Around 40 women celebrated their individuality as females, employees, singletons and mothers at the Learn and Lunch workshop ‘Celebrating the Many Layers of You’.
Held in the Elmslie Memorial Church hall, last Tuesday, the event was facilitated by the Women Helping Women ministry for Honouring Women Month.
The lunchtime seminar, part of the ongoing Learn and Lunch series held each Tuesday, was conducted by the Women’s Resource Centre Counsellor, Cindy Blekaitis.
Attendees enjoyed a buffet-style lunch while being told about a variety of strategies for understanding their core values.
They were also coached to be more proactive about their personal growth. Through a presentation, and self-esteem/self-actualisation exercise participants were encouraged to talk about themselves and identify the tools needed for self-improvement.
The group discussed the many layers of women in terms of body image, culture, life experiences and age.
Concepts including success, how individuals defined themselves and were defined by others were also topics of lively debate. The discussions all fed into fostering a greater appreciation of the diverse roles of women in Cayman.
Mrs. Blekaitis said: ‘It was an amazing group of women. The Women’s Resource Centre got an amazing amount of feedback from the participants who brought a lot of energy to the workshop. It’s certainly opened the door for further workshops and seminars targeted to build self-esteem in women.
‘A big part of what I was trying to get across was that having a positive core encourages those around you to treat you in a positive manner,’ she added.
Trust administrator Carol Shaw said she got a lot out of attending.
‘I think it gave women the chance to express themselves freely. The issues posed by the speaker and other participants made me realise that in certain situations you are not alone.’
Another participant said that while routine car maintenance was standard, few women took time out of their busy schedules to evaluate their mental health and general happiness by properly evaluating themselves.
Sandra Langlois of Women Helping Women agreed but said that was why such events could benefit from even more support.
‘I would like to see more women take advantage of programmes that are being offered. A lot of people need to deal with the issues facing them so that they can move on and become stronger. Cayman already has a number of very good programmes, which address this need, some of which are free.’
FYI
For further information on the remaining Honouring Women’s Month events, contact the Women’s Resource Centre on 949-0006 or browse the WRC website at www.wrc.gov.ky.
To get a schedule of upcoming Lunch and Learn workshops, ring Sandra on 916-4887, or Annette on 916-5269.
Pullout
‘A big part of what I was trying to get across was that having a positive core encourages those around you to treat you in a positive manner.’
– Cindy Blekaitis, Women’s Resource Centre Counsellor
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