47 young women graduate from self-esteem programme
The symbolic sticking of the cake
The symbolic sticking of the cake

BY SHIRLEY THOMAS

EUPHORIA filled the air inside the region four Regional Democratic Council (RDC) conference room last Wednesday afternoon when 47 young grassroots women from the East Coast Demerara (ECD) graduated after successfully completing a compacted 10-week ‘self-esteem group therapy’ programme.The programme was held under the theme ‘celebrating new beginnings’ and was conducted by the Women’s Refuge Skills training programme.

Ms. Ingrid Goodman, Community Mental Health Practitioner
Ms. Ingrid Goodman, Community Mental Health Practitioner

Empowerment Sessions
The graduation ceremony, after ten weeks of life-changing empowerment sessions, was a memorable experience for these women, many of whom admitted that it was their first experience at having been awarded a certificate. And proud of their accomplishment, they expressed a sense of pride and joy at their new found self-confidence.

Representatives from various groups shared their experiences, pointed out the benefits of self-esteem and explained how the programme had impacted their lives. They have resolved to use the knowledge gained to take control of their lives and as a catalyst for further development.

The programme, conducted over the period May to July, under the leadership of Ms. Ingrid Goodman and a team of specially trained facilitators, brought together grassroots women of various backgrounds, from six communities, namely: Cove & John, Enterprise, Victoria, Ann’s Grove, Melanie Damishana and Beterverwagting.

Goodman, who conducts weekly counselling on Channel 9 TV on Mondays, is a community mental health practitioner with at least 30 years of experience. She has lived and worked in at least six countries and worked with at least 30 – 40 communities, including California and Florida. She has also lived in Zimbabwe and spent five years in Grenada before returning to Guyana.

The programme was funded in part by Australian aid, along with local community support. Nine sessions were conducted in those six communities, and there is an opportunity for three more communities on the East Coast to benefit from the programme, which initially was intended to be conducted over 12 sessions.

Meanwhile, Goodman in her overview of the programme said that the topics dealt with included self-esteem in broad outline: building self-esteem, the causes of low self-esteem, the production of anger, looking at one’s basic needs and remembering your past and the inner child. The group also aimed to develop support and intimacy, while looking at other pathways to self-esteem.

Goodman said that essentially, the group sought to eliminate and reduce life-threatening behaviours such as suicide attempts,as well as suicidal thoughts and intentional harm to self. It also focused on reducing and eliminating behaviours that interfere with treatment.

“We believe that in order to be a catalyst for change, we must advocate and initiate research-based programmes … such as our crime prevention community outreach and family support interventions,” she contended.

Participants of the self-esteem group therapy during the graduation at the Region 4 RDC Office
Participants of the self-esteem group therapy during the graduation at the Region 4 RDC Office

Meanwhile, over the past three weeks, a new pilot therapy group, a sexual assault survivors’ group has been started to address the subject of rape.

Skills Training Programme
Goodman said that the women’s refuge training programme had come up with the idea of a sustainable approach to community development. It begins with the self-esteem therapy at the grass roots level.

“After that we have developed and designed a skills training programme which leads towards employment,” she said, adding that they are always trying to be initiators at the grassroots level. To this end they propose introducing an interior design programme that is broken down into three modules.

The base level is the self-esteem training and it is mandatory that one must complete that training before being able to participate in the skills training programme and interior design programme.

The programme she outlined is two-fold and it embodies entrepreneurial training, as well as interior design. Goodman explained that both sets of skills are required if you are doing entrepreneurship and the women will be taught to manage those businesses.

The proud graduates following their graduation ceremony on Wednesday
The proud graduates following their graduation ceremony on Wednesday

That programme, she said, was tested and tried for two years, here in Guyana at the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) and would soon be rolled out.

 

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