About Us
The Coalition is an all-volunteer member-driven organization dedicated to supporting the adults who empower girls and to ensuring the voices, issues and needs of all girls including those who identify as girls and those who are questioning, exploring their gender identity or expression are heard. The Coalition is led by a ten-member volunteer Board of Directors; individuals and organizations that are passionate about the mission and vision that set the foundation for gender equity and gender-responsive services for girls in Oregon. The Coalition acts as a state level advocate for girls, an education and information resource on the issues that girls face and on effective work with girls, and a network for members committed to helping girls succeed. The Coalition advocates for and educates others about all girls and young women, especially those who are at risk for endangerment and disconnection and involved in State and County Systems.
The Coalition started in 1992 when a group of concerned citizens formed a statewide advocacy organization for the purpose of ensuring that girls have the opportunity to develop to their full potential. In 1993, the Coalition sponsored and helped pass the bill in the Oregon Legislature that became the Equal Access law (ORS 417.270). As a result, Oregon is the only state in the nation [with a law] that requires all state agencies providing services to children to ensure that girls have equal access to appropriate gender-specific services, treatment and facilities.
The Coalition has supported the monitoring of the Equal Access for Girls law (ORS 417.270) with all four state agencies that serve children, including the Department of Human Services (DHS), Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and (until it ended in 2013) the Oregon Commission of Children and Families (OCCF) since the bill was signed into law on July 18, 1993 by Governor Barbara Roberts.
The Coalition initiated the monitoring process in the fall of 1993 by receiving two advisory seats on the State Department’s Children’s Coordinating Council, which later produced a comprehensive report documenting all services funded by the state for children and youth by gender. That full report, with recommendations of how to alleviate disparities of services and funding between girls and boys, was presented to the Oregon Legislature in 1995. The law also required all departments serving children under 18 years of age to report back biannually to the Legislature about how they were implementing plans to alleviate disparities and to ensure services provided were gender-specific.
Since 1996 the Coalition has had an advisory role with the Department of Human Services (on the Child Welfare Advisory Committee and CWAC Teen Services Subcommittee and the DHS Gender Appropriate Services for Youth Committee) and the Oregon Youth Authority (on the OYA Advisory Committee and the Young Women Work Groups). The Department of Education with the election of Susan Castillo in 2003 offered the Coalition a seat on appropriate advisory committees. And the Oregon Commission on Children and Families was the first “partner” of the Coalition and we have advised the Commission through collaborations with staff, information for counties on gender-responsive services and testimony to the State Commission.
How do we do it?
Advocacy:
We maintain a strong voice at the state and national levels for the needs and issues of girls and young women.
We work to ensure that Oregon is providing access to gender-responsive services and programming that meet girls’ needs so girls have the opportunity to develop to their full potential.
Education:
We inform our network and state agencies of current issues directly impacting girls, of effective gender-responsive, promising or evidence-based practices/models and offer them an assessment tool for programs and services to meet the standards for providing gender-responsive programming for girls.
We collaborate with The National Crittenton Foundation and the National Girls @ the Margin Alliance to educate other states about the benefits of having the foundation that Oregon has with our Equal Access law and how it enables advocacy for ensuring that services for girls utilize gender-responsive practices.
Outreach/Networking:
We provide opportunities at the local, state and national levels for girl advocates to connect, share, and build relationships advancing girls' issues.
We enhance resources for programs and agencies serving girls to further explore and support gender-responsive practices and programs.
Board of Directors
Officers
State and National Liaison - Pam Patton
Chair - Bob Russon
Secretary - Debbie Aiona, Portland League of Women Voters
At Large Officer - Diane Brandsma, Boys and Girls Aid Society
BOARD MEMBERS
Elizabeth Nye, Girls Inc. of the Pacific NW
Mike Riggan, Oregon Youth Authority, Oak Creek Young Women’s Facility