New Directions for Women
"New DIrections for Women provides residential services as an alternative to incarceration for female offenders from Philadelphia County prisons who are eligible for early release. NDFW's programs promote self-sufficiency, empowerment, and a crime-free lifestyle."
In Sept. 2008 I began as a volunteer. I was going to tutor one woman in Language Arts as she prepared for the GED. Or at least that is what I thought I had signed up for. My first day I was met with 13 women around a conference table in the basement. I have been coming on Wednesday afternoons ever since. Stephanie named the class the "Wednesday afternoon Language Arts and World Affairs Group". It might sound a bit unwieldyas a title, but it gives me a little leeway. Every woman that I have met has impressed me with her strength, her courage, and her desire to live a better life. Some women make it through the one year program, some do not. But each and everyone has worked hard and dreamed big. One year ago, I approached the director about beginning a photography project at NDFW.
She approved the idea, and so I have been given access to these women's lives as they eat, go to school, have holiday picnics in the backyard, visit with family, clean the house, and attend groups. I was told by one woman, that "You should just get arrested, then you can move in". I think maybe I will find a spare bedroom one of these days. It has been my priviledge to get to know so many of the residents. They inspire me. They make me laugh. They bring me to tears.
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