Red Tent Women's Initiative

The goal of The Red Tent  is to empower women, children and families. This grassroots initiative provides a safe space for women to come together to create marketable art while gaining insight into themselves & their relationships through instruction, mentoring and friendship in an atmosphere of trust and encouragement. Founded in 2012 by Barbara Rhode LMFT, Red Tent was inspired by a book, a garage sale and the rising female inmate population epidemic.  

Female inmates have a PTSD rate of 85%, predominantly caused by childhood trauma and abuse. This is well above the national average of 20%. Barbara worked with this population from 2003-2008 witnessing first-hand the devastating effect untreated trauma can have on women, their families, and the surrounding communities. There is a way to combat this problem. In "The Tending Instinct," author  Dr. Shellye Taylor describes a pattern of behavior in women that "From an evolutionary standpoint ...is a plausible account of female responses to stress." She states that as social animals, women produce increased levels of Oxytocin, a brain chemical that helps them feel safe and secure, after spending time in the company of other women. She coined it “tending and befriending” and it includes the act of coming together to share stories, help each other and empathize, thereby mentoring the young and those in need. Dr. Taylor goes on to build the case that women are hardwired for connecting with other women and require ample opportunities to express and satisfy this instinctual urge to be balanced. 

A few years later, Barbara read the book, “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant. It is set in ancient times where communities created a safe, nurturing space for women where they went to during times of need; menstruation, grief, birth, etc. Only women were allowed in the tent and it was known as a sacred place of healing and nurturing, a place where young and old women, even children could share stories, wisdom and compassion. The surrounding community understood how vital it was for the women and would offer support by leaving food at the flap of the tent to help the women spend this precious time together, healing and inspiring each other. In this time of turmoil where is our red tent now?  What happened to this tradition that benefitted men, women and children and brought about a sense of community and togetherness?

Not too long after Barbara visited a local estate sale in the Old Northeast. The sale turned out to be for a woman who had recently committed suicide after a rough divorce. As Barbara stepped into the woman’s bedroom to send good thoughts and prayers, there on her nightstand sat a copy of Anita Diamant's book. She couldn’t help but think “What if there had been a red tent for her to go to before she took her own life?” Barbara made a change. The following year she went to the Pinellas County Jail (PCJ) and asked to voluntarily start a program for the female inmates. She used personal funds from her private practice and her husbands’ architectural income to hire a part time teacher and a group facilitator to work 2 days/week, 4 hours/day with 15 female inmates. The PCJ donated a room, chairs, tables and sewing machines while Barbara bought the rest of what was needed in the beginning. The Red Tent was officially started. 

The program is now in its sixth year. The women participate in a class creating crafts while simultaneously receiving the benefit of life skills training and group support. To date, Red Tent has served over 1200 women and according to our records, less than 35% have been re-incarcerated. That’s well below the PCJ average recidivism of 55%. Last year, with the help of the Sheriff’s office, we increased our class meetings from 2 to 3 days per week. A fabric instructor and counselor teach women to create handcrafted items for themselves and their families which they take home at the end of their sentence. During class, participants share their stories, wisdom, hope and pain with each other thereby fulfilling the tending and befriending instinct. They also participate in trauma recovery groups, stress reduction, financial empowerment, Heart Math and mindfulness training. 

In 2013 Red Tent started offering ongoing community support groups so that the women could continue their involvement.  Pinellas Ex-offender Re-entry Coalition (PERC) gives meeting space at both their Largo and South St. Petersburg offices. This allows Red Tent to create nurturing sites for the women once released. The door is open to any women in the community who needs support. 

In 2016, Pinellas Technical College contracted with Red Tent to provide an instructor who teaches the women employ-ability and job readiness skills. Participants receive a PTC certificate after completing a minimum of 6 weeks of classes while in jail.