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Shala is the Sanskrit word for a peaceful gathering place where members of a community or group find support and protection. It is home for some and sanctuary for others.
The Shala helps underrepresented people develop practical skills through creative arts, wildlife habitat stewardship, and permaculture education programs. We accomplish this mission with 2 charitable programs within local communities like Ferry County, WA, Moore County, NC and Cook County, IL.
1. For Good Cause: The purpose of this program is to provide free creative and practical skills education to underrepresented women and girls in rural areas where access to education, internet infrastructure, and work opportunities are very limited.
Our past and current creative arts, permaculture, and homesteading programs helped participants learn small business and practical skills to build confidence, independence, and self-sufficiency. Participants used funds raised at our market kiosks to buy supplies for animal shelters, local food pantries, or to pay for their program expenses. Ideally, we’ll secure the funds to provide internet access, basic laptops, sponsored skills training, appropriate business attire, and transportation to interviews to help these underrepresented women and girls obtain meaningful work, higher education, and career opportunities in the rural areas of Ferry County and Stevens County, WA. 2. The Shala: The purpose of this program is to ensure the sustainability of wildlife and their habitats while promoting women of color into leadership roles. This ongoing program includes wildlife habitat stewardship, virtual or in-person workshops teaching sustainable permaculture practices, training venue for local first responders, and university-sponsored forestry or agriculture education. |