Collective Flourishing: Women, Community, and Shared Success

A panel on collective flourishing, held just before International Women's Day 2026. Rebecca Hodson of International Education opened with a history of the day (the 1908 New York march, Clara Zetkin's 1910 proposal, UN recognition in 1975), then moderated four women connected to the University of Illinois: an MSW student working in an expressive arts initiative, an assistant director at the Illinois Leadership Center, a School of Social Work faculty member who directs a center for the study of global gender equity, and an undergraduate in gender and women's studies working in sexual violence prevention. They discussed mentorship, collaboration over competition, community care, opening doors to marginalized people, and the idea of "third space." Friday Forum + Conversation Cafe.