We were happy that Open Pixel Studios invited us to work with them on a video that highlights three community ambassadors collaborating with the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts on the Economic Security Hub Initiative. This initiative brings community partners together with the common goal to disrupt the social and economic systems preventing Greater Springfield’s low-income or formerly and currently incarcerated women, particularly those of color, from prosperity.
The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts began collaborating with key area partners to launch the Greater Springfield Women’s Economic Security Hub (ESH) in 2020. This collaborative created a 12-determinant framework to represent ‘one woman’s economic engine’ that shows the complexity of factors that affect women’s economic security.
The ESH commissioned the University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Research on Families (UMass CRF) to collect and analyze data on 200 women experiencing economic insecurity in Greater Springfield. UMass CRF trained and certified community-based organizations employees in ethical research practices for these trust-based interviews. All participants and employees were compensated for their time and testimony.
Here are 12 identified interconnected determinants in women’s economic growth:
Learn more about the Economic Security Hub.