After moving the NOSW office from the President's home on the Berea College Campus in 1992, the Bond House on Chestnut Street served as headquarters until 1997.
“I grew up ashamed of my heritage in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, and up until I went to the New Opportunity School for Women, I had never known that there was anything to be proud of.”
Those words are from George Ann, a woman who, along with several others, shared her life story and personal transformation in Changing Lives in Appalachia: The New Opportunity School for Women. This emotionally powerful book written by the school’s founder, Jane B. Stephenson, details the lives of the women who attended the school and those who work tirelessly to make it a reality. “These women are so smart,” said Stephenson, “and no one has ever told them. What we want to do is very different.”
“Different” is one description, but what is most profound about this program is its approach and clarity of purpose, which should prompt us to ask, “Why haven’t we been doing this all along?” In what could only be described as a fortunate series of events, Stephenson explains her early exposure to adult learning and the genesis of the New Opportunity School for Women. “My husband and I were in Lexington in the ’70s,” she said. “He was teaching at [the University of Kentucky], and I was in the program in the Extension Office working in academic support services for adult students. They weren’t enjoying the same advantages as the regular day students, and we assisted them.”
In 1984, her husband John became president of Berea College, and Stephenson maintained her desire to help older students.
A call from well-known writer and professor Gurney Norman in 1986 proved to be the spark that lit the flame. “He called and said, ‘I have a friend in eastern Kentucky who needs help. She’s divorced with two kids, has no skills and has never worked. Do you have a program for her?’ Boy, I wished we did and asked my husband if we could do a program at Berea.”
John was all for the idea, save for the one hurdle that seems to foul up many good intentions: money. The women served by the program would not be in a position to pay, and staffing, supplies and transportation for participants were concerns.
Soon after came what Jane Stephenson calls a miracle. A representative from a foundation in California phoned John and said the organization wanted to give some money to the college. Did he have any programs in mind? After explaining Jane’s idea for educational outreach geared toward Appalachian women, the foundation agreed it sounded great and asked for a written proposal. There was just one catch. “They needed it by Friday,” Stephenson said. “It was Monday.”
Gathering together individuals who shared her vision, Stephenson and crew hammered out the basics of the program. “The group brainstormed in the president’s living room,” she said. “What could we do? Would people come?”
Shortly before Christmas in 1986, the foundation agreed to fund the project for two years, and the New Opportunity School for Women officially was launched in Berea the following summer. A part of Berea College when it was founded, the NOSW now is independent of that institution.
NOSW, New Opportunity School for Women in Berea, Ky., in February, 2011. Learning computers, laptops, software, technology. By David Stephenson.
Women accepted into the NOSW are housed in campus dorms for an intensive three-week program that covers everything from computer skills and how to effectively look for a job, to writing and Appalachian history. At the heart of the program is the sincere desire to foster and develop a true sense of self-worth in each woman. “The largest component of our program is self-esteem,” said Stephenson. “We give them courage [and] teach creative writing and all about Appalachian culture. They are often put down as hillbillies and don’t know about their history. We teach computer basics and job search skills, and are very big on education and getting a degree. We want them to have a career with benefits and not just a job that’s a job.”
The women who attend often have to clear several hurdles to make their time at the school a reality. “Eighty percent of the women have a family income of less than $10,000,” Stephenson said. “They sometimes come from shelters or rehab and have little support from home. Our program is free, and we even pay for child care back home if necessary.”
Students must have either a high school diploma or GED, because, as Stephenson puts it, “We can’t do literacy in three weeks.” While at the school, students attend class in the morning and work at jobs on campus or in the community in the afternoon. Stephenson explains that each woman is encouraged to seek a job that interests her and for which she has an affinity. “Their job might be on campus in the offices, at a nonprofit, the library, or if they like animals, perhaps at the humane society. The community truly welcomes the interns.”
Students also attend concerts, visit museums and experience cultural opportunities that may be few and far between back home.
Staying on campus promotes a feeling of security for the students, and they quickly bond with one another over their shared experiences. Simply knowing that others have endured some of the same hardships helps the women feel less alone and realize they have the power to change their lives. The following excerpt from Stephenson’s book shares in agonizing detail exactly what life was like for George Ann, and how the New Opportunity School helped her see how different things could be.
Growing up, I was taught that girls were to be “seen and not heard.” There was sexual abuse from several kinfolk to me and my sister, Virginia. However, back then you did not say a word, or you would have been called a liar and scorned from the community … Even though we were related to most everyone in the holler, we were still “outcasts” because we were always running from my dad when he was drinking and my mom was fearful … I can remember walking those gravel roads in pitch-black dark to a neighbor’s house at least a mile away. My dad was trying to hit Mom with steel knocks, and my sister was getting in between them and telling Daddy to go ahead and hit her … I was fearful most of my life. I think it’s due to the fact that I had to retreat inside myself to survive. It’s hard to believe now, but in those days I was very shy, passive, withdrawn, had no self-esteem, and lived in a fantasy world … I cried many tears trying to decide if I was doing the right thing by coming to the NOSW. Looking back, I am glad I did. It changed my life and my children’s lives, especially the younger ones, forever. When I came to the NOSW in summer 1992, I thought I was the only one who had such a terrible background … It was wonderful to know I wasn’t alone anymore. For the first time in my life, I was appreciated for being myself and not a sex object for men to abuse, and for others to tell me how worthless I was.
Stephenson has worked from day one to dispel the sense of worthlessness that exists among so many of her students, and she accomplishes it with the help of others who donate their time and resources to the cause. “There is a lot of community involvement from churches and individuals who prepare the evening meal and really want to help the participants,” she said.
David Stephenson
NOSW_reunion_interviews
New Opportunity School for Women 2011 Reunion interviews in Berea, Ky., on 11/5/11. Photo by David Stephenson
The NOSW support does not stop with graduation. “After the program, they can apply to us for scholarships that can be used for anything from tuition to child care to gas to buying a computer,” explained Stephenson
The group also provides dental care—which many of the women have never had—and assists with eye exams, glasses and basic women’s health care such as mammograms and Pap smears.
The NOSW has expanded to include programs in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, and the Berea program is experimenting with a new one-week, non-residential version that will serve those who cannot attend the traditional three-week, live-in session. Both stress the importance of an education, and Stephenson noted the impact that has on the entire family. “When you educate a woman, you educate a family, and we’re seeing what effect the education of the women has on their children,” she said. “Nine hundred and fifteen women have been through the three-week program, and 41 percent of their children have gone on to higher education, including four who have Ph.Ds.
“The [nearby] colleges are so supportive of the women. Their teachers teach our classes, and the women realize it’s not so scary to be on a college campus.”
The New Opportunity School for Women is a beacon, a light in an otherwise bleak landscape that stifles too many lives. Stephenson has created a way for women to alter their path and reach for things they never thought possible. And much like the night sky filled with stars, it is, as she puts it, “A beautiful thing to watch.”