Back to home
Colorado Nonprofit Receives $2,000 Award to Share the Voices of Women Trauma Survivors
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Serenity Project (TSP) is a nonprofit challenging health inequity for women survivors of trauma across Colorado. It does so in three key ways: a charitable fashion show, 12-month curriculum for survivors and one-on-one women’s mentorship program. Now, because of the organization’s efforts in sharing the experiences of women to promote healing, mental health and systemic change, the Colorado Equity Compass (CEC) has awarded it $2,000 to showcase the stories of the women it serves. “Mental health among survivors is particularly important because of how much it affects everyday life completely uniquely for every woman in the program,” says Serenity Project Founder Serene Singh. “While survivors in our program have a wide range of backgrounds and hardships throughout their lives, we have found over the past six years that these women are deeply disadvantaged in healing because of three main factors: 1) the lack of community support, or social network, 2) injustices in the justice system and 3) their religious, racial, and or gender identity mistreated and disrespected by our at-large institutions statewide.”
TSP will create an array of video products that will expand upon its documentary about its newest cohort of mentors and other media to uplift the voices of women largely unheard after suffering trauma. Notably, social determinants of health (SDOH) will be a large fixture in the topic areas.
“The CEC is thrilled to award The Serenity Project $2,000 to further its storytelling efforts,” says CEC Project Lead Dr. Rachele Espiritu. “Highlighting the impacts of trauma on the health and wellbeing of women across the state of Colorado will further the public’s understanding of the impact of the SDOH on community health.”
These products are below:
“As the founder of a 501(c)(3) I had assumed I would be able to give something or another I had to those who joined The Serenity Project nonprofit over the years. The truth is, I have been able to receive far more than I could ever give — the tenacity, depth, and deep compassion instilled in each of the women in our organization inspires me on a daily basis to do more and more importantly, be more,” says Serenity Project Founder Serene Singh. “It is the very force that propels me even now.” About The Serenity Project TSP challenges health inequity across Colorado in a number of ways. Mental health, culture, social network, and justice are at the forefront of our nonprofit centered around empowering and building up women survivors after a life of trauma. Colorado has among the highest increasing rates of suicides among at-risk women with a decreasing number of resources, shelters, and community-building tools for this vulnerable population.
TSP challenges the varying health equity issues this community of women experiences through a three-pillar, yearlong program. Through TSP, women embark on a yearlong journey to build self-confidence through an annual charitable fashion show held on International Day of Self-Love (not held in 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), a 12-month curriculum with weekly guest speakers and exercises to cultivate confidence, community, and connections as well as provide therapeutic tools to help survivors grow through trauma and find where they need support, and a one-one women mentorship program for survivors to develop meaningful passion projects alongside fellow women leaders.
Learn more on the TSP website. Those who are interested in volunteering to be a mentor, speaker or otherwise engage with TSP can reach out via this link.
About the Colorado Equity Compass Across Colorado, communities are facing inequities that impact their health and wellbeing. Different factors, including systemic racism, a lack of affordable housing, and environmental concerns, contribute to these inequities.
As a project of The Colorado Trust, CEC helps communities — and the organizations that serve them — better understand these issues and advocate for change using data and stories. This work consolidates diverse resources, connects peers, and both aligns and empowers communities and institutions via its Equity Data Navigator. The model showcases inequities and the social determinants of health (SDOH) across communities. CEC also serves as a hub for community storytelling and information-sharing.
For more information and to view the data model, visit coequitycompass.org. For media inquiries, contact the CEC at [email protected].