SAINT JOHN WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT NETWORK 2014 - 2015

This has been another exciting year for the Women’s Empowerment Network (WEN). We were fortunate to receive support from the United Way that meant we could hire another person. This core funding has helped us to develop and implement strategies that will expand our programs and grow our organization. In addition to delivering four POWER UP! programs, we established a website (check it out at www.sjwen.ca); developed and distributed a Promising Practices Manual with our partners in Winnipeg and Toronto; delivered the Learn & Go program; instituted an internship program; produced the Just Because... book and expanded our programming into Charlotte County by offering the Portfolio program. We also received approval from the Department of Social Development to double the number of POWER UP! programs in 2015/16. This will mean that we can offer programs in St. Stephen and Sussex in January in addition to the four available in Saint John.

We are grateful to our funders: Status of Women Canada, the Department of Social Development, United Way Saint John, the Sisters of Charity, the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation, Irving Oil Ltd., the Women’s Equality Branch, and the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture. Thanks as well to our in-kind supporters – St. Joseph’s Community Health Centre, Housing Alternatives and the Saint John Learning Exchange. We appreciate your support of our work and our vision of a community in which women are empowered, living sustainable lives and are contributing as full partners in society.

We are proud of our work and we believe that WEN is a key organization in the social infrastructure of our community. Our inspiration and motivation is the women with whom we work. As we walk with them on their journey out of poverty, we are struck by their bravery, tenacity and drive to make a better life for themselves, their families and their neighbourhoods. They stir us to think creatively and differently as we strive to reduce poverty in our community.

I also want to thank my fellow Board members for your commitment and dedication to SJ WEN and the women we serve. Your thoughts, your imagination, your wisdom help to meet the overall vision of WEN.

We say goodbye this year to long serving member Dianne McCormack. We thank Dianne for her tremendous commitment, guidance and leadership to WEN. We will miss her skills, knowledge and wisdom. Thanks as well to Wendy Stephens and her contribution to our vision over this past year.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I also want to acknowledge and thank our staff, Vicki Cosgrove and Brenda Murphy. It is your efforts, your talents and vision that are helping to grow and expand the organization.

Christina Fowler, Chairperson

Three POWER UP! programs, one POWER UP! to employment program

39 Graduates
17 Employed after program
2 Enrolled in NBCC
1 Enrolled in Community program
3 Community involvement

What’s new in POWER UP!? In April, we decided to incorporate a healthy activity to the program. The 30 minute activity has included walking, yoga, low impact exercises and weight resistance training. We also received funding in June from the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture that will help us to purchase equipment and to train 3 – 5 past graduates in low impact portable equipment training so they can then lead sessions in the program.

We continue to have strong positive outcomes with the program. Some women move fairly quickly to employment and/or other training or education opportunities. Others believe that the program has helped them in their recovery from addiction; to begin to address a mental health issue; and/or provided much needed structure and routine in their daily lives.

We have now graduated 207 women and have a very active FaceBook page with more than 180 friends.

We appreciate the support of our partners who give of their time to add to our program. We know that without these partnerships our program would not be as complete or affordable. Thanks to the SJ Community Loan Fund; the SJ Learning Exchange; P.R.U.D.E. Inc.; Domestic Violence Outreach; St. Joseph’s Community Health Centre; Hepzibah Munoz; the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour; NBCC; Around the Block newspaper; and Mandy Thomas.

In the words from some of our graduates:

“Being in this program has meant so much to me…it has given me the courage, confidence and the ability to achieve my dreams and strive for success. It has also taught me that it is okay to be scared but to never give up.”

“I am so happy to have taken this program. I have seen a major change in myself, I never thought I would be capable of loving myself, of believing that I was okay the way I am, that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.”

This project has enabled us to work with and learn from our partners in Winnipeg and Toronto and to incorporate those learnings in to our POWER UP! program. We are in our last year of the three year project and have developed a Promising Practices Manual that includes five themes which were determined to be foundational in women’s empowerment and leadership training. Along with the project evaluator, the three organizations are developing a distribution list and will be sharing this manual with women centred organizations across the country.

Through this project we also had the chance to see our partners’ mentor programs which helped us to create an internship program for our POWER UP! graduates. Each year we will hire 3 past graduates (one for each program) who will assist our program facilitator; develop and present at least one session in the POWER UP! group and will follow up with participants for three months following the end of the program. As part of the six month opportunity, the intern will also identify learning goals in order to ensure the experience supports their goal(s) toward finding employment. We are very grateful to the Status of Women Canada who has funded this three year project.
“The internship program has shown me that my story can help other women through their journey. It taught me that I am a true leader and I can manage my life, find a career and be the strong independent woman that I am.” Carrie Griffin, Intern


Benita MacFarland, intern

17 participants registered for program
10 participants completed the program
9 mentors assisted project teams
3 projects were presented to partners

We were very fortunate this year to contract with Penni Eisenhauer of Vibrant Communities to coordinate the program. A past graduate of Learn & Go, Donna Mckee assisted Penni with the organization and planning of the program. While the numbers were down this year, the participants who completed the program were very proud of their efforts and for two teams, the implementation of their project. We are grateful to the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation
and Irving Oil Ltd for their financial support. We also appreciate the contribution of many volunteers who participated on the Steering Committee, facilitated workshops and mentored project teams. It is their efforts and support that makes the program successful.

In January, we hosted a focus group to explore what has worked well with Learn & Go, and if there are components that we needed to change. The overwhelming consensus was that the program is valuable and has had a positive impact on individuals as well as neighbourhoods. A number of recommendations were made and have been adopted including a new recruitment and application process and to hold the program in the spring.

Many thanks to the City of Saint John, Irving Oil Ltd., the Department of Social Development, P.U.L.S.E, and ONE Change.

Learn & Go graduates

The Nominations committee would like to present the following slate of officers for the 2015/2016 fiscal year.

Executive (Coordinating Committee)

Chairperson,
Christina Fowler - SJ Learning Exchange
Secretary/Treasurer,
Kit Hickey - Housing Alternatives
Lyn King - Community
Robin Kirkpatrick - St. Joseph’s Community Health Centre

The committee further nominates in addition to the above the following as directors of the Board for the 2015/2016 fiscal year:
Joanne Britton, Community
Laura Brideau, NBCC
Victoria Clarke, Discover SJ
Randy Hatfield, Human Development Council
Mary Bridget Walsh, Department
of Social Development

Nominating Committee members: Christina Fowler
Brenda Murphy

We are grateful to the many partners and funding agencies who have so generously contributed to our work over the past year. Thank you for your support!

Status of Women Canada
Sisters of Charity
Department of Social Development
Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation
Women’s Equality Branch
Saint John United Way
Irving Oil Ltd
St. Joseph’s Community Health Centre
Housing Alternatives
Saint John Learning Exchange
Tourism, Heritage and Culture
McGale & Associates