Pioneering Data Platform for Women and Girls Launched at Galvanize CT
Women and Girls Data Platform
Nothing quite energizes us like a room full of women who lead, empower, and advocate for the rights of women and girls everywhere. The room at Galvanize CT was electrifying, with former Senior Advisor to President Obama Valerie Jarret, Connecticut’s Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, and Tekisha Everette from Health Equity Solutions among the list of attendees.
The United State of Women partnered with the Connecticut Collective of Women and Girls for Galvanize CT with the purpose of "convening communities across the country and equipping women with the tools they need to keep fighting for gender equity.“ In light of this event’s compelling mission, we were proud to release a new resource at Galvanize CT that CTData created in partnership with the Aurora Foundation, Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF), and the Connecticut Collective for Women and Girls: the Connecticut Women and Girls Data Platform.
The Connecticut Women and Girls Data Platform is an interactive, digital resource that presents regional, city, and statewide public data and is aggregated for gender and race. In a press release announcing the platform, Kate Farrar, Executive Director of CWEALF noted, “‘As the state's leading champion for women and girls, our organization and other women and girls' serving organizations can't effectively advocate without this essential data to make the case.’” Users can explore demographics, health and safety, education, economic security, and civic participation of women and girls in the state and engage with visualizations to gather meaningful information in an easily digestible format.
We know that better data leads to better decisions, but if the data isn’t easily accessible, it doesn’t matter how much of it exists. Our Executive Director Michelle Riordan-Nold emphasized, “‘The Women and Girls Data Platform enables a broad audience access to public data about the status of women and girls in the State. It is a vital tool for community-based non-profits to assess the needs in their communities.’” By making this information available, our common goal is for policymakers, advocates, nonprofits, and community members to use this information to fuel their efforts as they identify trends and patterns, determine gaps in resources, and maximize community impact.
The platform is one of the first of its kind in the country: “‘According to the international Women's Funding Network, no similar data sharing platform exists nationwide, and Connecticut is a model for the country to share data to increase equity,’” explained Jennifer Steadman, Executive Director of the Aurora Foundation. While the platform itself is revolutionary, it would not exist without the partnership between CTData, Aurora, CWEALF, and Connecticut Women’s Collective for Women and Girls. CTData would like to thank our partners for their tireless work to advance Connecticut’s most underserved populations. We are honored to partner with organizations who believe in our mission of enabling access to data for all and utilize this data to enhance the lives of women and girls across the state. True equity cannot be achieved without integrating the diverse needs and voices of people from all backgrounds, and we hope to share this information to support good data-informed decision making.
How do you plan to use the data in the Connecticut Women and Girls Data Platform? Do you have questions about women and girls in the state? Head to the platform, dive into the data, and let us know how you’re using this tool here or mention us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We love hearing from our fellow data users, and your feedback can help improve this tool for everyone!