Providing Safe Space for All Women
By Nara Shin
This summer, Thrive International hosted two all-women's pool parties that celebrate differences and empower women from multiple cultures. The events were held respectively on July 14 and August 25 at Thrive Center, highlighting inclusivity for women whose cultural, political, or religious communities require women-only settings for swimming/bathing.
Thrive has a Welcoming and Empowering Team (WE Team) which is specifically designed to provide basic, educational, and residential resources to refugee/immigrant families. WE Team was built in June and has been serving a number of families from Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, and other countries. All of the staff in the WE Team are from refugee/immigrant backgrounds and can communicate with families in their native languages.
Asma is one of the staff on the WE Team. Coming from Iraq as a refugee, Asma faced difficulties adjusting to the new country where she spoke a different language. At that time when she first immigrated, she wanted to see safety and comfort from people’s eyes. Even though it was hard for her, Asma did not want to see anyone go through what she faced as a refugee. Asma said, “I am here to support others. There is nobody there to support them. They might have resources already, but what is most important is to tell them that ‘It’s okay’ and get to know them at the human level.”
Also as a woman who wears a hijab, Asma understood the concern of women who didn’t have a private place to take off their hijabs and just enjoy their time. Asma said, “We opened our eyes about what the women need. The WE Team gave me the voice to speak up and to create events matching what we need as Muslim women.”
Recognizing women's diverse needs and desires within our community, Thrive International has taken a remarkable step toward creating an event that ensures every woman can experience joy, relaxation, and connection without breaking their cultural and religious practices. In July, the first women-only pool party had more than 70 women from the community with a great acclamation of dancing, laughter, and music. In August, Thrive served 80+ women from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. with traditional homemade food.
To provide a safe space for women, Thrive International covered all windows and fences around the facility to respect participants' privacy. Volunteers and community members joined the day before in covering the windows with plastic tablecloths. Due to the effort and care WE Team emphasized, women who joined were able to enjoy hot summer days in Spokane for the first time since they moved to the United States.
“We, as women wearing hijab, are scared and nervous. We sometimes face racism because of our looks too. This pool party showed that America sees the purity of women and respects how we deal with our religion. It gave us the confidence that we were here. We are human. Even though we have different religions, speak different languages, and just are different. We still understand each other and treat each other as humans,” Asma said.
The All-Women's Pool Party was about physical activity as well as fostering meaningful connections and empowering conversations. Attendees can build friendships, share experiences, and create lasting memories in a supportive environment.
“It’s truly a privilege to have the opportunity to get behind ‘closed doors’ of something special and unique. I’m excited that Thrive Center can be the place where women are able to have the freedom, safety, and comfort to laugh, dance, and enjoy each other’s company,” Anna Bondarenko, the Thrive Center General Manager said.