The Women’s Mosaic
Location
To unite and empower women through programs that promote intercultural understanding and personal growth. We are a community of dynamic women interested in expanding our horizons by creating positive change that can individually and collectively enrich the world.
About You
Section 1: You
First Name
Sally
Last Name
Mercedes
Website URL
Organization
The Women’s Mosaic
Country
United States, NY
Section 2: Your Organization
Organization Name
The Women’s Mosaic
Organization Website
Organization Phone
917-816-0834
Organization Address
400 East 50th Street Suite 4H New York, NY 10022
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
United States, NY
Your idea
Name Your Project
The Women’s Mosaic
Country and state your work focuses on
United States, NY
Describe Your Idea
To unite and empower women through programs that promote intercultural understanding and personal growth. We are a community of dynamic women interested in expanding our horizons by creating positive change that can individually and collectively enrich the world.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Unlike other organizations focusing on women, The Women’s Mosaic takes a very dynamic approach. We unite and empower women by celebrating our different experiences, coming together to teach each other about issues affecting us. Rather than limiting our scope to only one issue (health, reproductive rights, etc.), or only one group of women (Latinas, poor women, etc.), we focus on all women.
Take, for example, a sampling of our programs:
My Life As A Female Soldier - a panel of women in the military who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, part of our “My Life As A…” series exploring the lives and experiences of real women;
Health & Nutrition: Perspectives from Around the World - a panel on Eastern and Western approaches to health, part of our “Focus on Fitness & Health” events about physical, mental and emotional health and wellness;
Spotlight on Zimbabwe - a talk where women discussed their experiences living in, working in, and raising money for Zimbabwe, part of our multicultural education programs celebrating the food, lifestyle, and history of specific nations, religions, or communities;
Visioning Workshop - a semi-annual workshop for women to tap into their desires and find out what they really want out of their lives.
The focus at these events is the story of the women, in their own words and from their own perspectives. This allows them to find their voice, educate others on their experiences, celebrate the diversity amongst women, and find unity in the common bonds we have.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
No
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
Starting as a group of 50, we grew to over 5,500 on our mailing list and social media sites. We’ve had over 95 events impacting women in various ways:
• Our “My Life As A…” series dispelled stereotypes of Muslim, Black, and military women;
• Cultural programs highlighted the struggles of women in Zimbabwe, Colombia and Haiti;
• Our series on health and wellness taught women how to change their diet and exercise regimen.
These programs unite women through diversity ethnically and culturally, but also professionally, allowing lawyers, teachers, retirees, students, etc. network with each other and share common experiences and bonds.
• Kekla came to us uncertain of her career trajectory, and practiced her writing skills by working on grants and newsletters. She later became a professional grantwriter and is now an award-winning, published author, nominated for an NAACP Image Award.
• Regina was a panelist for our Politics Schmoltics event where, for the first time, she publicly shared her history of growing up homeless and in the foster care system. It re-enforced her passion for public service and she’s now a candidate for the NY State Senate.
• Bridget came to us as an intern, and our Visioning Workshop inspired her to travel to Berlin. Her work with us led to her being one of 75 out of 600 to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals fellowship.
Problem
We primarily address the need for women to be empowered and have a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. In order to do this, we provide programs that promote personal growth and intercultural understanding.
We offer women various platforms through which to find their voice, learn about themselves and other women, and connect to each other: programs, e-newsletters, blog, etc. These platforms serve two purposes: they give women a chance to gain confidence and find their voice, and they also inspire other women to tap into their own desires and skills.
Our programs also encourage women to learn more about other cultures and backgrounds, including their own. By learning more about what we have in common, women connect to themselves and each other through programs that build bridges, expand horizons, and improve the lives of women both here and abroad.
Actions
To be successful, we make our programming unique, creative and dynamic so that women can expand their horizons, be inspired, and interact with people and resources they might not otherwise have the chance to.
We are constantly looking to improve and regularly ask for feedback. At every event, attendees complete evaluations regarding expectations, what they took away, and suggestions. We ask for direct feedback and testimonials regularly to ensure we’re meeting our goals. We consider it a success when are events are well-attended, our mailing list and social networking sites grow and we hear anecdotes of ways our participants were positively affected by the information we provided and people they met.
What might prevent us from succeeding is the lack of resources to plan our programs. We need funds and dedicated volunteers in order to continue offering our programs, which is such a crucial part of succeeding in our mission.
Results
We expect our programs and communications to meet our goals of educating, inspiring and motivating the women we serve. As a result of our programs, e-newsletters, blog, etc., we expect women to:
• Be inspired and motivated to make change in their lives;
• Connect to other women and resources they would not have been exposed to without us;
• Learn more about the world around them and feel motivated to create change.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
In order to be successful over the next three years, we need to increase attendance at our programs, develop a stronger online presence, and become more financially stable.
This year, we are focusing primarily on financial stability, because it would allow us to be most effective. Financial stability would allow us to grow, continue offering our programming, and pay for staff, space rental, advertising, etc. At the moment, we are focusing on grants, business partnerships and ad space, and increasing our paid membership.
Increasing event attendance means that we can directly impact the lives of more women. We want more women to become involved in our work, benefit from the resources we provide for them, meet and network with other women, and so forth. Increased attendance would also help us financially by giving us more opportunities for business sponsorships and because many of our events are paid.
To build our online presence, we will be updating our website and becoming more active on social networking sites. For the blog, we will focus on outreach to guests in order to feature their content on our blog and encourage them to promote our blog. By developing a stronger online presence, we would be able to get more members, increase event attendance, increase engagement, and reach a much broader audience.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Right now, revenue is sporadic and generally covers the bare minimum costs to run the organization, exclusive of salary. We’ve applied for grants in the past, but didn’t fit into most major funding categories: we don’t serve economically disadvantaged women exclusively, we aren’t issue-specific (i.e. domestic violence or breast cancer), and we’re educational, but not in the traditional sense.
Related to this challenge is that The Women’s Mosaic has been volunteer-run and led. At this point, we won’t be able to succeed if we continue this way. We’ve been incredibly creative and successful without the official backing of significant funding, but after nine and a half years, we know we can only become stronger and more effective with major financial support.
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$1000 - 4000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
No
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
In what country?
United States
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
The Women’s Mosaic
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
No
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
No
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Our partnerships are important for increasing awareness about intercultural and global issues. Those who visit our website, blog or programs can learn about organizations that affect change in Zimbabwe and Colombia, raise awareness for women’s cancers, etc. Some of our programs donate part of the admission fee to a related NGO, and also allow representatives from those organizations to speak and/or set up an informational table. Our partnerships enhance our work, contribute to our mission, and allow us to reach a broader audience.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1. We need to keep coming up with dynamic programs and content that allows women to engage with each other. No other organization in our area offers programs like ours, and that is part of what makes us so unique and successful. Our cross-cultural, multi-faceted approach makes us stand out. Our blog, CHICKS ROCK! is also a great way for women to share their stories and experiences with each other, and to learn from the lessons of other women.
2. We need more resources for successful programs, including funding and access to volunteers. We have a lot of ambitious ideas for programming and blog content, but we need more resources to make it happen. A single event might take weeks of planning, while a series on Health & Fitness might take months. Our blog is updated five days a week with new content through three regular contributors and various guest contributors. These efforts all require more resources if we want to grow.
3. We need to continue reaching out to partners to collaborate with in order to keep connecting women to important causes, like-minded women, and resources to improve their lives. Collaboration and networking are important to our work, especially because it benefits our members and participants. We collaborate with partners to get discounts on classes and events, share information about professional resources, educate our participants on various issues and cultures, etc.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
At some point in early adulthood, I realized that if the world was going to be a better place, it was up to the women to do it. At the same time, I started looking for a way to use all of my interests, talents and passions to fill a need in the community for women to continue to learn, grow and be inspired by one another. I knew that if we worked together, we could motivate each other to express our power and potential to make the world a better place. I couldn’t find this in any of the other organizations around, so I decided to create it.
Since then, I’ve been able to watch a strong community of like-minded women grow and flourish. These women rely on our programs to learn more about themselves and the world around them, make connections with other women, give back to the community, celebrate themselves and each other, and so forth.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
I was born in Long Island, New York, and am a second generation American, of Paraguayan, Uruguayan and Sicilian heritage. I grew up proud of my ethnic background and developed a natural curiosity about other cultures from a very young age. I was always drawn to learning about other countries, languages and customs, and her dream was to someday work at the United Nations.
In January 2001, I founded The Women’s Mosaic as a forum for women of every background - race, culture, occupation, religion, age, whatever - to come together by participating in informal educational activities in order to learn about each other, form new relationships, improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
I am also a speaker, seminar leader and career/life coach. As a speaker and seminar leader, I have worked with companies and organizations such as NY Women in Communications, Craigslist Nonprofit Bootcamp, Step Up Women’s Network, Saatchi & Saatchi, Equinox, Woodhull Institute, Junior League of Brooklyn, Ogilvy & Mather and UBS. As a career/life coach, I provide a unique, yet practical framework for each woman to make the most of her personal and professional pursuits, allowing them to recognize, embrace and fulfill their role in the world at large. I believe that personal transformation is the key to social transformation, and I have dedicated my life to helping women of every background connect more deeply to themselves, each other and the world around them.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Personal contact at Changemakers
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
50 words or fewer
 | Alexis Ditkowsky said: Hi Sally, Thanks so much for sharing the work of The Women's Mosaic. You mention in your entry the desire to collaborate with more ... about this Competition Entry. - 651 days ago read more > |
| smercedes submitted this idea. - 651 days ago |
