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Our Women: Diverse and
Connected project consists of two parts. Part one is a series of Diversity
Women Forums in which the Women’s Centre partners with other community
agencies to highlight the achievements of that community, discuss challenges,
share lessons and brainstorm new solutions together. Part two focuses on the
provision of our community education programme, which, through these strategic
partnerships, will now serve a wider audience. Our partners will promote our
courses/workshops via their networks in email newsletters and via informal
means and flyers will be given out at the Diversity Forums.
Project Outcomes:
1. Give voice to groups of
women who are hard to hear.
2. Celebrate and showcase the
community development work of our five partnering agencies.
3. Provide an opportunity for
people from diverse greater Auckland communities to come together.
4. Build positive relationships
across different community agencies and networks.
5. Celebrate cultural
diversity.
6. Connect more diverse women
to the Auckland Women's Centre.
7. Develop leadership by
providing a platform for women to speak in public.
8. Provide affordable,
accessible forums and community education.
9. Promote cross
fertilisation of ideas.
10. Facilitate democratic
involvement by women in the issues which affect their lives based on active
citizenship, autonomy, and shared power, skills, knowledge and experience.
11. Increase the Women’s
Centre’s understanding of issues facing diverse groups of women as identified
by the women themselves, which in turn, will improve our community education
outreach.
12. Builds self-esteem,
resilience and well-being
13. Increase the number of
people who are engaging in community activities, thus overcoming their social
isolation and increasing their feeling of belonging to a community.
Part One: The Diversity Forums
- five additional Diversity Forums planned for 2014-15 focussing on:
1. Pasefika women in
partnership with The Pacific Island Safety and Prevention Project.
2. Chinese women in
partnership with the Chinese New Settlers Trust.
3. Asian, African and Middle
Eastern women in partnership with Shakti Women’s Group.
4. Wāhine Maori in
partnership with Te Wharepora Hou. This will be our second forum with Te
Wharepora Hou, held in a different locality, reflecting our commitment to Te
Tiriti of Waitangi,
5. Young women in partnership
with Generation Zero.
This project utilises a
strengths-based approach and is solution focused. There will be no charge to
attend the Diversity Forums and we will work to make the forums as accessible
as possible. For example, for Wise Wāhine Speak we will be organising car-pooling
from the Auckland Women’s Centre.
A key aspect of the forums is
the discussion that will take place after the guest speakers. They will focus
on producing new solutions and the beginnings of new community development
projects. The facilitator will ensure that we can list three action points at
the end of the evening and we will circulate email lists so that people can
stay in touch and form working groups if they wish to. The email lists will
also serve to connect women to our community education programme and give
them an opportunity to feedback their views on topics the Centre could offer
that are relevant to their lives. The discussion will be followed by
networking over tea, coffee and cake.
Our partners in the Diversity
Forums will provide their expertise by taking the lead in decision-making.
For example, they will control the focus of the forum, select the speakers
and the facilitator and choose the location. The role of the Women’s Centre
is to act as forum organisers in consultation with the host organisation.
This method, which is working well for Wise Wāhine Speak, allows our
partners to be the experts and the Centre to understand their priorities and
learn how we might better serve their needs in the future through our community
education programme and other services.
The forums will provide a
vehicle for people to work across sectors and communities. For example, while
the forum at the Manurewa Marae focuses on wāhine Maori, it will also
bring together people from the education sector, the tourism sector, the
community sector and those concerned about reducing economic inequality. In
addition, the Diversity Forums are not limited to a female audience but will
include men as well. For instance, we have invited all the members of the
Manurewa Local Board to Wise Wāhine Speak and envisage that other local
leaders will attend as well.
Auckland City now organises an
exciting and dynamic range of events throughout the year. The Diversity
Forums will provide the Council with the opportunity to showcase the work of
diverse groups of women in their calendar of events.
Part Two: The Community
Education Programme
The Auckland Women’s Centre
provides low-cost community education and support programmes including
workshops, classes and support groups for women that are in response to
recognised community needs. The course/workshops are provided in a safe,
friendly, women-only environment that enables women to feel comfortable in
accessing the Centre’s community education.
The Community Education
Programme Quotes
NB: Please note that only
single quotes are provided as facilitator's are highly skilled in their areas
and due to the high needs of many vulnerable participants (in regard to their
histories of sexual or domestic abusive) it is imperative that we have
absolute confidence in the ability of the facilitators. We have had excellent
feedback, through evaluation forms, for all facilitators we are proposing.
Community benefits of the
Programme
All of the courses/workshops
below provide the following benefits:
• Builds self-esteem,
resilience and well-being
• Connects women to other
women and to the community
• Increases their feelings
of belonging to a community
After each course below are
listed the additional benefits of that particular course.
Building a New Life after
Separation
(Term 4 2014, Terms 1 and 3,
2015)
Separation after a relationship
can bring a range of emotions such as grief, anger and confusion. This
workshop furnishes participants with practical skills that will help them
reclaim themselves and rebuild their lives. The tutor Joan Prairie has more
than ten years of experience and qualifications in Counselling from Human
Development and Training (NZ) and in Hakomi psychotherapy.
Outputs:
1. Participants can identify
why people separate, through knowledge of maps of relationship decline,
separation and life rebuilding.
2. Work in groups and pairs,
as well as class discussion; participants support each other and work through
emotions.
3. Normalise the physical,
emotional, mental and behavioural symptoms which may arise during
separation.
4. Understand what transpired
in the relationship before the separation, explore the cycle of shock, grief,
anger and resolution in separation.
5. Written material and a
book list of relevant material to continue learning once the workshop ends.
Outcomes
1. Practical skills on how to
cope day to day.
2. Coming together with a
group of women going through the same situation and building support
networks.
Amazing Assertiveness
(Term 4 2014 and Term 2 2015)
Self-esteem and assertiveness
is a loaded subject for most women, as it forces them to examine their true
feelings about themselves and their relationships with others. Participants
of the seven-week Amazing Assertiveness course come from a range of different
backgrounds, including referrals from other women’s groups and referrals from
the Auckland Women’s Centre’s counsellors, as well as women looking to
further self-development. Amazing Assertiveness is a practical group,
session-based approach to equip women with the knowledge and skills necessary
to become more assertive (including becoming less aggressive) in their day to
day lives.
Outputs
1. Information, knowledge and
skills sessions include family patterns, personality styles and body
language, thought patterns and emotional insight.
2. Interacting with others in
a safe women-only environment
3. Opportunities to practice
through role playing, group exercises and use of weekly goal setting.
Outcomes and benefits
1. Improved confidence,
communication skills and assertiveness.
2. Through building up their
assertiveness and communication skills, women find the confidence to
participate more fully in their workplaces, families and communities.
The Science of happiness
(Term 1 2015)
Happiness is not a one size
fits all! This six week course offers women tools and techniques for
increasing their happiness. Using a mix of reflection and education,
participants will design a personalized action plan for their lives. The
tutor Annalise Roache is an internationally accredited coach and passionate
enthusiast of positive psychology.
Outputs
1. Participants learn about
the science behind happiness and the activities which build lasting happiness.
2. Participants identify the
current patterns in their lives, identifying those which are supportive and
those which undermine their happiness.
3. Participants test the
interventions and tools they have learnt and identify what works for them.
4. Participants work as a
group, individually and in pairs, to support each other’s learnings and new
growth.
Outcomes
1. An awareness of things
that make each of us happy.
2. Being well resourced in a
variety of tools and techniques to increase and maintain happiness.
3. Creation of a 12 month
‘happiness in action’ plan to imbed the new learnings.
Introduction to Mosaics
(Term 1 2015)
This workshop boosts women’s
confidence through the creation of mosaics. It is designed to inspire passion
for recycling and creatively reinventing treasures. We provide the tools and
safety equipment that allow women to tap into their creativity and think
outside the square. Women who are not confident at drawing are encouraged to
bring an image that they can work from. The tutor, Kate Millington is a
well-known and respected local artist. She designed and created the mosaic on
the curved wall of the Grey Lynn Community Centre.
Outputs
Day one: Participants will
learn the fundamentals of design and layout, cutting and shaping tiles and
china, and gluing.
Day Two: Participants will
continue cutting and gluing and will then move on to grouting. Examples of
different colours accentuating the mood of the mosaics will be shown and
participants will make their own grouting choice using demonstrated grouting
techniques. All finished works will be polished.
Outcomes
1. Not only do these
workshops help women gain new skills, they affirm their talent in a safe
women-only environment.
Expressive Art Journalling
(Term 2 2015)
In Expressive Art Journalling,
women have the opportunity to find their voice, style and creativity by
expressing their inner self in a journal. They learn a variety of visual arts
and written techniques to help them create a unique book of self-expression.
Within the company of like-minded woman, this is a place where real
self-knowledge, healing and creativity flourish. The tutor Nancy Cooper has a
teaching degree and an MA in educational psychology. She has studied with
Juliet Batten who wrote The Visual Diary Releasing the Artist Within. Nancy
has taught visual arts journalling to groups of women for many years.
Outputs
Week 1
• Introduction and sharing
of our art journalling experiences.
• Exposure to and use of a
variety of materials and design elements while learning to record feelings
and sense impressions in a journal.
• Introducing the
three-part way:
1. A mindful settling in
period.
2. Art journalling experience.
3. Reflection and sharing.
Weeks 2-5
Each week we will go through
this 3-part process. We will start by drawing the elements of our life. It
is envisaged that each participant’s work will be based on this exercise.
There will be extra help and prompts for those who want more guidance and/or
structure.
Week 6
In the final week the
participants will be given the choice to make a summative or more formal
journal entry to capture the insights gained during the course. They will
also be asked to consider ways to incorporate visual arts journaling into
their life. A group piece might be undertaken and successes and achievements
will be celebrated.
Outcomes
1. Participants gain
techniques to allow the participant to tap into her creativity.
2. Participants gain new
self-knowledge.
3. Participants become well-resourced
in a variety of tools and techniques to increase healing and happiness.
Get Knitting
(Term 3 2015)
Outputs
Skills learnt range from basic
knitting stitches, reading/understanding patterns and how to fix mistakes to
more advanced techniques including making participants’ own designs.
Outcomes and benefits
The Auckland Women’s Centre
often has clients that have encountered adverse experiences in their lives,
and one of the goals of this group is to empower women and build their self-esteem
through affirming their talent and by alleviating their isolation.
Beginners Te Reo and Tikanga
Maori
(Term 2 2015)
The six-week Te Reo class is a
community-originated project that uses local tutors and is suitable for
beginners and intermediate learners.
Outputs
This course consists of
two-hour sessions one morning a week for six weeks for 15 participants. The
skills learnt include:
1. Introduction to Te Reo
Maori and Tikanga Maori (language and customs) through participation and conversation.
2. Historical background to
the origins and purpose of familiar Maori customs and rituals.
3. Mihi (formal
greeting/introduction), waiata (song), karakia (prayer) and various forms of
greetings.
4. Useful phrases and
sentences.
5. Introduction to basic
Maori grammar.
6. Explore available options
for further learning and farewell.
Outcomes
1. Women in the community
increase their cultural awareness, increase language use and proficiency, and
strengthen and lead Maori language regeneration.
2. Maori cultural heritage is
valued at the same time as cultural diversity is accepted and celebrated.
Self-Esteem and Empowerment for
Women
(Terms 1 and 3, 2015)
Self-esteem and Empowerment for
Women is offered as a two-day weekend workshop. Participants explore their
own issues with self esteem in a safe, supportive environment.
Outputs
The workshop includes covering
the development of self-esteem and empowerment using methods such as
discussion, visualisation, art work, role play, writing and some teaching.
Outcomes
1. Women learn about new
tools and techniques that help them make positive changes in their lives.
2. Women have a deeper
understanding of self-esteem and empowerment, which empowers them in their
personal lives, work lives and relationships.
3. Women identify patterns
that are stopping them from getting what they want in their lives.
4. Women gain a deeper
understanding of themselves;
5. Women learn about other
useful resources: books, courses, and websites.
Memoir Writing Toolkit
(Term 3 2015)
In this workshop women
experience just how energising it is to explore their personal herstory. They
learn strategies for sidestepping the blocks that keep our creative power
locked inside. This course sets women on the path to discovering their unique
take on the world. Participants write a handful of pieces that will jumpstart
them on writing their memoirs. Or, even if they have a different outcome in
mind (novels...short stories...poetry) they will enjoy delving into their
past for inspiration. The tutor, Lisa Williams, is an experienced writer and
tutor. Her novel Drifting at the Bottom of the World was shortlisted for the
2003 Violet Quill Award (USA).
Outputs
During the first two sessions,
workshop participants will bring a photograph or other meaningful object to
class and learn how to build a creative memory around it. The third session
will involve making a scrapbook to contain their story with room left over
for other photographs and memories.
Women are often the keepers of
their family’s history and memories. A big barrier to undertaking such family
histories is knowing how to get started. This workshop is intended to provide
them with the tools and methods necessary to accomplish this.
Outcomes
1. The community benefits
when women feel connected to their family histories and heritage. They
establish or strengthen familial networks, gain confidence through their
interaction with family members and through doing research about their
family’s life in New Zealand.
Rediscovering You
(Term 2 2015)
Women universally experience a
time of personal evolution during midlife and menopause. A generation of
women aged 40-60+ are pioneering new models for their relationships, health,
and personal and professional wellbeing. This six-week course provides
methods and information for navigating these changes and for learning how to
celebrate this new period of life. Each week will focus on a different
aspect of living:
1. Life paths:
Self-reflection on major life choices, the milestones of midlife and how they
can be appreciated within the context of a woman’s life cycle.
2. The wisdom of menopause:
Menopause as a rite of passage and its implications for intrapersonal and
interpersonal experiences.
3. Re-thinking relationships:
How to break through self-imposed limits.
4. Finding true vocation and
meaning: Undertaking personal quests to find meaning and value in possible
new career choices.
5. Self- image and aging.
Exploding the myths of the middle-aged and ageing body ¬- a fresh and vibrant
re-appraisal of the self and its potential.
6. Self-nurturance and
regeneration. A wrap-up session that explores how to foster personal
regeneration at midlife.
Outputs
During these two-hour per week
sessions, participants will gain a fresh appreciation of themselves in this
stage of their lives. They will:
1. Practice self-reflection
as a means to understand the benefits of menopause.
2. Identify new pathways for
growth they may not have previously considered.
3. Improve their self-image
and body image.
4. Acquire tools for
assessing new career choices that lead to meaningful living.
Outcomes
1. Participants develop their
understanding of the psychological, emotional and physical changes brought
about through menopause and thereby increase their well-being.
2. The community benefits as
women take up new directions, career choices and volunteer work that align
with a deeper sense of purpose.
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