Central Arkansas Alumnae Chapter

Programs

FIVE-POINT PROGRAMMATIC THRUST

Economic Development

National economic trends, such as unstable employment, the threat to Social Security as we know it, and the widening gap between wealth and poverty are the basis for the development of Financial Fortitude, the current Economic Development program initiative of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Financial Fortitude is a process that will help program participants to set and define goals, develop a plan to achieve them, and to put the plan into action. The process serves as a blueprint to address all aspects of personal finances.

The Financial Fortitude initiative is comprised of ten components and provides a collaboration of information from major economic corporations and other well-known financial institutions. The ten components include: Goal Setting, Financial Planning, Budgeting, Debt Management, Savings & Investments, Retirement Planning, Homeownership, Insurance, Estate Planning, and Entrepreneurship.

The initiative helps members of the Sorority spread financial education throughout their local communities.

Educational Development - Delta Academy

Catching the Dreams of Tomorrow, Preparing Young Women for the 21st Century: The Delta Academy was created in 1996 out of an urgent sense that bold action was needed to save our young females (ages 11-14) from the perils of academic failure, low self-esteem, and crippled futures. Delta Academy provides an opportunity for local chapters to enrich and enhance the education that our young teens receive in public schools across the nation. Specifically, we augment their scholarship in math, science, and technology, their opportunities to provide service in the form of leadership through service learning defined as the cultivation and maintenance of relationships. A primary goal of the program is to prepare young girls for full participation as leaders in the 21st Century.

Educational Development - Delta Gems

A natural outgrowth and expansion for the continuation of the highly successful Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy: Catching the Dreams of Tomorrow, Delta GEMS was created to catch the dreams of African-American at-risk, adolescent girls aged 14-18. Delta GEMS provides the framework to actualize those dreams through the performance of specific tasks that develop a CAN DO attitude. The goals for Delta GEMS are:

The Delta GEMS program offers a road map for college and career planning through activities that provide opportunities for self-reflection and individual growth. Delta GEMS, like Delta Academy, is implemented by chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Delta GEMS participants have the opportunity to define and “Discover their individual Brilliance.”

International Awareness & Involvement

International Awareness and Involvement is one of our Sorority’s Five-Point Programmatic Thrust. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. has an extensive history of involvement in international issues, including human rights. International Awareness and Involvement has enabled women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to broaden their knowledge and understanding of nations other than their own. This thrust has increased the interest in international affairs and has aided in the development of a greater appreciation for people of different backgrounds and cultures in five developing countries in Africa and Haiti with a primary focus on women and girls.

Political Awareness & Involvement

Delta Sigma Theta has been committed to service through social action since our founding in 1913. Our 22 Founders participated in the Suffrage March of 1913, just two months after establishing the Sorority, and our members have been at the forefront of social and political struggles ever since.

 Under the direction of the National Social Action Commission, Delta Sigma Theta mobilizes our members, chapters, and national leaders to advocate for the Sorority’s predetermined positions and objectives. The National Social Action Commission was officially established in 1963 to provide information and direction to the membership on current civil rights issues. It traces its roots back to the Vigilance Committee, which was created to strengthen and unify the social action efforts of the Sorority. As a result of these efforts, Delta Sigma Theta has become an integral part of the movement to secure equal political, educational, and economic rights for all Black people.

Physical and Mental Health

THE TOTAL WOMAN: MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT: As an organization of predominately African American women, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc is uniquely positioned to impact not only the well-being of its members, but also the well-being of families and communities at large. To facilitate this effort, the Health Task Force was launched to provide concentrated expertise and focus on the Physical and Mental Health aspect of our Five-Point Programmatic Thrust. The mission of the Health Task Force is to educate and facilitate lifestyle change for the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of sorors and the communities that we serve. The Health Task Force objectives are to: Raise awareness about the importance and benefits of lifestyle changes that affect longevity, morbidity, and mortality; Identify organizational alliances for the sorority that will work to address pertinent health issues; and develop and implement health-focused programs within the sorority and the communities we serve. Through the Lifestyle Change Initiative, Delta Sigma Theta will work to combat the high incidence of obesity among women. The first priority of our Lifestyle Change Initiative is the Total Woman Healthy Weight Program which challenges chapters to a commitment to achieve healthier weights by including physical activity and healthy eating.

The three-pronged approach to Journey to Wellness also includes Physical Health: Chronic Diseases and Mental Health.