By Ann Jawin
As the founder and chairwoman of the board of directors of the Queens Women’s Center, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Queens Job Fair 2002 and World of Working Women’s Conference and to discuss what I believe is the only comprehensive women’s center in Queens – one that is probably unique to New York City.
The center was first organized in October 1987. A couple of years later, Borough President Claire Shulman donated some office space to the center in Queens Borough Hall. Recognized as a community non-profit corporation, the center got approval two years ago to open a second office at a decommissioned Army base in Fort Totten in Bayside. We have since returned to our Borough Hall office.
The Queens Women’s Center is a coalition of women’s organizations dedicated to women’s rights and to issues important to women and their families. We aim to be a one-stop resource for women. Our services are based on the theme “women helping women to help themselves.” We are women from the business world, professions and the community, volunteering our skills and services.
We at the center have been able to offer telephone and walk-in information services, a monthly newsletter and many more programs targeted specifically at women and their needs. We also offer a free weekly Legal Clinic, Job Club and Support Groups for women.
The center is a self-supporting organization. The majority of our funds come from annual membership fees and modest donations for classes held at our center.
This year’s World of Working Women’s Conference is the 15th we have sponsored. The terrorist attacks on our country last year have left us feeling very vulnerable. At the Queens Women’s Center, we wondered whether the work we were doing had any real meaning at all.
But it didn’t take long for us to realize that we were needed more than ever. We realized that despite all the horror, we had to pick up the pieces and go on. Because that is what we as an organization are all about – “helping women to help themselves.”
This year, we have opened our job fair to men as a result of last year’s attacks. Normally, men have had a clear edge in the job market, but the disaster of Sept. 11, 2001, has leveled the field for everybody. The workshops and the panel, however, are still geared to women.
Our goal is to encourage women to think positively, to believe that they can face and overcome any obstacles that deter them from achieving their full potential and to fight for women’s rights. The mission hasn’t changed and now, more than ever, we must ensure that we’re positive role models for all the women out there with whom we can share our ideas.
In 1988, when the first conference took place, it was a very difficult time for everyone in the job market. America was experiencing a drastic recession. Though everyone felt the impact, a lot of women panicked, wondering whether they would be able to support themselves and their families.
You must remember that many of these women had entered the job market at a good time. The emphasis on women’s rights, coupled with a buoyant economy, allowed women to join new professions and climb into middle-management positions for the first time. Many women felt encouraged to leave their stereotyped “women’s” jobs and take on nontraditional occupations.
Unfortunately, the recession was serious and lasted a long time. Due to company buyouts, thousands of positions were eliminated. Companies that invested in new technology also cut down on their work force. Foreign competition became a new factor to contend with as cheap labor from the Third World flooded our markets, eliminating even more jobs.
One damaging cost-cutting measures was the decision by many companies to eliminate full term employees and replace them with temporary workers, eliminating health, pension and other fringe benefits.
Women were finding it difficult to find work.
And so The World of Working Women Conference was planned to bring talented and successful women together to give women practical advice and to motivate them to get back on the road to success.
We also conducted workshops with specific ideas on new career areas to investigate information about training opportunities for new technology and tips to help them compete in the new market. A valuable addition was the Job Fair. We invited employers to exhibit at the conference and be available to describe their companies, accept resumes and make appointments for interviews.
Our conferences have always been very successful. The women who attend are very moved by the speakers and appreciate the opportunity to present their resumes. They always thank us for the experience.
The last few years were very upbeat. The economy was good and for the first time in many years, employers were complaining about the scarcity of good workers! Last year many of the companies were happy to come to our conference and we believe that many women were pleased to have made important contacts for job interviews.
This year we feel that our conference is particularly important. The last year has been full of strong stock market losses. With the down slide of dot.com industries, today’s computer savvy population has lost a lot of jobs. Many companies are announcing huge layoffs, including the airline and automobile industries, the financial sector.
Again, thousands of workers are forced to make new adjustments and face uncertain futures. Will they have the resilience and confidence to withstand this pressure?
The act of terrorism against our city last year has changed us all. We have been forced to dig deeply into our reserves of energy, sense of justice and courage. The courage to take risks, push into new territory, reach beyond our familiar boundaries of family and friends to experience new ideas and different cultures.
As others have noted, the terrorists picked on the World Trade Center as a symbol of New York City and America. What people around the world credit us for is our ambition, our drive and our love for freedom.
Our conference this year, led by one of the best known woman economic leaders in Queens, Marie Nahikian, president of the Queens County Overall Economic Development Committee, will be a welcome and exciting event. It will be a wonderful place to feel the energy of so many bright and stimulating people coming together to plan for the future. Be there, and be sure to bring friends!
