Indigenous Women's Leadership Program

There are many reasons that women join our women's leadership program. Ana (not her real name) came seeking support and friendship during a time of strife.  With her marriage falling apart and her oldest child, a 4th-grade boy, acting out in school, she was looking for help for her son and enrolled him in one of our reading circles for grade school students.  She stayed at the center with her two younger daughters while her son was in the reading circle, relaxing and talking with staff.  Soon, we invited her to join our women's group.  She began to share the stress in her life: being a single mother while her ex-husband formed a new family, dealing with her son's reactions to his father's behavior, and stress in general.  She took a while to open up, but about six months in, in her third reading circle, we began to talk about trauma and how to look at its effects in our lives, and she began to share more and more.  

She loved the women's groups and helped us expand by inviting other women to our circles and also to personal growth workshops, all the while bringing her children to the children's groups.  Since she often stayed and waited for her kids, she began volunteering, first welcoming the children to the center and staying with the participants after the group until family members came to pick them up.  Then she began working in the group her daughter was attending and helping out with the activities.  

She came to CDC feeling alone and unable to cope with all the issues in her life, and moved to not only finding healing for herself but also knowing that she could reach out and help others to find healing.  Today, she is a permanent volunteer with our children's groups, continues in the women's group an sambassador in the community for our programs

Because of your support, we can run programs that help women like Ana move from feeling overwhelmed and stressed to seeing their own gifts and giving back to the community.  We hope that you will continue to walk with us in our journey with our women.