Founded in 2012 by Ouida Joi Cooper-Rodriguez, the Women's Center for Economic Empowerment's (WCEE) mission is "to assist, support, and inspire low-income and BIPOC women to become economically self-sufficient and become active participants in their lives and communities." We accomplish our mission through financial literacy, entrepreneurship, employment/job readiness, and life skills training, co
aching, and intensive case management support to low-income, highly inspired women who may have or are experiencing generational poverty, homelessness, substance abuse recovery, domestic violence, incarceration, and/or other significant barriers to self-sufficiency and life empowerment. Through our holistic, wraparound S.U.C.C.E.S.S. model, we provide the necessary tools, support, and resources for significant life change. A unique post training program provides consulting, coaching, and group support for participants as they step into the new chapter of their lives. All WCEE programs and services are offered in English and Spanish. The WCEE pedagogy is founded on the principles that the client is the expert in their own lives, and by facilitating a process of exploration, discovery, action, and realization, significant change and shifts can happen in a women’s life. Utilizing the principles of Dialogue Education™ (DE) founded by Dr. Jane Vella, WCEE provides “a learner-centered system of teaching and curriculum design that is uniquely purposeful, engaging, and collaborative. Unlike traditional methods that push information onto passive learners, DE brings the learner into active relationship with both the content and the learning process... DE focuses on how adults learn best: by becoming active participants in their own learning experience.” (From Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach, Dr. Jane Vella).
