Women's voices have the power to change community

Background and Description of the Problem: The aims of this study were to foster active service learning of nursing graduate students about violence; to understand the meaning of violence and to evaluate how meaning changes following a community intervention; and to understand the processes of empowerment and personal development that were fostered by membership in the women's group providing the community intervention.

Methods: This was a participatory ethnographic study in which nursing students and nursing faculty gathered data through community surveys, participant observation, and individual and focus group interviews with youth and women members of Las Mujeres Nobles and Las Mujercitas to 1) evaluate the impact of skits depicting multiple forms of family violence on changes in community knowledge and awareness of family violence; and 2) describe the evolution of empowerment as a result of participation by women and youth within the women's group.

Results: Citizens in the community developed new understandings of family violence following intervention. The study of change processes occurring within this women's group provided rich data about the advancement of women who were concerned about family health and well-being.

Conclusions: There were very real effects of the voices of women and youth on the community and on members of the group. The impact of the group had ripple effects from the individual women and youth members to their social networks. Individuals joining together with a common goal and purpose can have a powerful influence on improving health in the community.