The Need To Thrive

Women's Organizations in the Twin Cities

Plot

Review An organization is a group of people with common interests who come together to have fun, empower each other and often to achieve an agreed-upon purpose. This activity has a long history in human existence. Whether it's hanging out with the girls to play cards or organizing a protest for the rights of the group, the desire is strong to be around like-minded individuals who reinforce our ideas and our passions. It is a way to build community that is not just based on proximity; it is also a way to improve our lives. There is evidence of secret sisterhoods in ancient times-sororities around the world that gave voice to those suppressed, and women's groups that changed the political face of nations, including our own. Minneapolis and St. Paul are home to some of the largest and oldest women's organizations in the country. The Need to Thrive looks at these groups and at women's organizations as a whole, focusing on the large numbers that sprung up during the 1970s in response to the rising consciousness of women. Here is an illuminating glimpse at the motivations involved in the genesis of women's groups; how these visions evolved and changed; and how in many cases conflicts in long-term goals and changes in society led to their eventual disbanding. This book will give you a new understanding of the organizations of which you may be part of or will have a part in creating in the future. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by Ilene Rosoff Product description Book by Remington, Judy Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Collectives were quite successful in the early years of most women's organizations. Participants were able to try different roles, develop latent or previously unrecognized skills and speak in the belief that they would be heard. Because of frequent, lengthy discussions in the groups, camaraderie and cohesive communities often developed. Women generally felt empowered in the early collectives, both because of their interactions with one another and because of the work they were able to accomplish together. Women's groups regarded themselves as, and often were, different from mainstream organizations because of their orientation to social issues and their commitment to struggle. Rather than seeking profit, women's organizations took as their goal the massive struggle to change the entire social structure by creating a better alternative within it that, like grass through concrete, would eventually spread into the larger social arena.