Pottery Empowerment at Damaris - June Update

Real Clay, Summer Interns, Promotions & Signature Stamps!

We've had an exciting last month at Damaris as I transitioned the women from working with air-dry clay to real clay! The month was filled with synchronicities of people and resources coming together to help continue to form and establish the new Pottery Empowerment Program at Damaris. (A special thanks to Macy from Altanta for all her pottery knowledge and ideas shared!)

Here the women are celebrating their promotion and certificates. Mae Mae, our summer intern is at the left. Joni, Director of Skills Development, is at the bottom right.

We also welcomed to the team this month two summer interns: Mae Mae and Bailey. We're so grateful for the wealth of knowledge Mae Mae brings as an accomplished potter herself and expert in mug-making! Thank you Bailey as well for your Swiftie enthusiasm, and all-around help and loveliness! You two rock!

Three of the women in our care were promoted from level one to level two in their skills-development training and were awarded certificates. The women begin as "trainees" (level 1), then can promote to "independent workers" (level 2) and lastly become "trainers" (level 3) where they can train new women in the program on how to make our ceramic products.

This last month we had a wonderful time welcoming special service groups from Georgia, USA. Thank you Mary Evans for your suggestion to make big, beautiful mugs! We're working on them already (watch this space! :)

The women have also begun making their own unique "signature stamps", so that each piece they create can be stamped with the artist's signature at the bottom. That way when someone buys a piece when visiting and meeting the women, they'll know who made that exact creation. As these women's identities need to be protected, many opt to not use their real initials or name as their signature. I was delighted with one that was simply a unique flower!

We have began firing our first pieces in the tiny kiln of our friend! (Thank you Kimmy!)

We are also starting to prepare for Christmas (see a sneak peak of ornaments below). We can't wait to show you soon the final look once glazed!

One of the ladies in our care told us happily that she got the flower design idea from something she saw in the metro. She said, "I thought to myself 'I could draw that!'" -- and then she did! Seeing her and the other ladies excited and smiling with pride for their creations is what makes this work so meaningful.

Thank you for following me along this journey and I hope you've enjoyed the update. Please send comments, suggestions and ideas my way! Thank you for your support!

Next month I look forward to showing you our first round of glazed pottery products! I am also attending trainings with another oranganisation to help with outreach in the brothels in the evening as part of "The Athens Freedom Network". I will also share more on that front next month.

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Jacquie is a volunteer at Damaris, a nonprofit organisation that empowers trafficked and exploited women to find freedom and recovery. Jacquie began working in April 2024 with a mission to help set up their new "Pottery Empowerment Program" to offer basic sculpture and pottery classes as part of their healing and skills-development classes. She is also assisting the organisation by interpreting for the women who only speak French and assisting them with appointments. Her work is made possible through the support from sponsors.