Position: At Large Board Member Candidate: Teresa Castillo Application Questions 1. US WILPF is a mission-driven membership organization. What does that mean to you? First, being a membership organization tells me that the members believe in the organization and are willing to be invested financially in the continued existence of the organization by paying annual membership dues. Being a mission-driven organization indicates to me that there are goals to meet and that members support the goals by working on issues related to the organization s mission. Simply put, members join to develop and promote the organization based on its mission. 2. Please describe your involvement in WILPF, including a brief summary of work at the level of branch, national, and/or international: I became involved with Fresno WILPF a few years ago because I noticed how many important issues the members of the Fresno branch focus on. I was especially impressed with the leadership I saw in longtime Fresno WILPF members who continue to take the lead on various issues committees. So I jumped in, joined Fresno WILPF, and my interests and abilities were welcomed. I was fortunate to be a representative of our Fresno Branch at the 2014 Triennial WILPF US Congress. Connecting with other WILPF members and hearing of their activities was a valuable experience which peaked my interest in the national workings of WILPF US. Currently, I am beginning my second year as branch Co-Chair. In this position, I alternate running our monthly meetings with longtime WILPF member, Patty Bennett. I lead the Middle East Issues Committee where I give a monthly update and promote events concerning MENA issues. I am also a member of our WILPF Library Committee. The Library Committee purchases and donates the Jane Addams Peace Award books to 4 local libraries. Each year, a donation event is held at each library and connections are made with library staff to promote literacy. Through our local library partnership, we held one of our Centennial events with a local author, Margarita Engle, who has been a recipient of the Jane Addams Peace Award multiple times as well as a recipient of numerous other literary awards. Our Library Committee falls under the Advancing Human Rights Issues Committee, locally we use the sub-heading of Building a Beloved Community. 3. Why are you interested in filling this position? I am interested in filling the At-Large position as it is a perfect opportunity for me to get to know the Board Members and to get a feel of the workings within WILPF US. Since my WILPF focus has primarily been at the local level, it interests me to have the opportunity to be involved with national leaders and to have firsthand knowledge of the priorities within the many issues WILPF US promotes. I work full time, so the 1 year term also interests me as it is a timeframe I can easily commit to at this time. The 1 year term will also be a good indicator for me of the involvement required to be a National Board Member, as at this time I anticipate that I may be interested in future positions but need to get my feet wet first to get a better understanding of realistic time commitments of the board and it s positions.
4. Please describe your other non-wilpf work or involvement that you believe helps qualify you for this position: I believe in community involvement for awareness and change. I have been involved with community based groups as a participant member and leader the majority of my life. In addition to Fresno WILPF, I hold leadership roles on the boards of local social justice and human rights groups: Peace Fresno and the Human Rights Coalition of the Central Valley. Within the groups I belong to, I have led community events and actions concerning social, racial, and economic justice. Through my leadership roles, I have also been the public voice of the group for the media. I also participate in numerous other groups and organizations at various levels from planning, promotion, and execution of events to a participant in the group s actions. The way that I see my involvement in other groups is similar to my WILPF involvement; as a seeker and promoter of social, racial, and economic justice. I see so many ways for each of us to connect and to assist each other for the betterment of our communities and world, so I allow my activism to vary in the way it manifests. Being involved in different groups is the way I satisfy my need for more knowledge and to achieve varied methods of promoting peace. This approach will allow me to feel comfortable interacting with various other Board members and committees if I am elected as the At-Large Board Member. 5. What skills can you offer in this position? I have held a board position and other leadership roles in various groups for many years. Therefore, I feel that I have the leadership, team building, and group communication skills which work well for board member interactions. The At-Large position s duties are open ended, which will allow me to find ways I can be involved and assist based on my abilities and the needs of other board members and committees. I am a self-starter, eager to get to know our national board and to learn how best to apply my skills to the needs of WILPF US. I am professional, focused, analytical, task driven, computer literate, proficient in communication and with social media, and competent to lead with minimal direction. If elected, I feel these skills will allow me to be an asset to the WILPF US National Board as an At-Large Board Member.
Candidate Statement I have been a participating member of Fresno WILPF for several years but only a paid member for the past couple years. I believe that being a paid member of this organization is important and shows a commitment to the continued existence of the organization. I believe in WILPF s goals, vision and mission it stands for locally, nationally and internationally. That is why a national board position interests me and I humbly accepted the nomination from a lifetime member who believes in me. The At-Large Board Member position is a perfect fit for me on many levels as it has a term length I can commit to while getting a feel for the workings of our national organization. This position will also allow me to be a link between the Board, WILPF US and my local branch in Fresno, CA to facilitate a sharing of activities and be the open communication between national and local boards. I also view this position as an exploratory opportunity to discover where the needs of our national board lie. The At-Large position s duties are open ended. If elected, I will have the freedom to apply my skills and interests where I am needed in terms of assisting other board members and national committees. I am a self-starter, eager to get to know our national board and to learn how best to apply my skills to the needs of WILPF US. I am professional, focused, analytical, task driven, computer literate, proficient in communication and with social media and competent to lead with minimal direction. If elected, these skills will allow me to be an asset to the WILPF US National Board as an At-Large Board Member.
Activist Biography OR Resume While I have only been a member of WILPF for a couple years, I have been very active for many years supporting peace, social/racial/economic justice, and human rights through other groups. My volunteering activities began when I was young. I learned that being involved with the community was enjoyable and rewarding, so I grew up with a sense that activities should be focused on service to others. Some volunteering activities I took charge of in my youth were through Girl Scouts in Minnesota and in California. Most memorable activities which I participated in or led in my community were the environmental protection and clean up actions, the historical and cultural appreciation/awareness events, and monthly group activities we planned for students with Down's syndrome. I value my early community organizing and involvement as it helped me to view the connections between my local, city and state, needs with our global neighbor s needs. When my children were in school, from elementary through high school, I volunteered with each school and with Parent Clubs as Treasurer and President, and as a parent advisor and supporter for various clubs and sports teams. That involvement helped teach me how to organize people with various interests; students, parents, clubs, school administration, community members, and businesses for fundraisers, educational and social events. I was able to help implement new fundraising methods which involved facilitating a recycling program at events to raise money needed for teams and clubs on the high school campus. In more recent years, my volunteering focus has been activist centered to promote social, racial, economic justice and human rights issues. That is why I became involved with Fresno WILPF a few years ago; I noticed how many important issues the members of the Fresno branch focus on. I was especially impressed with the leadership I saw in longtime Fresno WILPF members who continue to take the lead on various issues committees. So I jumped in, joined Fresno WILPF, and my interests and abilities were welcomed. I was fortunate to be a representative of our Fresno Branch at the 2014 Triennial WILPF US Congress. Connecting with other WILPF members and hearing of their activities was a valuable experience which peaked my interest in the national workings of WILPF US. Currently, I am beginning my second year as branch Co-Chair. In this position, I alternate running our monthly meetings with longtime WILPF member, Patty Bennett. I lead the Middle East Issues Committee where I give a monthly update and promote events concerning MENA issues. I am also a member of our WILPF Library Committee. The Library Committee purchases and donates the Jane Addams Peace Award books to 4 local libraries. Each year, a donation event is held at each library and connections are made with library staff to promote literacy. Through our local library partnership, we held one of our Centennial events with a local author, Margarita Engle, who has been a recipient of the Jane Addams Peace Award multiple times as well as a recipient of numerous other literary awards. Our Library Committee falls under the Advancing Human Rights Issues Committee, locally we use the sub-heading of Building a Beloved Community. I joined Peace Fresno prior to joining Fresno WILPF when I noticed their support of CodePink. With the continued spending and acceptance of a militarized nation, I was interested in a local group, founded after the 9/11 tragedy, focused on anti-war and the effects of war locally and globally. For Peace Fresno, I was the President for 2 years, the Vice President of Publicity for 1 year, and currently hold the position of Treasurer. With the support of Peace Fresno members, in 2012, I spearheaded Peace Madera in my city of Madera, CA. With new local friends, we developed an awareness group with the
motto, Social Justice Peaceful Planet. I held monthly awareness meetings and street demonstrations as well as partnered with other local groups for community gathering events. I represent the above groups in my membership in the Human Rights Coalition of the Central Valley where I actively assist in the planning and inception of an annual event in recognition of the UN Human Rights Day. Each year, our event focuses on a different, specific global human rights issue which is experienced locally. As a Coalition, we meet to select a new topic each year and determine the format of our event, partnering with new groups each year based on the topic and its content. In 2014, I mentored a group of young Palestinian-Americans in their formation of a new awareness group, the Palestine Freedom Project. We all came together during our weekly protests of Israel s 2014 attack on Gaza. The Palestine Freedom Project printed informational materials and spoke to groups and organizations about the current conditions in Palestine and ways to help. It has since evolved into a recognized student organization at CSU Fresno. With my focus on social, racial, and economic justice, I partner and volunteer with various other groups who use alternate means to bring education, assistance, and awareness to others. Some of the groups I participate with are: Dulce Upfront, Fresno Peoples Media, Mothers Helping Mothers, Fresno Reforma, local Black Lives Matter groups Showing Up For Racial Justice and Uprooting Racism, Bay Area CodePink, Occupy Beale Air Force Base, Fresno Homeless Advocates, Fresno Light Brigade, Fresno Rising, and March for Democracy/99 Rise. Though my involvement with many groups and organizations, I gain a stronger perspective of the human element of the issues we find important to support and promote. I have collaborated on actions and events to bring in globally recognized speakers as well as less known individuals who have important information to share. I actively run social media pages for the groups I am a member of as well as write several times each year for our local progressive newspaper, the Community Alliance. I also support the events and actions of groups outside my community who are aligned with the ideology of promoting peace, justice, and upholding the human rights of all people, everywhere. My activist involvement overlaps from one group to the next: from local, to national, to global, which helps me to be involved with issues that require more attention. We all know that there is power in numbers, and different people are involved with different groups, so I am fortunate to be that link to spread information to a more diverse crowd. I find it very satisfying to be involved at various levels with diverse groups. It helps me to see the community with a broader spectrum and understand global issues with more compassion and connection to the local community. It is always my goal to learn more and to help wherever I can. Letters of Recommendation for Teresa Castillo provided by: Ellie Bluestein and Joan Poss For further inquiries of this candidate: Email: taca_03@ymail.com Phone: (559) 360-8054