Omrit Shimoni, House of Hope supervisor of outpatient services, Joy Oni, Mikayla Ruiz, Patricia Linoz, Kelly Anne Concannon Mannise, Ph.D., NSU faculty coordinator, Sabrina Louissaint, Nicole Chavannes, Lori Grossman, Lisa Cleaves, Iliana Munoz
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – House of Hope, a leading non-profit provider of substance abuse and behavioral health programming in Broward County, has partnered with Nova Southeastern University (NSU) for a new literacy initiative that will assist women in recovery to cultivate clear personal and professional goals through a series of reflective literacy practices.
As a part of NSU’s commitment to community outreach, students and faculty will work with House of Hope to implement literacy workshops to help women build confidence through communication across institutional and social boundaries. A trained team of female undergraduate and graduate writing consultants from NSU’s Writing and Communication Center, which offers individualized writing and communication assistance, will work alongside 40 women in different stages of the recovery process. Participants will engage in monthly writing activities and small group discussions, and all women will be provided journals, which will allow them to reflect on their experiences throughout the program and to identify behaviors that will assist in meeting their personal and professional goals.
“We are excited to be partnering with NSU on such a special project that will make a significant impact on the lives of these women,” said Sue Glasscock, House of Hope CEO. “The monthly workshops will be a safe space for participants to reflect, grow and plan their next steps. A big part of our treatment strategy is to not only help our clients overcome addiction, but also to help them move forward and create successful, stable lives for themselves. This literacy program will give them the guidance to do just that.”
During the program, a range of topics will be discussed each month, including reflection, self-love, mindfulness and mindset and moving forward. The women will reflect and set goals, learn a variety of techniques to help with their recovery and identify skills and strengths to create a resume.
“We are happy to work collaboratively with women in the community and assist in cultivating personal and professional goals,” said Kelly Concannon, Ph.D., faculty coordinator for the project. “We will work to assist women in the process of owning their stories, while actively creating new ones through multiple literacy practices.”
The literacy initiative is supported by Nova Southeastern University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
“When the opportunity to partner with House of Hope came about, I saw it as an important way to give back to our community, and I knew our students and faculty would also benefit from the experience,” said Shanti Bruce, Ph.D., assistant dean of CAHSS’s School of Communication, Media and the Arts. “I am appreciative of all involved in this inspiring literacy initiative.”
To learn more about House of Hope, visit houseofhope.org
