Donna Frett-Gregory By. THE LEGISLATURE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
Senator Donna A. Frett-Gregory, through the DFG Community Impact Foundation, Inc., will host “Saving Our Community, Planning Our Future” Women Leaders Forum on Saturday, a release from the lawmaker's office has made known.
The Women Leaders Forum will create a space for influential female leaders across the territory to share ideas on how best to solve issues impacting our community, stated the release.
“With approximately 60% of Virgin Islands children living in a household headed by a single woman according to the last published Kids Count®, it is important to bring women together to discuss how best to address issues that affect children, women and the elderly,” Ms. Frett-Gregory said.
The “Saving Our Community, Planning Our Future” forum will engage women leaders from across the territory in a day long event, according to the release.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the number of invitees had to be limited, however, there will be additional similar activities throughout the calendar year to engage other women from the territory, said the organizers.
The event will be moderated by two prominent female education professionals, Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster and Dr. Noreen Michael. Both women have had distinguished careers in education and beyond to include conducting research, so it is fitting that they lead the discussion, as they are familiar with data collection and transitioning data to action items to garner results, Ms. Frett-Gregory stated.
The goal of the forum is to have not just a starting point on how best to address the issues, but to have strategies with identifiable pathways to solutions. Those solutions may include enacting legislation, advocating for a policy change within the executive or judicial branch, or launching an initiative with a non-governmental organization.
The female members of the 34th Legislature were all extended an invitation to participate and they are expected to be in attendance. “All of the women are working women and we had to schedule the forum for a weekend to accommodate schedules,” Frett-Gregory said. “I am excited to be in a room filled with intelligent women whose purpose is to save the community, plan for our future and get results!”
