In honor of women veterans, California State University, Stanislaus will host the Women Warrior Wellness Conference on Feb. 20. It will be an all-day event, with an opening ceremony in the morning, veteran services speakers in the afternoon and a social hour in the evening.
“Women veterans have been the unspoken segment of the veteran population for decades and have not traditionally been included in veteran benefits or services,” said Jennifer Grigoriou, coordinator of the Women Warrior Program at CSU Stanislaus. “They have internalized this silence and neglect, and in turn, they hesitate to identify themselves as veterans or think of their service as meaningful.”
The conference is a collaborative effort between the university and the community, meant to raise support and awareness for women veterans. It will also provide an opportunity for women veterans to learn about available services and resources.
The opening ceremony will start at 10 a.m. in the Faculty Development Center on the CSU Stanislaus campus. The ceremony is set to begin with traditional military presentations as well as remarks from CSU Stanislaus President Joseph F. Sheley and other representatives from the CSU system, Swords to Plowshares, Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Ripon High School JROTC, U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham and more.
Lunch will be available from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Event Center. Tables will be set up to promote resources for veterans. Immediately afterward, the afternoon program will run until 4 p.m., featuring a variety of speakers talking on subjects ranging from student veterans to comprehensive primary care for women. There will also be a panel of mental health speakers covering topics like art therapy, transgender issues, readjustment counseling and domestic violence.
The evening program will take place from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will return to the Faculty Development Center for a social hour with Native American and LGBTQI veterans as the theme. Two well-known and women-led Native American drum circles will be performing – Turtle Women Rising and Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits.
The conference is open to the public and free of charge, although interested parties are asked to register if they wish to attend, in order to assure there will be proper seating and refreshments.
For more information on the Women Warrior Wellness Conference, contact Jennifer Grigoriou at jgrigoriou@csustan.edu or 209-667-3381. For information on veterans services offered to CSU Stanislaus students, visit the university’s Office of Veterans Affairs.
