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Copyright © 2005 PAIRWN. All rights reserved.
PAIRWN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, grassroots organization.
Updated 01/22/07.
The Story Project
In 2003, we began collecting our stories and creating ways to share our experiences with the general public through the PAIRWN/ICP Story Project. PAIRWN is involved in this project in partnership with the Institute for Cultural Partnerships (ICP) with funding from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, and the Foundation for Enhancing Communities. It is our hope that these stories will help our children to know more about where they come from and help our neighbors to know more about the many ways we contribute to our American communities.
We believe that by honoring women's voices and stories, we can give validity to their experiences and deepen our knowledge of their culture and history. These are often the untold stories of determination, survival, and adoption.
Individual interviews were conducted and recorded by Amy Skillman, Director for Arts and Heritage Programs at ICP, who is also a PAIRWN member and Board Advisor. The Story Circles, described below, were also created, where women have the opportunity to share their experiences with each other in a friendly setting. Several of the Story Circles were also recorded for the Story Project.
The Story Circle Program and Member Meetings
The Story Circles grew out of the Story Project. The Project seeks to record the stories of immigrant and refugee women in our community and to educate the community about the lives of immigrant and refugee women through exhibits. The stories were gathered through individual interviews and Story Circles, or gatherings of women who came together for fellowship and to share their stories with other immigrant and refugee women in an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding. After the success of the Story Circle portion of the Story Project, it was decided to continue the Story Circles beyond the Story Project.
Story Circles and Member Meetings are held on a bi-monthly basis. See "Regular Meetings" page for more information. Immigrant and refugee women are encouraged to come and share their stories of their journey to Pennsylvania, to meet women who have had similar experiences, and to practice their English in a casual, friendly atmosphere. A counselor attends each Story Circle to assist any participants with feelings and emotions that may be generated by recalling a difficult time in their life or trying to cope with adjusting to a new life. Often the Story Circle Program and Member Meetings are the first contact we have with new immigrants and refugees or with new members and friends of PAIRWN, who hear about the Story Circles and come to learn more about our organization.
Original Museum Exhibit
The "Our Voices: Refugee and Immigrant Women Tell Their Stories" museum exhibit ran from September 11, 2005, to January 2, 2006, at the State Museum of Pennsylvania.
The exhibit includes excerpts from the interviews, portraits of the women, and a recreation of a Story Circle.
The exhibit is currently being organized and promoted as a traveling exhibit, soon to be available nation-wide. Call us for more information!
Original Play
All project participants were invited to read the recorded stories and suggest creative ways to share them with the public. A play, "Story Circles: Coming to America in the 21st Century," was developed from these stories by several PAIRWN members and Anne Alsedek of the Open Stage in Harrisburg. The play was performed at the Open Stage during the Women Speak Festival in June 2005. It was performed again for three nights during the run of the exhibit, "Our Voices," described above.
The play is produced by the Pennsylvania Immigrant and Refugee Women's Network, the Institute for Cultural Partnerships, and Open Stage. Major support comes from the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg's Race Against Racism Fund.
Read about the "Story Circles" play in the May 2006 issue of Harrisburg Magazine!