5th Annual Women Veterans Forum

Posted by Temple University on April 11, 2016

Temple University Military and Veteran Services Center Women Veterans Forum 2016 Celebrating Women Who Have Served in the Armed Forces and Honoring Senator Shirley M. Kitchen!

Thursday, April 21, 2016, in the Howard Gittis Student Center, Room 200 on Temple University’s Main Campus, Temple Military and Veteran Service Center will host the 5th Annual Women Veterans Forum from 8:30am – 3:30pm to celebrate women who have served in the military. The forum will focus on topics related to women veterans finding their voices, standing up, speaking up, and knowing their rights, and will address issues that come under the umbrella of mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, social and financial well-being. Specific areas to be covered include PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and MST (Military Sexual Trauma) utilizing the creative arts for healing, and organizational resources that provide guidance and support to women veterans.

This annual event provides a safe space for women veterans to have real conversations about their challenges and experiences while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Today women veterans are breaking the military glass ceiling, but after stepping in to leadership roles and answering the call of duty, many women struggle as they transition back to civilian life and their pursuit of higher education.

This year’s forum entitled “Women Veterans: Find Your Voice – As Life Happens, Keep Bouncing Back! will provide women veterans an opportunity to share their stories of resilience, perseverance, strength, wisdom and courage.

As a special tribute, Temple Military and Veteran Services Center will be honoring Senator Shirley M. Kitchen who has spent much of her public life working on behalf of Pennsylvania’s veterans and has supported the efforts of Temple Military and Veteran Services Center to facilitate this event dating back to the first Women Veterans Forum in 2012. Senator Kitchen has demonstrated her commitment to veterans, service members and to their families through many programs and legislative laws she has supported to make life easier for those who have served this country.

The forum will offer workshops, and panel discussions to examine and address the emotional, spiritual, mental, physical and economic issues veteran women face. This is a day to honor the women who stepped up and took the oath to defend this country.

“As our women veteran student population continues to grow, we want to provide an opportunity to have real conversations about the challenges they face in returning home and how we as an institution of higher education can help ease the transition as these women pursue a secondary degree. Programs like this will help us to address the real needs of women veteran students and will provide services that will enhance their learning experience at the University.” Laura Reddick, Associate Director for Adult and Veteran Student Recruitment-Temple University.

The event is FREE. Seating is limited. Registration is required: Register at https://womenveteransforum2016.eventbrite.com.

For more information on the Women Veterans Forum 2016 program, visit the website at http://www.tuveteransforum.com.