OUR MISSION

Girls Think Tank is a grassroots organization of women and men providing a forum for community, collaboration, creativity, and hands-on public service. We are a diverse group of mothers, lawyers, teachers, organizers, artists, planners, and doers of different races and ethnicities, ages, and points of view. The purpose of the Girls Think Tank is to foster a culture of empowerment amongst our members and in the community by providing a vehicle for change on local issues that confront us in our daily lives. Whether it’s homelessness, trafficking of women, gang violence, or carbon emissions, Girls Think Tank members put their heads, hearts, and hands together to provide solutions that both provide a public service for the community and a sense of pride that we are doing something about the issues that matter most to us.

OUR HISTORY

On October 5, 2006, a small group of girlfriends met for dinner at co-founder Rachel Jensen’s house in Ocean Beach. Nine of us came together to discuss the problem of homelessness in San Diego. As a result of that first brainstorming session, we decided to call ourselves the Girls Think Tank (originating from “Girlfriends”) and planned our inaugural event at the Kava Lounge on November 2, 2006, which was a fundraiser called: “Honing in on Homelessness.”

Our early efforts resulted in what is now known as the Girl’s Think Tank’s signature project - Winter Survival Backpacks. These backpacks are given to displaced men, women and children living on the streets of San Diego during the coldest months of the year. To further educate ourselves about this issue, we signed up with a soup kitchen and joined street outreach guru, David Ross, in getting water and other basic supplies to those in need. We met with city officials to advocate for public bathrooms and water fountains, attended meetings of the Centre City Development Corporation (”CCDC”) regarding a permanent shelter, and talked with U.S. Rep. Bob Filner about securing appropriate resources for homeless veterans in our area and beyond.

OUR ROLE AS AN EMERGING LEADER IN SAN DIEGO

The Girls Think Tank has quickly become a local go-to group on homelessness and other issues. The Girls Think Tank is now a federal 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and California public benefit corporation.

On March 7, 2008, we were recognized by San Diego’s Channel 10 News with its 2008 Leadership Award for our work on homelessness, firmly establishing the Girls Think Tank as an important asset to the community. Watch this video presentation of the Leadership Award to the founding members of GTT.

OUR ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK

Today, the Girls Think Tank has a diverse Board of Directors and an active general membership base. The 2008 Board of Directors consists of: Rachel Jensen, President and Board member; Virginia S. Loh, Vice-President and Board member; AmyLu Weas, Treasurer and Board Member; Farzeen Essa, Secretary and Board Member; Helen Zeldes, Public Relations and Board Member; and Jennifer Lai, Special Projects Coordinator. Learn more about each of Board Members here.

OUR STRATEGY

The Girls Think Tank’s strategy is two-fold: hands-on activism and advocacy. One of the most effective things the Girls Think Tank has done is helped put a human face on homelessness. The group goes out and meets people who are stranded on the streets of San Diego; hands out hundreds of Winter Survival Backpacks; circulates the stories of these seemingly invisible people to personalize their plight; and figures out what is most urgently needed. The most urgent needs identified are better transitional programs to help support people in their efforts to get back into sustainable living conditions, a permanent shelter, and public restrooms and drinking fountains. The Girls Think Tank has been working on a strategy to address these issues with San Diego’s city council and CCDC through advocacy and awareness.

The idea behind the Girls Think Tank lends itself to engaging in various community-based projects and unfilled niches. Alternating between socials and discussion forums, our members convene monthly to connect and to talk about social issues, local activism, and policy. Not only do our socials provide opportunities for building professional and personal networks, but they also allow us to participate in the cultural liveliness of San Diego, especially events and locations in sync with our grassroots activist mission.

In addition, our members host bi-monthly discussion forums in their homes to facilitate lively dialogue about issues that concern and inspire us to reach out and advocate for change. These forums have led us to find creative solutions on a variety of local issues. We find that magic happens from our gathering together and throwing out ideas. A spark is ignited and our passionate members spring into action to educate ourselves on the issues that confront us and our community. Please look at our calendar of events and our 2008 projects. We hope you will come join the fray

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