Northern District Progressive Women's Center
Portsmouth, Dominica (#445-4186)
President: Ms Angelica Pierre Louis, ndpwc@yahoo.com
Vice President: Miss Catherine Kate
Treasurer: Sandra Banis
Volunteer Staff:
Jess Trudeau, paintedbird2@gmail.com
Mary Steinke, mary.steinke@yahoo.com
Kelsey Christensen, kelsey_christensen@hotmail.com
Stef Dragon, stefaniedragan@gmail.com
Call for Donations Please contact Jess Trudeau, paintedbird2@gmail.com if you have extra supplies which you would like to donate to the Women's Center. Needed supplies include used but nice quality clothing to sell in shop, kitchen supplies, fans, printing paper & ink, fabric & sewing materials, Arts & Crafts materials (scizzors, paper, paint, glue,etc), and anything else which you think might be utilized. Thank you so much in advance for your generosity!
Skills Workshops are currently in session
Only 25 ec for 8 classes! 10ec registration fee.
ARTS & CRAFTS, Thursdays 3-4:30pm: printing, book making, market bags, beading, clothing design, basketmaking, wallets, and more!
COMPUTER, Thursdays beginner 4-5pm, advanced 5-6pm: internet efficiency, cover letter, resume, blogging, email, etc.
SEWING, Tue & Weds 4-6pm: basic & advanced
HOSPITALITY & COOKING, Mon 4-7 & Th 5-7pm: explore your culinary repertoire!
Leadership and counseling, Fridays 1:30-3pm
Organization Overview: Northern District Progressive Women’s
Club. A cultural women’s
cooperative that fosters artistic creativity as a means of empowering low-income
women to assume a greater level of control over their physical surroundings and
economic activities.
Program Abstract:
Through a variety of programs and services, we seek to serve individual
women in need, while also working to eradicate the broader social and institutional
barriers that continue to impact women’s lives.
Proposal: To make available for women in the
target community a thriving recreational and social space that provides a safe
haven and opportunities for personal and economic development.
Project Summary: Help introduce new ideas and restore a
multitude of skills to the women of northern Dominica. Assisting an already
existing women’s center in the
town of Portsmouth by working with board members to establish intention,
outline goals, and revamp the center into a flourishing, vibrant community
outreach center for women to come together and learn highly valuable life
skills.
Organizational Model: An independent socially responsible not for profit
business.
Project Intention:
*Create
a comfortable environment exclusive to women through recreational resources
and activities.
*Social
development through educational projects, workshops, and classes. *Economic
development through vocational training. Ie. Small business development.
Target Audience: All women who
are looking to appropriate new skills ie. sewing, handcrafts, baking, computer
skills that can assist them in generating finances, build self-esteem, and
create self worth and
independence. Women aged 14-25 target for violence prevention/intervention,
outreach, job training, parenting skills, coping skills. Ages 20+ target for business development, protection, home financing,
domestic abuse, self worth & assertiveness.
Programming or Project Ideas:
Revitalize Store- Acquire donated paints
and labor to repaint the inside of the center’s store to give it a new, modern,
vibrant feel. (Supply donation from Harris Paints).
Teach Workshops and Vocational Classes- On a
variety of Sewing and Arts &
Crafts Projects: bags, aprons, pillows, clothing, etc . Quilting, Handcraft, Textile
Design, Tie-dye, Batik, Applique, Printmaking with linoleum & vegetables onto
clothing or stationary, Bookmaking, Drawing & Painting, Beading &
bracelet braiding, Weaving, modifying recycled clothing . Also lead workshops in computer &
internet skills.
Community Outreach- Enter
local schools and raise awareness about the center’s project opportunities and
bring craft project samples. Organize community beach cleanup, mural projects,
networking with other organizations, lead outdoor trips, encourage local
volunteerism.
Lead Health Related Workshops- Invite
local women leaders and role models to the center. Lecture topics on the
importance of healthy living, Naturopathy, medical awareness, eating locally,
preserving/pickling food & making essential oils- focusing on bioregional
resources. Offer yoga classes, Cooking classes, Self defense classes and Music
classes. Also increasing awareness of issues that impact women by offering
lectures on such important topics as child care, family planning, restrictions
in access to education and jobs, battering, human trafficking, and child abuse.
Organize at Health Fair centered around women’s reproductive health and breastfeeding and workshops centered
around crisis outreach, conflict resolution, and teacher trainings.
Create Mural- Lead a mural project
somewhere onsite or in the community dealing with issues that plague local
women. Create awareness on this topic through the art piece. Invite other
branches of the women’s club to participate.
Summer Youth Classes- Through
fundraising offer reasonably priced classes for young women in sewing and
crafting. (May-July)
Advertising- Solicit media exposure
for the center through making a new sign to put at the entrance of Portsmouth,
make posters, brochures, flyers and present to public forums.
Fundraising and Grant Writing- Explore financial resources from local government,
international, and private funding to acquire resources for the women’s center.
These financial revenues can go toward supplies, advertising, rent of space, or
the payment of local employees. Includes broad spectrum of international grant writing,
as well as small scale fundraising like selling baked goods out of the women’s
center or in the community.
Creating Community Within- Encourage
social structure by activities such as a movie night, literature readings and
celebration of local holidays.
Sustainability:
Encourage teamwork within the organization by establishing weekly,
monthly, or bimonthly meetings between board members to encourage
communication, support, functionality, and project development.
Benefits:
*Increase
awareness of WRC as a resource for safety and empowerment.
* Gain
quantitative and qualitative understanding of how programs and
services impact women.
*Provide
necessary skills needed to women’s everyday lives in Dominica.
*Create
a social network in the community of Portsmouth.
Desired Outcome: Build on the initial roster of scheduled classes and formalize the
curriculum of the Center. We also hope to engage and train an active community
of local women leaders who can help to make the Center self- sustainable. Also
lay the bedrock of a relationship with other counseling and support groups for
women that can be partners in the growth of the Center.
*Create a budget for Fixed Costs (one time purchases, ie.
Sewing machines) and for Operating Costs (ie. Rent, utilities, maintenance,
instructor fees, phone, ongoing supply purchases like paint and fabric).
*Research prospective
donors ie. Dominica’s National Consulate for Women, The Women’s Social League of
the Roman Catholic Church, The Methodist Women’s Organization, The North
Northeastern Tourism & Development Board, several international agencies
including UNESCO, UNICEF, and the United States Peace Corps. Also look into
local organizations that support the arts such as the Cultural Division,
Dominica Festivals Commission, and the Movement for Cultural Awareness.
*Gauge awareness in level
of interest of local government & public officials.
*Delegate responsibilities
and instructors.
*Conduct research on
problems confronting women through grassroots interviewing and online research.
*Seek partnership with
local individuals and organizations.
*Keep documentation and comprehensive
record of activities; document progress, gather responses from events from the
community, and report on the success of these events. Report will include
analysis of possible causes for the success/ failure of any event.
*Organize an exhibition in
the community to showcase talents of local women.
