SCC: Education, support and opportunity

"When you give a woman a paycheck," says Susan Matteucci, "she will spend it first on her family." And Southwest Creations Collaborative tests this theory by providing a living wage, education, child care and other support to Spanish-speaking women in Albuquerque, N.M.

In this video, we meet Rosa Villareal, who moved from Mexico 19 years
ago. Until she found SCC, she had difficulty securing work. She says
SCC is her support, her life.

We also meet Andrea Plaza, the programs
director, who uses feedback from the employees to help coordinate
classes and resources.

Matteucci founded SCC after moving to
Albuquerque from Chicago. She brought with her a wealth of experience
regarding women's issues and empowerment.

After spending an afternoon at SCC, where I felt a real sense of
community, I wondered, "Why can't every work environment run like
this?"

Chris Dudley photographed this piece, while I did the editing. Read his blog: bullhornjournal.com.