective has become the safe space people need to air their feelings, share their worries, and stay informed.

We meet people where they are.

Alexis found a sense of community when they joined their first ACT meeting as a freshman in high school. One of the first campaigns Alexis joined sought to change the voting age from 18 to 16 in local elections. Other efforts included sanctuary protections for undocumented students. He calls it sacred work.

It showed me that my existence was a thing, my concerns real and valid… It showed me that I could dream.

Now at 19 and a sophomore in college, Alexis credits the staff at ACT for how passionate they are about social justice and policy advocacy. And that’s because the ACT team not only base-builds and educates, they also mentor the young people who turn to ACT for the safe, affirming space it offers to queer, enby, trans, and gender-expansive youth of color.

Alexis calls themself a proud undocumented queer latine. “Sometimes we become the person our younger self needs.”

Despite all odds, and frankly because of them, ACT is doubling down and recommitting to serving women and girls in our neighborhoods, including queer, young parents, and youth of color. In light of the current political climate and the post-Roe environment, we are holding the hard conversations and reimagining what’s possible.

People in the Central Valley are fighting like hell for reproductive freedom – for human dignity. This community is committed to thriving, not just surviving, and we will not be overlooked. In the wake of the fall of Roe, ACT for Women and Girls is actively engaging young people at the local level. Together, we are building power and fueling hope.

You  will agree with us that ACT is a community anchor and the go-to resource in the Central Valley for Reproductive Justice, and a launching pad for countless young people like Alexis.

I’ve seen so many youth who are flourishing and doing great things for the community – many of them have influenced me as well. I am just one of several people who have been inspired, motivated, cultivated by ACT.

You shine in your support of this work. Your advocacy has strengthened youth agency by continuing to demand young people’s access to comp sex ed. Your donations have helped expand inclusion of talent and voices from impacted communities by bolstering youth-led activism and grassroots leadership.

ACT for Women and Girls is currently seeking an applicant for the position of Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator is an integral part of ACT’s program implementation. The Program Coordinator will divide time among programs, campaigns, and implementation of sexual health education courses. They will implement ACT’s FLA and SHAPE programs and assist with Mutual Aid and EZE subscription boxes.

To apply you will need to:

• submit an online application  and
• send a cover letter (*) and resume to hiring@actforwomenandgirls.org or by mail to 1900 N. Dinuba Blvd., Suite A, Visalia, Ca. 93291.

(*) Your cover letter should detail your qualifications, experience, passion, and commitment to reproductive justice.