Women’s Education Program
Program
The Women’s Education Program (WEP) is a clean, sober, and safe community for homeless and formerly homeless women to enjoy a hearty breakfast and free learning activities. WEP fosters individual and collective creativity in a warm and welcoming academic environment and engages the adult learner in collaborative educational opportunities to honor diversity of experience and expression.
The Women’s Education Program at Antioch University Seattle thrives on community, which may explain why its efforts to serve homeless and formerly homeless women in downtown Seattle have been so successful. Our program runs the 10 weeks of each academic quarter. Every Thursday a warm breakfast and a room filled with welcome and comfort continues the spirit of support and friendship that has drawn participants for sixteen years.
Hours of operation are Thursday mornings from 8:00 to 11:30 am. Breakfast is served from 8:00-9:30. From 9:30 to 11:30, we offer free classes which include time in the computer lab; art studio time with a qualified Art Therapy student; and guided writing class with faculty.
The Soup Bowl Fundraiser is a quarterly event that staff, faculty, and students anticipate—Autumn: Pumpkin Bowl; Winter Souper Bowl; Spring: Garden Bowl; and Summer: Picnic Bowl. Bowls designed and crafted by the women and volunteers are filled with homemade soup, salad, and other goodies.
The WEP is a sustainable endeavor thanks to the ongoing support of the Antioch University Seattle community.
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Mission
Serving Homeless and Formerly Homeless Women in Seattle Since 1998
The Women’s Education Program provides a nourishing breakfast and nurturing learning environment for clean and sober women. Conversations, creativity, and camaraderie develop in the educational context of a writers’ workshop, a studio arts collective, and access to Antioch’s computers.
History
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 AUS to design the program and make it a long-term success.
Mary Lou Finley, an Antioch University Seattle BA core faculty member for more than 25 years, played a central role in developing the vision for the project from its inception. The idea was to provide homeless women with a clean, sober, warm, and welcoming place to visit for a day program and offer a way for the University to contribute to the community.
Donate
We rely on the generosity of our community to keep this program going. Donate online now by clicking the below link and choosing “I would like to choose a specific fund”. Scroll down to Antioch University Seattle and choose Women’s Education Program.
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Or send your tax-deductible donations to:
Women’s Education Program
Antioch University Seattle
2400 Third Avenue
Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98121