You've majored in "women’s studies" ... now what?

It's off to feminist summer camp

Excerpt:

Activists Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards started the program for college students after visiting university campuses around the country and realizing that lots of women’s studies students wanted to work as feminists, but didn't know where to look for jobs. They planned the week in order to introduce the campers to as many different feminist organizations as possible: They vary from the Guttmacher Institute, which collects statistics about things like the number of abortions performed each year, to Babeland, a female-friendly sex toy shop.

Angi Proehl, a working mom who's finishing up her bachelor's degree from Minnesota State-Mankato, says she was most touched by meeting members of the group Sistas on the Rise, which is run by and for young women of color in New York City. "They're creating a space and a place and for young women in their community who may not have anything, who don’t know the system, who don’t know how to budget for diaper ... That's something I can take back to Mankato, and hopefully build ideas."

Proehl, who's of Filipina descent, says she came to the camp to learn skills that she can apply to her work at the YWCA back home. "I have a hard time asking for money," she says, laughing. "More than anything, fundraising is having the confidence to do it. And I'm working on that confidence. All this, this whole experience, just learning to speak with people -- I naturally don’t have that. But seeing all these women who've done so much, it's amazing to me."

Comment: So you can ...

• Count number of abortions performed each year
  
• Work at a female-friendly sex toy shop
  
• "budget for diaper"
  
• "ask[] for money" for the YWCA