Tonight:"Voices of Courage" Shines The Spotlight on Youth, Women and Diversity

“Voices of Courage,” a community forum tonight at Monona Terrace (7 pm in Hall of Ideas room F), hosts a wide array of female community leaders, as well as burgeoning youth-led initiative Madison SOS (Speak Out, Sister!)-- the brainchild of Natalia Thompson,a West High junior who is fast becoming a leader in her own right. Tonight’s keynote speaker is former WI Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, speaking on women, politics and power. First Wave poetry activists Cecilia Leon and Kelsey Van Ert will present dynamic spoken word poetry. Following the keynote address and poetry presentation, Madison Magazine political columnist Jenny Price moderates a panel discussion between an impressively diverse group of local women: Ruth Conniff (Political Editor of The Progressive), Linda Honold (Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin and former Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin),Lucia Nunez (Director of Madison Department of Civil Rights), Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts (79th Assembly District), Christina Ewig (Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies and Political Science at UW Madison), Renee Moe (VP of Resource Development for the United Way of Dane County) and Kate Moen (Development Associate for NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin and Program Director for Emerge Wisconsin). Moderator Jenny Price is expecting that the young women in attendance this evening will benefit from hearing the different perspectives of the panelists, all of whom have vast experience in government, politics, education and/or activism from the grassroots level on up.

In keeping with the mission of Madison SOS, the forum is about “encouraging people to take that step and do something…That’s what tonight will engender, not just for girls and women but everyone who attends and anyone navigating political activity and civic activity,” Price says, adding that she hopes the audience will feel free to interact with the panelists and ask questions. “The goal is for [the panel] to be a conversation…I really want it to be participatory because that’s in the spirit of what Natalia’s doing,” explains Price, who became involved with Madison SOS after writing a magazine column about Thompson. “I was impressed with her, and I think she is everything we hope young girls can be today.” Price laughs ruefully as she points out that the typical role model for teenage girls in the media (Britney Spears, anyone?) doesn’t often represent what the public might envision as a successful young woman, while Thompson’s leadership is truly exemplary. “I was just really inspired by Natalia.”

Madison SOS began as Thompson’s sophomore Gold Award Girl Scout project and continues to widen in its scope. Thompson started the organization in response to a dire need for a local safe space where high-school girls with diverse backgrounds could foster relationships with one another, and create positive responses to the issues affecting their lives. She saw key issues constantly cropping up amongst her female peers: low self-esteem, a lack of community involvement, and general disinterest and apathy when it came to politics. Initially, SOS was to be a catalyst for conversation about everything from body image, to racism, to politics and the environment, with the intent to foster grassroots involvement and activism. In the middle of its pilot year, it has expanded to include a series of workshops and leadership forums aimed at youth empowerment, regular listening sessions, and issue-specific focus groups.

The goal of these endeavors? To teach the young women involved about communication skills and confidence, and to give them the tools necessary to execute a study of the thousands of teen girls in Madison, ultimately creating status report on their findings—the first of its kind in Dane County. From the Speak Out, Sister website: “This report, which aims to provide a ‘snapshot’ of issues affecting local young women, their ideas on how policy-makers might collaborate with them to advance these issues, and their hopes for the future of their community, will include Madison teens' stories, data collected from local research, and recommendations for community leaders on ways in which the Madison community can better serve the unique needs, challenges, and interests of high school teen girls.After the publication of the report, teens at all Madison high schools will have an opportunity to further explore city-wide leadership through meetings with elected officials and other key leaders, public presentations, youth-led trainings for community groups, and their own action projects.”

Natalia Thompson is now balancing her schoolwork with newfound responsibilities to an organization that will likely be sustained past her high school tenure. “[SOS] has grown into something significant,” says Price, noting that Thompson wants the organization to continue. “She’s working to get funding… she really wants it to have a life beyond the project.” Madison SOS is already receiving support from prominent organizations such as Girl Scouts of Black Hawk Council, YWCA of Madison, the Wisconsin Women's Network, Girl Neighborhood Power, the ACLU of Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, DoSomething.org, and individuals throughout Madison.

Outstanding events such as the one tonight certainly bode well for Madison SOS and its longevity. If Thompson’s vision continues to empower young women and teach them the tools of leadership, her own courageous voice is sure to echo throughout Madison well into the future.