Empowering Women through Community and Library Engagement
The Local Challenge
In Panevėžys, a mid-sized Lithuanian city, many vulnerable women, particularly mothers who have experienced incarceration or who live under social care, face deep social exclusion. Stigma, emotional trauma, and lack of access to education, employment, and parenting resources isolate them from community life. Their struggles also affect their children, perpetuating cycles of disadvantage. Reintegration services remain fragmented, leaving many women invisible and unsupported.
The Initiative
The Challenge team is tackling this by creating safe, inclusive spaces for empowerment and connection. The project offers bibliotherapy sessions, reading circles, parenting and child development seminars, creative workshops, career support, and meetings with psychologists and employment specialists. These activities foster emotional resilience, personal growth, and social skills while encouraging women to explore talents and discover new strengths. The library acts as a central hub, coordinating activities in close partnership with Panevėžys Prison, the Social Services Centre, and the Family Home. Together, these institutions ensure that programmes meet the specific needs of participants, offering both psychological insights and pathways to reintegration. The library thus positions itself as more than a place for books: it becomes a trusted, supportive environment where women can heal, learn, and connect.
What’s Next?
Looking forward, the initiative aims to reduce long-term social exclusion by building lasting support networks between vulnerable women, their families, and the wider community. Participants will gain confidence, strengthen parenting skills, and develop practical and creative capacities that support reintegration into family and working life. The library will deepen its role as a community anchor and visible agent of social healing, sustaining partnerships with social and prison institutions while expanding its outreach. By continuing to provide inclusive programmes, the library will help vulnerable women see their value beyond their current circumstances, fostering empowerment, resilience, and active participation in community life. In time, Panevėžys will benefit from a stronger, more inclusive civic fabric in which even the most marginalised women can find belonging and purpose.
Contact theeuropechallenge@culturalfoundation.eu if you have any questions or want to be connected with the team behind the project.
