The Council for Women’s Concerns has announced the inaugural awardees for its new student activism awards. Congratulations to Sidney Anderson, Alexis Lohman, Hannah Belt and Dalton Benedict.
Sidney Anderson, an undergraduate psychology major and women and gender studies and addiction studies minor, was awarded a grant for her project focused on educating West Virginia school systems on LGBTQ+ relevant sexual and health information. She plans to identify gaps in sexual education, and then to educate administrators and teachers across the state on how to create a curriculum that is inclusive of the needs of LGBTQ+ students. She is working with Charlotte Hoelke, director of the WVU Women’s Resource Center.
Alexis Lohman, also a psychology major, was awarded a grant for her project that will pilot a curriculum to promote mental health literacy in high school aged students. The proposed program would entail learning about mental illnesses, healthy ways to cope, possible treatments, and local resources. The aim is to provide a safe and protected gateway from school into health care along with breaking down the stigma of mental health/illnesses. Alexis is partnering with Mental Health America.
Hannah Belt and Dalton Benedict from the Reed College of Media were awarded a grant for their project “Back on Your Feet Boxes.” These boxes are provided to formerly incarcerated women as they transition from prison and include a variety of items to help women in a job search, including professional clothing, self-care products, and information about job searching. Geah Pressgrove is their faculty adviser.
