Description
- Founding Philosophy -
The Centre County Women’s Resource Center (CCWRC) believes that much talent, even genius, is lost to a world in need when women are not encouraged to develop fully. We believe that whether a woman chooses motherhood, wifehood, an individual career, or a combination, her choice should be respected, and she should be provided with the necessary resources to reach her full potential in the areas of development she prefers.
We believe that women who wish to develop personally and professionally whether in traditional or non-traditional roles need the support of knowing that other, elsewhere, experience problems and success similar to theirs.
We believe that though men, too, need this sort of support, many of the concerns of women are unique and can be dealt with most effectively by others who have had parallel concerns.
We further believe that people are more free to flourish when living under conditions of safety, security, and freedom from threat. Women and girls should live in environments, homes, work places, schools, and communities completely free of fear, threat, and actuality of violence against them.
- Vision -
The Centre County Women’s Resource Center is a feminist organization that originated from and continues to be a part of the Women’s Movement, the Battered Women’s Movement, and the Rape Crisis Movement. Every effort is made to keep the policies and practices of the CCWRC consistent with the spirit of these movements. The organization, therefore, strives to empower women and to counter the oppression of, and violence against, women on a societal level. The CCWRC utilizes a feminist empowerment framework to guide provision of services, conduct, and management style within the organization. The CCWRC places emphasis on staff empowerment and collaborative decision-making, taking advantage of the expertise, resources, and opinions of many individuals. Emphasis is also placed on free and open communication and shared responsibility in the resolution of conflicts.
The vision of this organization shall be:
- To eliminate personal and institutional violence against women and children, with a particular focus on domestic and sexual violence, through direct services, referrals, public information and education, system advocacy, and social change activities;
- To be recognized county-wide as the primary expert resource on sexual and domestic violence;
- To increase awareness and provide information about issues of particular concern to women;
- To take a position of advocacy for equal rights and justice for all women;
- To continually assess the needs of Centre County women for services, and to initiate or assist in initiating programs to meet those needs;
- To foster a supportive environment that creates a sense of identity and community among women, both within the organization and in the community-at-large.
