Some students see Barnard College as an oasis in New York City. It is a school where women come together to form a supportive community during their time in college. But not everyone at every school get’s to experience this intimate environment. The Red Tent Foundation has goals to create an environment similar to the one that Barnard fosters. The idea for naming this non profit “The Red Tent” comes from ancient times in Jacob’s tribe when women gathered in a special tent during their menstruation in order to separate themselves from the rest of the tribe. Through their separation, these women gained a sense of friendship, community, and support among the women of their tribe. Although we are not convening in tents like our ancestors, we still flourish when are supported by people who are similar to us and have had similar experiences.
The goal of The Red Tent Foundation is “to improve the lives of college women, by focusing on emotional health, spirituality, building authentic community, body image and facilitating authentic conversation about a women in today’s world.” They try and achieve these goals by going to college campuses and setting up an actual physical tent as a symbol and an event space.
The Red Tent Foundation recently held an event at Middlebury College. The event, for people who identify as women, to gather together in an open and supportive environment. There were a series of events which focused on building and strengthening their community and connecting on a deeper level.
The Red Tent Foundation hopes to travel to many more college campuses in the future in order to help create a safe environment for women to develop bonds among each other, and would be a great addition to the Barnard campus in order to strengthen the community we already have.