The Sioux City Women of Worth (WOW) program, developed by Director Robyn Deacon and Counselor Jessie Christopherson, held a second session in mid-October to help address the unique needs of its female residents. “Prior to incarceration, many of these women were victimized themselves and have been abused, assaulted, prostituted and they often lack self-esteem, self-awareness, and the confidence to set boundaries,” Deacon said. “Often these women move from one unhealthy relationship to another (either with significant others, family, or even their children) and have little concept of what a healthy relation-ship actually looks like. WOW seeks to inspire and foster the positive roles women play and how establishing their own self-worth and value will help them to be successful upon re-entry.” Each session begins with “what’s good” and culminates with a “positive affirmation’, Deacon said. The latest event asked the question: What is your role? It was followed by a discussion of the many roles of women and what roles are significant to them. Many named being a “mom” as their primary role and discussed the importance and characteristics of it. Another part of the session was a project called the Tree of Life which asked the participants to draw a tree that has roots (representing family, the community and youthful influences), a trunk (representing everything about their lives today), fruits (representing all their achievements, no matter how small), and buds representing their hopes for the future). As a reward for their commitment to attending and participating in the program, the participating residents (inset) were given a Women of Worth t-shirt.
