Community
At African Women Acting, we take pride in supporting young people: our future. We offer year-round and seasonal employment and volunteer opportunities to youths including empowering young women. We also support associated collaborations and partnerships.
Young women are educated and enlightened in employment, womanhood, sisterhood, mental health, self-care, financial health and navigating to social inclusion.
Summer 2021, AWA has employed students through the Canada Summer Jobs Program. Students have been hired in various positions from administration, video direction and marketing.
In late 2020, we created, hosted and facilitated a series of live streams addressing mental health and made available to artists and the community at large.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall of 2020, the organization assembled and employed crafters to sew face masks that were initially donated to non-profit organizations and community members. Fancy tote bags were added in efforts to fundraise.
The workshop was the first in a series geared for women aspiring entrepreneurs, experiencing poverty, domestic abuse, or single mothers.
The participants were looking to earn an income working from home and be part of a community focused on providing financial self-sufficiency. These women, who hope for a place safe space to express themselves, become self-employed and find a community among others who can relate to their struggles.
AWA, assembled the AWA Women Crafters, who were engaged in making face masks crafted from beautiful authentic African fabrics.
The masks were made in response to offer protection from the devastating Coronavirus from the fall of 2020 to February 2021, and were donated to non-profit and for profit organizations, groups and individuals within the GTA including the Niagara region.
The response was overwhelming! We are unable to fulfil requests past the quantity that we had available. We want to offer more in the future
Overall, the Masks Project demonstrated the limitless benefits of AWA crafting in the community. The masks were available for children 5 years and up and also for adults.
This project was proudly and generously funded by the Canadian Red Cross and Employment and Social Development Canada.