The Women's Center’s mission is to act as a catalyst promoting awareness, education, and advocacy about women, gender, and diversity at Ohio University and in its surrounding communities. Much of their programming is intentionally designed to reinforce this goal by providing opportunities for OHIO students and Athens community members to connect with one another and learn together.

One program that fosters relationships between OHIO students, staff, faculty and community members is the Mentoring Women Program, in which mentees are paired with a female mentor in their personal and professional fields of interest and meet throughout the semester.

Jamie Brown is an Ohio University-Chillicothe student studying communications and graduating this spring. Jamie is also participating in the Community Work-Study Program as an Education Assistant at YouthBuild, a program of Sojourner’s Care Network. As an Education Assistant at YouthBuild, Jamie works with at-risk students in the Chillicothe community. YouthBuild serves youth pursuing GED and secondary diplomas. They also work together on community service projects and build relationships with local businesses to help build positive labor futures.

“My favorite part of my work with YouthBuild is knowing the value of my work,” Jamie says. “At-risk students face challenges that require immediate intervention and having that experience from immersion helps me to appreciate the work in real time.”

The Office of Sustainability at Ohio University has been working hard to create community outreach programs for OHIO community members and for the Athens community. The Office of Sustainability facilitates the implementation of the Ohio University Sustainability and Climate Action Plan and ensures fulfillment of institutional commitments to environmental, social, and economic well-being.