Here’s a snapshot about the ladies in our current program! Our weekly program “Discover Your Inner Warrior” is led by womxn of color from the community who are experts in a myriad of fields including medicine, domestic violence, reproductive health, or civic engagement. Each school year students are introduced to the principles of yoga and can attend at least 7 workshops across the fall and spring semester. Participation is voluntary and all materials are free. Since the pandemic we’ve provided monthly care packages packed with art supplies, school supplies, wireless head phones, disposable masks, reusable masks, and so much more for our youth participants.
Partner Highlight: Raksha Inc.
“Raksha, Inc. is a Georgia-based nonprofit with a mission to promote a stronger and healthier South Asian community through confidential support services, education, and advocacy. Raksha works towards healing, empowerment, and justice for survivors of violence.”
Athena’s Warehouse and Raksha partner to provide services to youth from Cross Keys high school, Clarkston high school, and Chamblee Charter high school. Raksha has a team of trained mental health professionals serving child clients to adults. Raksha also supports victims of violence with legal support services, a culturally informed pantry, and they cover transportation costs to access these services.
or
Meet Carmen Lagunas
In calendar year 2020 we held 42 programmatic workshops
We had workshops every week even through the summer and sometimes twice per week from the Spring Semester until the Fall Semester.
Here are some session summaries for a closer look at our curriculum:
Dec 16. Linda Chen
We'll introduce some concepts of yoga and do a guided meditation with Linda Chen, our certified trauma informed yoga instructor. This is the final session for 2020 so be sure to be there for final gifts and to be the first to know what's in store for next semester!
Dec 9. Laura Alvarez
Laura is a Tax Professional at New Horizon Agency. "Laura Alvarez is the managing partner of New Horizon Agency, Inc established in 2012. Laura has been accredited by Ashworth University. As a leading accountant in the firm, Laura uses her experience and personal relationships to get results for all New Horizon Agency, Inc clients. She is a talented and hard working accountant who never stops trying to bring the best results for her clients." http://nhatax.com
Laura can answer any questions you ladies have about being claimed as a dependent and maximizing your tax refund or your parents tax refund. She'll also review the basics, anything that a teen or young adult should know about taxes before getting their first job or filing taxes independently for the 1st time.
Dec 2.VOX
Vox Atl is an organization which focuses on leadership through self expression.
Join the session to learn more about self expression and being published as a teen.
Your voice has power.
https://voxatl.org/
Nov 18.Amber Keller
Want to know how coding and maps are connected? Ever wondered who the nerds are behind Google Maps? Let's learn about one of the least spoken about and highest paying jobs in America! Let's talk about GIS, a field dominated by men and how we as women of color can become a part of it. We'll hear from Data Analyst, Amber Keller on her untraditional college journey and how she connected coding to her love of understanding the world.
Amber attended Kennesaw State University and had to take a break from college after unexpectedly becoming a single mother. She graduated from college with a Bachelors of Science in Geography and a minor in Biology from Georgia State University in 2013. She worked for the state of GA in the Dept of Community Affairs and the city of Dunwoody as a Geographic Information Science Analyst for over 5 years. Now she's a Data Analyst for the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity where she uses maps, coding, and data to improve the lives of 1st generation homeowners.
Here's a brief summary of GIS "A geographic information system (GIS) is a framework for gathering, managing, and analyzing data. Rooted in the science of geography, GIS integrates many types of data. It analyzes spatial location and organizes layers of information into visualizations using maps and 3D scenes. With this unique capability, GIS reveals deeper insights into data, such as patterns, relationships, and situations—helping users make smarter decisions."- ESRI.COM
On National GIS Day let's have an interactive chat with a specialist and celebrate #GirlsWhoCode
Oct 21. Leticia Sifuentes Join us as a career accounting professional, Leticia Sifuentes talks about the cost of living comfortably, and how to properly manage your "net income," and creating a budget as a family.
Oct 18.Pamela Tellez
This Sunday's session is being led by Pamela Tellez Coria. She graduated from Cross Keys high school in 2015 and is an awesome eye shadow makeup artist. Her cosmetology skills have become renowned by such celebrities as Kat Von D. Please join us today as she talks about her personal challenges, her successes, and how she's made such a name for herself to inspire the teen participants of Athena's Warehouse.
Here's her feature on 60 sec documentaries: Documentary
To participate in her make-up tutorial you'll need false lashes, lash glue, a neutral eye-shadow palette, one highlight shimmer/glitter shade, a beauty sponge, your favorite eye-shadow brushes, foundation and concealer, a contour kit and a blush kit.
Oct 7. Join us for our "Life After High School" chat with college graduates who went to Cross Keys High School. After high school, Yehimi Cambron went to Agnes Scott College and studied studio art, she's now a full-time muralist & art activist, she was an art teacher for several years after graduating from college.
When Yehimi attended college DACA had not yet been formalized and was able to go to the private women's college as a Goiuzetta scholar.
Angelina Tran received the Gates Millennium Scholarship in 2012 and attended Suwanee University to study Political Science. Just this year she received her masters from Columbia University and will be attending law school in the next year or two.
Katherine Narvaez received her Bachelors of Science in Biology at Mary Baldwin University; she is currently the 1st undocumented person to ever attend graduate school at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently pursuing 2 masters degrees, one in public health and the other in business administration. She plans to attend medial school in the next year or two.
We'll have each of the panelists introduce themselves and their unique stories and journeys after high school. Then we'll address the questions from the audience and finally panelists will give closing remarks and any advice.
Let's make this a rich conversation! All femme-folks are invited to attend this session and listen in.
Sept. 30.PADV "What would you do if you thought your friend was in an abusive relationship? Most of the time, violence in a relationship occurs when the couple is alone. You might not see dramatic warning signs like black eyes and broken bones. So how can you tell for sure?"
In this workshop you will learn:
1. The signs of unhealthy relationships
2. How to talk to your friend about their unhealthy relationship
3. Who to call when someone you know experiences domestic violence or abuse
This workshop will be lead by Taylor Shropshire of Partnership Against Domestic Violence. Remember, the Athena’s Warehouse workshops are a safe space *this workshop will not be recorded for privacy of attendees* Attendees will receive wallet cards and handouts on recognizing the signs of DV & how to access resources. We invite to attend so you have the tools you need to stand up against domestic violence.
Sept. 20. Desiree Nathanson, Interfusion Fitness
A can't miss session on fitness routines you can do at home with limited space and no equipment, lead by Desiree Nathanson of Interfusion Fitness!
About Desiree: She holds a Master of Science in Health Sciences with a specialization in Nutrition from Georgia State University. She attended undergrad at the University of Florida and was on the Gators dance team. After she graduated from college, she became a dancer for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Desiree Nathanson is the official fitness trainer of the Atlanta Hawks cheerleaders, a dietetic technician, dance instructor and nutrition coach. She currently owns her own gym/ dance studio (Interfusion Fitness) where she's a full-time personal trainer, coach, instructor and woman entrepreneur.
If you're able to, please have your camera on and wear comfortable clothes to workout with Desiree. (It's kind of hard to correct form, or make sure you won't injure yourself if she can't see you.)
Ok see ya there, all feme-folks invited as always!
Sept. 16. Desiree Nathanson, Interfusion Fitness
The Five F's to Better Health with gym owner and former Atlanta Hawks Cheerleader Desiree Nathanson.
Join us to hear from Desiree as she breaks down the complicated myths surrounding fitness and healthy living into 5 easy to remember parts. She'll also talk about her career trajectory struggles with unhealthy fad diets as well as overcoming physical challenges which thwarted her original career dreams yet led her to this unique pathway to success.
Check out her book here on Amazon: Formula 5
All attendees will receive a free copy of her book! (A book preview will be sent ahead of her talk)
Desiree will also be leading next Sunday's Art & Inspiration session with a heavy emphasis on fitness and inspiration through the art of dance!
Sept. 6 Adela Lopez You're invited to do a craft with us! Relax your mind before the start of another week of school/work! This session will be lead by Art Educator, Fullbright & Gates Millineum Scholar Adela Lopez (CKHS Class of 2016) Materials Needed:
● Copy paper (to be safe - 6 sheets)
● Any green, yellow, + brown art supplies (markers, colored pencils, crayons, etc)
(example: a green marker, a yellow crayon, and a brown colored pencil)
● 4 squares of toilet paper
● Pencil
● Scissors
● Glue stick (no liquid glue)
● Optional:
○ Some soil/dirt (a handful is more than enough!) or brown felt
○ Clear nail polish
○ Green colored paper
○ Hole puncher
Overview:
● It’s no surprise plants can give us lots of benefits to our well-being, except they can
sometimes be extremely expensive or we don’t have time to give them enough
attention or we just don’t have the space to grow them (ah yes perks of living in an
apartment with limited sunlight). That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have plants in our
homes, it just means we have to get a little crafty.
● Before getting crafty, let’s find out what type of plant we are by taking a personality
quiz. After seeing our results, let's try our best to recreate the plants that best represent
us with care.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/rubyatthemovies/what-indoor-plant-are-you-aa4sp6sgdj
● There are 7 things plants need in order to grow: room to grow, the right temperature,
light, water, air, nutrients, and time. I don’t know about you but that sounds like a lot
like ourselves as humans! We need room to grow to better ourselves, we need to make
sure we have a good temperature check by having a well-balanced mental mindset,
we need to have hope that there’s light at the end of the tunnel, we need to forgive
ourselves for past mistakes by washing them away, we need space to take a breather
when things get hard, we need to watch what we put into our physical and mental
bodies; our bodies are a temple, and my most favorite, we need time to grow. We
can’t expect ourselves to get it all together within a day, a week, or even in a year -
we need to be patient with ourselves and remember that you will reach your goal, it
will happen, it’s just going to need time.
● As we make our plants, keep this in mind. Though you can’t give the 7 things this paper
plant may need without destroying it, give yourself those 7 things. Take this plant care
as your self care. You are worthy to grow.
Resilience In Action- (T-shirt Donation)
The dictionary defines resilience as -
1.the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
2.the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
We’ve chosen to step away from our traditional color scheme to evoke the power of resilience as we work in collaboration with local Atlanta artists to create one of a kind memorabilia for this summer long campaign! The colors of the campaign will include red to represent the bloodshed by our ancestors who we inherited resilience from. As well as gold to invite power into our hearts as we continue to express resiliency.
Let’s celebrate one year of youth leadership! Celebrate with us one year of young women uplifting young women! Celebrate local entrepreneurship with us as well! As part of this campaign we want to uplift women owned businesses and
But most importantly we want to hear from you! Due to the pandemic we’re currently unable to
Please join us by using the hashtag #resiliency or #awresiliency (we want to highlight the acts of being resilient so the hashtag won’t just be #resilience but resiliency.)
Without your support our business would have closed its doors in the midst of the school shut down but we’re still here. Meeting with our young ladies every week so that we can be a symbol of resilience in their lives.
Won’t you be a symbol of resilience for young women in Dekalb County, GA?
When you donate $25 to this special campaign you'll receive a limited edition t-shirt designed in partnership with Atlanta artist Whitney Rivers of Pamoja Keepsakes. "Pamoja" means together in swahili. Pamoja Keepsakes specializes in crafting one-of-a-kind memorabilia to mark every special occasion.
Whitney used images from the Athena's Warehouse website and her experience as a woman and an artist carving out a living in the midst of a pandemic to create the art for the t-shirts. T-shirts are available in Blue or White in sizes s-xxxl (Shipping, pick up, or delivery available at no extra cost for Atlanta area.) Support Whitney Rivers by stopping by her online store and picking up her "Resilience" tote bag using this link.
---------------
Get your womxn owned business featured on our social media today: https://forms.gle/De4J6FfR5Gd27hUo7
Sing up to volunteer with us: https://forms.gle/dpsobvnCM1wTQYR79
Coreas & Co
With Coreas & Co., a boutique consulting firm focused on sales strategy and business development, Stephanie Coreas partners with small, women owned as well as minority owned businesses looking to build a sales pipeline and win contracts. She brings 8 years experience in Supplier Diversity, Corporate Communications and Gov’t Contracting.” Contact Stephanie at stephanie@coreasandco.com to start a journey with her today and take your business to new heights.
The Sentimentalist
The woman owned/operated business we want to uplift today is @thesentimentalistatl .“The Sentimentalist is a designer and vintage bridal shop in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhood. We are a small, family-owned business that strives to offer a unique collection, beautiful space, and low-pressure, high-customer service experience. We work with small, independent North American designers who tend toward a vintage, bohemian, and slightly alternative aesthetic. Email hello@thesentimentalistatl.com for an appointment!” ⠀ ⠀ We want to thank you for all your years of support. For years your business has provided dollars to @Athenaswarehouse to ensure our programming has longevity and we’re still here because of the @thesentimentalistatl team. Thank you!⠀Maybe you're seeing this post and remembering your special day may have been postponed or maybe you're opting for a Zoom wedding (OMG, instant stress!) Just because things are delayed or distant doesn’t mean your moment has to lose any elements of the unique or ethereal. Find THE dress @thesentimentalistatl #awresiliency #resilience #aw2020
Chicomecóatl
The woman owned business we want to uplift today is @chicomecoatlien “Chicomecóatl (chee cōh méh qúat) is the ancient Aztec goddess of corn (maíz) & sustainability; a fitting tribute to Maricela Vega's forebearers, maíz farmers from Guanajuato, Mexico. Chicomecóatl provides people with nutritious food, proudly partnering with local, organic farms such as @buckeyecreekfarmga, @growwhereyouare, @mayflorfarms, and @menas_farm .These fresh ingredients help Chicomecóatl create modern Mexican food while honoring the rich and diverse heritage of food from Mexico.” Chef Maricela Vega partners with athenaswarehouse to provide a free educational workshop twice a year which is culturally relevant, highlights sustainability as a lifestyle, and reminds our girls where their food comes from. ⠀ Chef Mari, was the 1st person this year’s participants heard say the words “farm to table” or “decolonizing our food.” School nutrition doesn’t have the capacity to cover these topics so Chef Mari brings in fresh locally grown food and demonstrates simple recipes inspired by Mexican traditions. We love ya @marsdemari ! Thank you so much for giving us your time and expertise for over 2 years! You embody resilience as you work tirelessly to provide clean food, fun, and youth accessible frameworks for practical sustainability. Your dedication to decolonizing Atlanta cuisine is phenomenal and we’re excited to be on this journey with you. ⠀ ⠀ Be on the lookout for a special digital event or collaboration with Chef Mari! (Maybe Chef Mari will tell us where she personally gets her groceries, or film a special short just for AW supporters, so stay tuned.) Follow the link in chicomecoatlien bio to read about the “Each One, Feed One” initiative, a collaboration with Living Walls & Freedom University. #awresiliency #resilience #aw2020 #supportyourlocalfoodsystems #tamalbaes
Pamoja Keepsakes
The 1st woman owned business we want to uplift is @Pamojakeepsakes ⠀
"Pamoja (pah-mō-jah) means “together” in Swahili. We have everything we need when we work together. ☀️" Founded, owned, and operated by Atlanta artist and proud cat mom, Whitney Rivers, Pamojakeepsakes creates long-lasting memorabilia for everyday and special occasions! Follow the link in @pamojakeepsakes bio for a special new promotion. ⠀
#awresiliency #resilience #artistatlanta #blackownedbusiness
Athena's Warehouse Resiliency
What is resilience? The dictionary defines resilience as -⠀ 1.the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness." 2.the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.” We’ve chosen to step away from our traditional color scheme to evoke the power of resilience; the colors of the campaign will include red to represent the bloodshed by our ancestors who we inherited resilience from. As well as gold to invite power into our hearts as we continue to express resiliency. This campaign will celebrate one year of Mileydy and I being in leadership! It will also work to uplift local women owned businesses by promoting and uplifting their work for free! Women owned businesses can apply to be featured using this link . You can also participate by sharing our emails/posts with a friend who might be interested in hearing about us. If each one of us invited one new person to like the Athena’s Warehouse Facebook page, our network would reach the hundred thousands overnight! #awresiliency #aw2020 #resilience
