| Sunnyside Women Take Charge of Their Lives
Pauline Ramsey: An FYI Phase II graduate. |
Phase II Graduation: An FYI Phase II graduating class. |
For 39 women in Flagstaff, AZ, FYI doesn't mean “For Your Information.” It means a whole lot more.
FYI! is the Family, Youth and Individuals resident empowerment initiative run by the Sunnyside Weed and Seed site. Through weekly workshops and trainings at a local elementary school, participants learn about employment, life management, parenting, education, health, and community involvement. The self-sufficiency and crime prevention initiative is available to all Sunnyside residents living in public or federally assisted housing.
According to Jennifer Eddy, who runs Sunnyside-FYI!, participants really enjoyed the workshops, especially those that discussed parenting, life management, health, and gang prevention. People came consistently and participated a lot throughout the different phases of the program, Eddy added, sometimes bringing their teenage children to the workshops, and making a real effort to finish the training.
After each workshop, most participants were enthusiastic and promised to change their behavior. After a law enforcement presentation, one woman said, “I'm going to go home and talk with my son.” Following a self-defense class, a woman said she would teach other women the skills she learned, and a number of participants in the health session said they would start a new diet and stop smoking. One workshop attendee learned to help her children resist negative peer pressure and wrote, “I liked the tip sheets the best. I'm going to read up and help my kids with it.”
Every Sunnyside-FYI! participant who graduated from Phase I—which includes 40 hours of training over 3 months—is eligible to participate in an “ACHIEVE” activity. These quarterly incentive activities allow families to spend quality time together. Last summer, participants and family members took a train to the Grand Canyon.
Different community members led most of the workshops, while elected officials and law enforcement lent their time as well.
“There was incredible community participation,” Eddy said, and a number of instructors indicated they were interested in teaching again.
The program will continue through June but then its future is uncertain. Eddy will evaluate whether the program can get private funding or if Weed and Seed money might go toward sustaining it.
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Eddy
Program Manager, Sunnyside-FYI!
928-214-1048
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