I think that this is a great idea. This is a good very to help these girls get a sense of self through, and gaining back there self esteem!!! Great job FairFund.. Question though hows marketing coming along?? Do you find it hard to get the word out??
Hi "Abq0906"
Thank you for replying. Well, marketing is always a challenge. But, so far, we are trying to get the word out via word of mouth of our supporters and also we have a fantastic spokeswoman for JewelGirls named Gabrielle Christian. She has been posting her involvement online via her web site and has helped us host events in D.C., New York, and L.A. We also just started to sell the girls jewelry at www.fairfund.biz. We have also had some interest from jewelry stores in New York, Boston, Austin, and D.C. to take small orders of some of the pieces. Every single interaction with a potential customer is so important because it's not just about the jewelry itself - it's about the advancement of the girl's progress and integration and about the awareness of the anti-trafficking movement. Just as a side note, sometimes we are able to get photos of those who buy the jewelry so that the girls can see their customers and understand their market a little better. Thank you again!
So far the concept of the project seems really good, and it seem as though you have come a long way in installing a sense of trust in the girls you are working with. How do you plan to develop the project further; i.e. are there any plans to give the recipients different kinds of training to enable them to have a better chance of managing later on?
Hi there. I was personally very surpised at the level of trust that our girls showed us. I have to really give credit to our local partners in Serbia. They are the Centre for Youth Integration and the ATINA Shelter. Many of the initial girls were referred to our program via these agencies and many are still receiving services from them. Most of our girls have not had the chance to attend school or really participate in any kind of environment that we might call a workshop. So, our plan is two-fold. First, we teach by doing - i.e. discussions about saving money, buying supplies, chosing vendors - these all happen organically each week and are mainly promoted by situations where the topic naturally fit. Also, as we open our full-scale space for the girls this summer that is independent and fully for their use, we will offer outside learning chances that range from healthy eating to business planning. We have two totally dynamic staff there now - Jennifer and Tanya and we still rely and trust our partners on the ground.
Thank you so much for the question and visit www.fairfund.biz to see their amazing jewelry!
It is really exciting to hear about your progress to date, and I can only imagine that there will be incredible progress from here on out. Do you have any plans for (or do you already do) some monitoring and evaluation?
Hi Mary
Thank you for the question. Each of our girls comes from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our plan is to monitor each girl's progress by using a series of indicators and assessments that are done by our coordinator's observation, girl member interviews, and personal assessments. This will be coupled with following girls as they exit the program. We are honestly still considering how to decide when and how a girl exits a program. Some of our girls come very often to workshops, sometimes others come on a more sporadic level. This impacts the progress of those who come less often. But, we believe that being flexible and compassionate of their personal development is important. Thank you so much for your question, Andrea
This organization is such a wonderful platform for the woman out there who have been suffering for years (some all their life). I think that what Andrea and the staff at FAIR Fund are doing is very inspiring! I really hope they can branch out and grow in Year II and gain as much support as possible to help this wonderful cause!
Comments
I think that this is a great idea. This is a good very to help these girls get a sense of self through, and gaining back there self esteem!!! Great job FairFund.. Question though hows marketing coming along?? Do you find it hard to get the word out??
Hi "Abq0906"
Thank you for replying. Well, marketing is always a challenge. But, so far, we are trying to get the word out via word of mouth of our supporters and also we have a fantastic spokeswoman for JewelGirls named Gabrielle Christian. She has been posting her involvement online via her web site and has helped us host events in D.C., New York, and L.A. We also just started to sell the girls jewelry at www.fairfund.biz. We have also had some interest from jewelry stores in New York, Boston, Austin, and D.C. to take small orders of some of the pieces. Every single interaction with a potential customer is so important because it's not just about the jewelry itself - it's about the advancement of the girl's progress and integration and about the awareness of the anti-trafficking movement. Just as a side note, sometimes we are able to get photos of those who buy the jewelry so that the girls can see their customers and understand their market a little better. Thank you again!
So far the concept of the project seems really good, and it seem as though you have come a long way in installing a sense of trust in the girls you are working with. How do you plan to develop the project further; i.e. are there any plans to give the recipients different kinds of training to enable them to have a better chance of managing later on?
Hi there. I was personally very surpised at the level of trust that our girls showed us. I have to really give credit to our local partners in Serbia. They are the Centre for Youth Integration and the ATINA Shelter. Many of the initial girls were referred to our program via these agencies and many are still receiving services from them. Most of our girls have not had the chance to attend school or really participate in any kind of environment that we might call a workshop. So, our plan is two-fold. First, we teach by doing - i.e. discussions about saving money, buying supplies, chosing vendors - these all happen organically each week and are mainly promoted by situations where the topic naturally fit. Also, as we open our full-scale space for the girls this summer that is independent and fully for their use, we will offer outside learning chances that range from healthy eating to business planning. We have two totally dynamic staff there now - Jennifer and Tanya and we still rely and trust our partners on the ground.
Thank you so much for the question and visit www.fairfund.biz to see their amazing jewelry!
It is really exciting to hear about your progress to date, and I can only imagine that there will be incredible progress from here on out. Do you have any plans for (or do you already do) some monitoring and evaluation?
Hi Mary
Thank you for the question. Each of our girls comes from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Our plan is to monitor each girl's progress by using a series of indicators and assessments that are done by our coordinator's observation, girl member interviews, and personal assessments. This will be coupled with following girls as they exit the program. We are honestly still considering how to decide when and how a girl exits a program. Some of our girls come very often to workshops, sometimes others come on a more sporadic level. This impacts the progress of those who come less often. But, we believe that being flexible and compassionate of their personal development is important. Thank you so much for your question, Andrea
Congratuations!!!! The JG store website looks fabulous!! I'm so happy you were able to find a site that worked. Keep me posted!!!
This organization is such a wonderful platform for the woman out there who have been suffering for years (some all their life). I think that what Andrea and the staff at FAIR Fund are doing is very inspiring! I really hope they can branch out and grow in Year II and gain as much support as possible to help this wonderful cause!
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