LTE: Envisioning Greatness

Dear Editor,

As director of Labyrinth Made Goods, YWCA’s new, nonprofit social enterprise, I have had the honor to work alongside women who have experienced incarceration and others in our community who struggle to secure and retain gainful employment. At Labyrinth Made Goods, we believe that every woman should have access to meaningful work and a living wage. 

Financial security is vital to build a solid foundation for ourselves and our families; it enables us to achieve our goals and dreams. We know that women who have experienced incarceration face an array of barriers to employment, including the assumption that they are incapable, barriers that prevent them from pursuing meaningful careers. We work alongside these women and our community of supporters to reduce those barriers.

A key part of our work is guiding women through a visioning process. Each of our participants writes a Vision of Greatness, a narrative that envisions a positive, exciting future. We imagine what it will feel and look like when we’ve achieved that vision and who the people surrounding us will be. This visioning process can be tremendously empowering and motivating. It helps make that future achievement real in a way that making a list of goals never could.

We just launched our Visualize candle at Labyrinth Made Goods as a reminder to each of us and an inspiration to each of you that we can all envision and achieve greatness in our futures. Learn more about this candle and our program at LabyrinthMadeGoods.com.

Sincerely,
Kate Brunk
Director, Labyrinth Made Goods