CATC Mission Statement

Dylene Cymraes MCymraes at aol.com
Mon Apr 5 07:19:53 PDT 1999


The mission statement follows:

Community at the Crossroads (CATC) is a residential resource community for
women of all ages, able to house 30 women and up to 30 children at a time.
Its 2-year residential mission is to create a supportive setting so women in
each stage of the life-cycle--women with young children, women at mid-life,
and women of advanced age--can come together and work toward rebuilding their
lives.  Some women may come to CATC following a major life crisis--life
threatening illness, divorce, death of a loved one, or disability.  Others
will come to heal from ongoing trauma--poverty, violence, unemployment.

A primary goal of the Community is self-sufficiency.  For some residents,
that will entail working with a support team consisting of peers and
counselors to tailor their own life-work program.  At the end of a potential
two-year residency, it is expected that these women will "graduate" having
met their objectives, ready to re-enter the extended community.  For
residents dealing with life-threatening illness, graduation may mean walking
the path toward dying.  The mission of CATC is to provide an inclusive
environment to facilitate each woman's journey, whether it be toward new
beginnings, or endings.

Our overall objective is to create a new model for living.  This new model
will be based on cooperation and interdependence.  The ultimate goal of CATC
is to provide an environment to help women unleash their own human potential.
 Residents will not only pursue their personal career objectives, but will
also contribute to the daily operation of CATC; facility maintenance, food
preparation, gardening, staffing the daycare center, running the retreat
facility, etc.  By participating in both the material operation of CATC, as
well as the decision making process, residents will acquire the skills
necessary to support the achievement of both autonomy and teamwork.

The foundation of each woman's journey will include the following:

Physical--Holistic approaches to health and healing, including diet,
exercise, health education, as well as ongoing medical care.

Material--Career and life-work planning, financial counseling, academic
advancement: GED completion, college entrance, internships and mentoring, as
desired.

Emotional--Individual and group counseling, team building, self- assessment
and exploration.

Spiritual--An openly non-denominational policy will be fostered, encouraging
individual spiritual growth using various forms of meditation, prayer and
study.
_______________________________________________________

I hope this answers some questions--let me know if you have feedback!

Thanks, and blessings to all,

Dylene
Maryland



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