The Delaware Commission for Women (DCW) – motivated by the Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink – is surveying Delaware women to learn about their experiences in life, the economy and the workplace. The statewide project involves learning from women – of diverse life and work and experiences – about making ends meet, opportunities to advance in the workplace, discrimination, personal and family considerations and what thoughts keep them up at night. The data and insights from the project will inform DCW’s advocacy agenda and guide its priorities on issues, resources, initiatives, best practices and partnerships that affect Delaware women.

“We want to hear directly from Delaware women about their experiences in the economy and the workplace and what support they need to push back from the brink,” says Sherese Brewington-Carr, DCW Chair.

The research in The Shriver Report informs us that:

• Forty-seven percent of the workforce is female; sixty-two percent hold minimum wage jobs.
• Balancing work and home, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, workplace bullying (from both genders) stall progress and present huge disadvantages for women.
• One in three women lives in poverty or teeter on the edge, pay-check to pay-check. That’s 42 million women; add to those numbers 28 million children and the unknown number of people who depend on them for caregiving.
• The wage gap cost the average woman between $700,000 to $2 million dollars over the course of her lifetime.

Women interested in learning about the Delaware Commission for Women and the project should call (302) 577-5287, or contact Carmen Gomez at carmen.gomez@delaware.gov.

The Delaware Division of the Arts is working with Maren Brown Associates to develop a new strategic plan for FY2016-FY2020 that identifies and incorporates the ideas, issues, and initiatives of Delaware’s arts community: artists, organizations, audiences, and educators.

The public input process will include:

Two surveys:
• Survey One is designed for Delaware-based individual artists.

• Survey Two is designed for representatives of Delaware organizations and schools that provide arts programming.

Notice of the electronic surveys with corresponding links, will be sent by email on or around October 20, 2014, and will also be posted on www.artsdel.org at the same time. The surveys will remain open until noon on Monday, November 10, 2014.

Three community meetings:

To be held across the state this fall, during which all Delaware constituents will have an opportunity to provide input. All interested Delawareans are invited to attend a meeting and have their thoughts and opinions heard. No RSVP is required.

• Monday, October 27, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m., Milton
Milton Theatre (hosted by Premier Center for the Arts)
110 Union Street, Milton, DE 19968

• Tuesday, October 28, 9:30 – 11:00 a.m., Dover
Delaware State University (hosted by VSA Delaware)
Parlor A (2nd floor) of the MLK Student Center, 1200 N. DuPont Highway, Dover 19901

• Tuesday, October 28, 4:00 – 5:30 p.m., Wilmington
OperaDelaware Studios (hosted by Delaware Arts Alliance)
4 S. Poplar Street, Wilmington, DE 19801

Six focus groups (by invitation only):

To gather feedback from key stakeholders. Focus groups are comprised of:
• Individual Artists
• Arts Organizations – Large
• Arts Organizations – Small/Medium
• K-12 Education
• Lifelong Learning
• Community-based organizations that offer arts programming

Thirty in-depth one-on-one telephone interviews with individuals including national and state leaders whose work exemplifies areas of interest to the Division of the Arts, reveals important trends that can shape the Division’s future work, or offers visionary ideas that provide inspiration for the plan.

In February 2015, a draft of the new Design Delaware 2.0 Strategic Plan for FY2016-FY2020 will be released for public input, and in March 2015, the final plan will be formally approved by the Delaware State Arts Council and published.

DOVER (May 17, 2013) – Delaware recreational boaters have been asked to play a prominent role in helping to map future recreational Atlantic Ocean use by participating in the  2013 Mid-Atlantic Boater Survey. The survey is being conducted via the mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) to gain valuable and viable information about recreational boating activities throughout the region.

 Over 5,000 invitations went out to boaters in Delaware earlier this week asking them to take part in the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Boater Survey, with invitations also mailed to boaters from Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Information collected through the survey will be translated into maps and incorporated into MARCO’s online mapping tool to support ocean planning efforts in the region, including Delaware’s Atlantic waters.

Recreational boaters contacted for the survey were randomly selected from state and federal boating databases. Those who agree to participate will be emailed a short survey each month (June through November) asking them to describe their most recent boating trip from the previous month, including information about the location, duration and time aboard, activities such as angling and sailing, and money spent. 

The survey will yield valuable data in planning for how Atlantic Ocean resources are utilized and coordinated in the years ahead, and help minimize and avert potential user conflicts on the ocean, said Sarah Cooksey, administrator, DNREC’s Delaware Coastal programs and one of the state’s MARCO delegates. DCP encourages Delaware boaters contacted this week to participate in the survey, as data gathered will help with marine planning for the Delaware Bay and for Delaware’s Atlantic waters within the three-mile offshore limit, according to Ms. Cooksey. 

ABOUT MARCO:
With traditional coastal and ocean uses expanding, and new uses emerging, pressure grows to ensure sustainable growth of both current and future uses and resources. As such, it is important that ocean managers have the best available information about when and where uses take place in order to minimize conflicts. To address these challenges, and to ensure that future generations enjoy healthy and productive ocean ecosystems, the governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Virginia committed to a comprehensive, regional approach, creating the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean. The five MARCO states will work to maintain and improve the health of the Atlantic ocean and coastal resources, and ensure that they continue to contribute to the high quality of life and economic vitality of our region’s communities well into the future. 

For more information about 2013 Mid-Atlantic Boater Survey, please contact Lorraine Jordan, Urban Coast Institute, Monmouth University at 732-263-5662 or ljordan@monmouth.edu or visit the survey website.  

CONTACT: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902, or Kate Fleming, Delaware Coastal Programs, 302-739-9283 

Vol. 43, No. 207

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