Women's Education Project

The Women's Education Project at Antioch thrives on simplicity, which may explain why its efforts to serve homeless and formerly homeless women in downtown Seattle have been so successful.

Started by volunteer students, staff and faculty in 1998 in response to a request from the Women's Housing Equality & Enhancement League (WHEEL), an advocacy group for homeless women, the project offers a way for the University to act on its mission of social justice and commitment to community collaboration. WHEEL and The Sisters Project, a nonprofit that serves homeless women, worked with Antioch to design the program and make it a long-term success.

Mary Lou Finley, an Antioch core faculty member for more than 20 years, has played a central role in developing the vision for the project from its inception. The idea was to provide homeless women with a clean, warm and welcoming place to visit for a day program and offer a way for the University to contribute to the community.

Some aspects have remained constant since the project's inception. Hours of operation are every Thursday morning from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. (except during Antioch's summer quarter) and include a healthy breakfast, uninterrupted time in the computer lab, art supplies and a variety of art projects and opportunities for discussions about social issues.

Last winter, participants staged a soup and bread fundraiser on the campus at lunchtime. Soup was ladled into pottery bowls crafted by the women participants and sold bowl and all. A group of Antioch staff members also stitch quilts and auction them to help offset the costs of breakfasts and art projects. 

Students Can Earn Credit for Participation

It wasn't until the project's fourth year that students in the B.A. in Liberal Studies program were encouraged to earn credit for their participation. On average, three to six students help with the project each academic quarter, some as volunteers who don't seek credit. The project typically accommodates 15 to 20 homeless and formerly homeless women each week. All must be drug and alcohol-free.   

Candace Harris, Antioch core faculty and one of the project's organizers, says that even after homeless women gain permanent housing, they frequently feel isolated. As such, the intention from the outset has been to serve both homeless and formerly homeless women.

Harris and Antioch's Assistant Admissions Director, Candiss Eickelmann, arrive at 7 a.m. each Thursday morning to set up and welcome the group.

"Students have trepidation at first," says Harris. "Then they're surprised to find they can't tell the difference between a homeless woman and themselves. They develop strong bonds, help them find housing and reconnect with families.

"It's reciprocal, too. The students learn what the issues are about homelessness and poverty. The homeless women learn computer skills, develop artistic and writing talents and gain confidence. We offer them the means for a healthier life three to four hours a week in a safe, comfortable and supportive environment."

Student Volunteer Admires Their Spirit

Kathleen Lawrence said she harbored a stereotype about homeless women before she first volunteered as a student in the B.A. program.

"I thought these women had limited ideas about what they could do in life," Lawrence concedes. "In fact, they contribute to their community and to each other as part of their day-to-day experience. These women are more involved in their community than the women in my neighborhood."

Now a graduate student in Antioch's Couple and Family Therapy concentration, Lawrence says she admires the spirit and commitment of the homeless women who come to Antioch.

"They work through very difficult circumstances with agencies and requirements to find a home without throwing up their arms and saying it's too much of an effort. To me, those circumstances would be futile and overwhelming," she says.

Antioch's Women's Education Project, Lawrence notes, offers these women a bit of peace and respite each Thursday morning.

"One week, I brought knitting and crocheting needles and discovered they knew more about needlework than I did. The conversations are wonderful. Several of the women are off-the-scales intelligent. Their lives are packed with experience.

"As we talk, there's no way to tell who is student, instructor, homeless or university administrator. The lines all go away in conversation and we meet in the moment.

"It's a very humbling experience. I sit back from myself and I'm completely outside my image. That opportunity is so rich for me. That's what these women have given me," Lawrence describes.

The Women's Education Project has reinforced her interest in facilitation and change. Building bridges between cultures is her passion.

"This really isn't all that different. It's a lot about humanizing class, economics, race and ethnicity," she notes.

Lawrence says the success of the project is that it doesn't become bogged down with infrastructure.

"It's amazing how such a simple program can do so much. That's part of its beauty," Lawrence notes, adding, "The magic happens in the simplicity."    

A Better Listener Now, She's Eager to Pursue Art Therapy

Carly Ramsey, a former B.A. student, says she gained a valuable skill from her experience with the Women's Education Project.

"I've gotten really good at listening to people's stories. I love to hear their stories," she says.

Ramsey's involvement with the program continues because "the women, they are so courageous, really. They have nothing and yet they keep going."

Her experiences making collages and soup bowls with the women and a research paper she wrote on art and the homeless have contributed to her enthusiasm for becoming an art therapist.

"I arrived at Antioch wanting to pursue a degree in art therapy. This has cinched it," Ramsey says. "It has confirmed to me that art can be the venue through which women can heal."

Ramsey is now a current student in the Art Therapy concentration in Antioch's School of Applied Psychology, Counseling and Family Therapy.