Our program consists of 30 minute small group fitness workouts followed by 20 minute character building discussions that take place 3 times per week at A Woman's Place shelter in San Francisco.
The workouts and discussions give women who have been affected by domestic violence the opportunity to participate in a fun, appropriate and effective fitness and community building program that will help them gain self esteem, confidence and strength within a supportive and enthusiastic community of volunteers who are committed to sharing their passion for fitness and its life changing effects.
Working out, particularly within the supportive familial like environment our program fosters, enables individuals to build many of the qualities necessary to make the changes needed in order to create lives filled with hope, happiness and success.
Fitness Workouts
The workouts consist primarily of ZUMBA® Dance Fitness classes that work especially well with our participants, many of whom have never worked out regularly before. These are fun classes that improve endurance while challenging them to improve their coordination and overall confidence in themselves.
These classes are lead by certified instructors with an extensive background in fitness and dance, who are also able to effectively connect with, encourage and help the women involved feel comfortable in the group.
Character Building Discussions
The discussions focus on a different character related topic each week. Topics in the current 12 week phase include the following qualities... prudent, adaptable, punctual, assertive, compassionate, friendly, appreciative, giving, trustworthy, attentive, calm, and content.
On day one the discussion focuses on how the participants have demonstrated the particular quality in the past, day two focuses on their demonstration of the quality in the present, and day three focuses on how they plan to demonstrate it in the future.
Over time, these discussions give all participants an opportunity to not only improve their own life skills, but also an opportunity to get to know more about others in a way that allows them to form supportive relationships with the understanding that everyone needs the support of others regardless of where they are in life.
What do we plan to do?
As our program grows and develops we plan to add the following...
Community Program
This community program will be a donation based version of our program that will eventually be offered in many locations around San Francisco. Each community program location will be partnered with a shelter program and will serve a twofold purpose.
First, it will give us the opportunity to provide our valuable services to many more women who have been affected by domestic violence, the majority of whom would be, for a variety of reasons, unable to participate in our shelter program.
Secondly, the various community program locations will provide financial support to the shelter programs through participant donations and a unique incentive program that will allow participants in the community program to earn money for the shelter programs. This will involve business or individual sponsors contributing dollars to LUL based on the community program participants meeting specific participation and fitness related goals both as individuals and as a group.
Our goal is to begin at least three sponsored community program locations by the end of 2011.
First, it will give us the opportunity to provide our valuable services to many more women who have been affected by domestic violence, the majority of whom would be, for a variety of reasons, unable to participate in our shelter program.
Secondly, the various community program locations will provide financial support to the shelter programs through participant donations and a unique incentive program that will allow participants in the community program to earn money for the shelter programs. This will involve business or individual sponsors contributing dollars to LUL based on the community program participants meeting specific participation and fitness related goals both as individuals and as a group.
Our goal is to begin at least three sponsored community program locations by the end of 2011.
Shelter Program Expansion
Our goal is to add at least one additional shelter program by the end of 2011. This will be dependent on two factors.
First, it will depend on our adding at least two sponsored community programs that will be providing financial support to what would then be two shelter programs.
Second, it will depend on our identifying a shelter or transitional housing related facility for women that would be a good fit for our program in terms of potential participant interest as well as the inner workings and management of the shelter.
Incentive Program
We have begun our incentive program trial and it is going well, with participant attendance going up and each individual becoming more consistent.
This is a three level incentive program, with each level corresponding to one of our three values, beginning with the emerald level where participants must demonstrate commitment.
The second level is the ruby level, which corresponds to attitude.
And finally, level three is the diamond level, which focuses on integrity.
At each level participants earn 'jewels' for specific behaviors that demonstrate the corresponding value for that level. After accumulating a certain number of jewels they are eligible for various incentive awards, such as t-shirts, water bottles, gift cards and so forth.
In order to receive awards participants must maintain certain attendance levels, may only have excused absences, and must wait to receive incentive awards.
The incentive program is designed to teach a variety of life skills; from responsibility, to hard work, and the idea of delayed gratification.