Employment Program | Women's
Program | Legal Program |Educational
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Grupo
de Mujeres, un projecto de mucho progreso.
El
Centro Humanitario para los Trabajadores brinda oportunidades para
mujeres laboriosas.
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Women's Programs| Women's Program Goals| Women's Project Updates
Women's Program
(Proyecto Mujeres) This program aims to improve job skills and develop women’s leadership and self-esteem through organizing, networking and the development of a sense of community. Women in the project select their own officers, design their own programs, determine the behavioral expectations, and control their project budget and earned income. Established in February of 2004, the women’s group is a team of middle-aged Spanish speaking female immigrants who seek employment and seek numerous educational programs.Low income Latina women improved their job skills by creating resumes and participating in workshops about job readiness, filling out job applications and interviewing strategies in the spring of 2004. Upon graduation each woman received a diploma, business cards and a letter of recommendation. In the summer of 2004, the women’s project continued job skills development workshops and promoted piñata sales to increase their project income. Over the past six months, the numbers of women participating in the project has tripled, and women are in the process of developing an idea of micro-enterprise operation at El Centro to promote self-sufficiency.Currently, Proyecto Mujeres is in the start-up phase of the creation of its own business. Almost all members of the group have some domestic cleaning experience. To capitalize on this asset, the women elected to create the “Queens of Clean.” This business is run entirely by the constituents, and the earnings from the piñata sales have served as the start-up capital. The women have appointed the future administrative corps of the new business. These new leaders have completed a concentrated small business training series provided by the Denver-based Micro Business Development Corporation that specifically focused on the small house cleaning business.
Additionally, the Proyecto Mujeres is actively collaborating with former owners of similar businesses to enhance their knowledge of the industry.The constituent-based origins of Proyecto Mujeres and the promotion of leadership from within the group guarantee that the women retain all decision-making power in this project. The experience gained through the group-owned small business ventures will continue to develop and demonstrate the women’s ability to govern their own lives.
Women's Program Goals
Provide Spanish speaking immigrant women with a safe place
1. Support immigrant women in gaining employment and job skill development trainingDevelop knowledge of immigrant’s rights and capabilities2. Develop leadership in the Women’s Program
How does the Women’s Program work?
Women meet every Thursday at 9:00 A.M.
No fees for service
All women interested in participating in the Program must attend an orientation of El Centro before joining the Women’s Project.Women's Project Updates:
- We held a evaluation of last year
- The women came with some ideas how to keep the whole coop enterprise advancing to the next step, and we'll meet with a consultant on micro-enterprise that Minsun found for us.- We got new women integrated to the group, including 2 former members that came used to attend the project when Liliana was coordinating (Marta and Dominga).
-- This year we are planning on having monthly visit to business run by women or with possibilities to be run by women, to inspire our women to see what they can do together and get ideas for their own business.
--The project was invited to be interview by Metropoli news newspaper and we made it to the cover. We are happy to have free publicity and interest in the work EL Centro is doing with las mujeres.
-- The project is starting a new education program this coming Friday. All the mujeres (already members and new women) will atttend the class on finances and taxes. We have 16 women who signed up for the next session.
--- We have set up the food for sell on poker night 2/29
--- The group starting a fund (each Friday whoever is able brings one dollar o more, to have funds to pay fee at events where the women will try to sell their products or for materials for product making)
--- A new member of the group (Blanca Flores) has volunteer to teach computer classes to the women in the group.
--- We have two DU volunteers supporting the women project. Meghan who has started and Jessica who will start in the next couple of weeks.
