Support, Health and Enjoyment for women of all ages from all walks
Background:
The SHE Connective is borne from a deep desire of the founders to enable women of all ages and all walks to come together in a nurturing and non-judgemental environment so guidance, support and understanding can be provided and generated by all participants. Too often too many women, particularly the younger and older w
omen of our community, feel isolated and under-valued. There are many young women who lack positive role models in their life and who have no older women in their network from which they can learn and receive feedback. Many older women experience loneliness and isolation, yet these same women have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with younger women to help them reach their full potential. The su***de rates of these two groups are unacceptably high. Along with the well-researched growth in depression and mental health issues amongst our young, the connection required to build communities is more important now than arguably at any other time in our history. In centuries passed, particularly within indigenous communities, older women mentored and gave guidance to younger women in the community. When younger women made poor choices or struggled to make decisions, it was the older women who took them under their wing and helped them to navigate life’s issues. Younger women learned valuable skills and were supported and encouraged by their mentors. They were never alone – “it takes a village to raise a child”. Some of these valuable skills passed down included arts and crafts, cooking and the importance of caring for one’s own well-being as well as understanding other members of the community. The benefits of sharing, particularly through doing together, cannot be underestimated. Research in recent years has uncovered the importance of mindfulness as a key part of mental wellbeing. As past generations would attest, doing and creating, either by making or helping others was how women helped themselves and in turn each other. Our predecessors and indigenous communities knew the benefits of mindfulness intimately. We are only now starting to realise the importance of simply doing. The dilemma is many of our younger women have nobody to teach them how to just ‘do’ – whether it be through the act of knitting, sewing, painting or cooking. Many young women have never grown up with an appreciation for doing and therefore allowing themselves to be disempowered. The power of the SHE Connective is the ability to bring together younger and older women along with women bridging these two generations. The main aim is to simply share, connect and mentor for no other purpose than to guide younger women down the path to reaching their full potential and for all women involved to feel valued and supported. Vision
• To forge bonds between women of all ages and from all walks that enable individual women to feel nurtured and to nurture others. Annual Expo –
• To promote existing community support groups, action groups, craft groups, sports groups, religious groups and charitable organisations amongst Hills Women via the annual SHE Connective Expo. The SHE Connective will help bridge the gap for women who are unaware of the many existing opportunities they have to participate in their community. The SHE Room
• To develop shared values amongst group members around the importance of non-judgemental support and care for all women.
• To enable younger women to learn from and be mentored by older women in areas that will assist them reach their full potential.
• To provide an outlet for older women to share their skills, crafts and experiences with others.
• To promote the value and importance of doing either through involvement with a community group or by coming together and sharing “doing” experiences.
• To seek a suitable venue where women of the Hills can drop in on a Saturday to simply catch up with other members or to attend programmed events. It is envisaged the SHE Room will be similar to the well-known and respected Men’s Sheds and provide a haven for women to come together to talk, seek guidance, share a coffee, start a project or embark on a learning experience. In busy and stressful lives, the SHE Room will become a safe haven where women can feel supported and learn through sharing. Whether individual women come for 5 minutes or 5 hours – there is no pressure to do anything other than be present. The SHE Swap:
• To facilitate community amongst Hills women, the SHE Swap would be promoted and encouraged. The SHE Swap would be an online site where SHE women could call on other women for various items or specific help with certain projects. It may be as simple as a call out for unwanted cooking books or a skipping rope etc. that could be brought to the SHE room on a Saturday and swapped. Point of difference:
The SHE Connective is not another Not For Profit organisation. It is envisaged the SHE Connective will auspice itself with an existing organisation whose values mirror those of the SHE Connective of inclusion and support of all women. SHE’s aim is not to raise funds but to exist solely for the benefit of the participants whose needs will vary greatly but who will collectively provide the support needed for individuals to prosper and grow. SHE will seek assistance from the Hills Council for a suitable venue in which to host the SHE Room and will seek out sponsors from the business community for funds to include basic amenities and food for SHE participants. Programmed events (totally optional for those in the SHE room at the time) may include craft demonstrations, cooking classes, sewing classes, lectures from specialists, yoga classes, walking groups, fashion swaps, art lessons. SHE would seek to have these programmed events held without cost to SHE or participants by calling on facilitators to volunteer their time. Resources for programmed events would be sought from appropriate organisations relevant to the event being held. The SHE room would be open from 10.00am to 4.00pm Saturdays.
