Everyone’s Village : A Center for Busy Women Is Now a School for All

The activities inside this colorful cluster of cottages along busy Sepulveda Boulevard belie the sign out front that reads “Everywoman’s Village.”

It stands before a cluster of tiny, colorful cottages tucked quietly between large office buildings along a busy strip of Sepulveda Boulevard.

What was started by three women in 1963 as a center where mothers and housewives could continue their education without giving up their domestic responsibilities has grown into a bustling adult education facility that enrolls 7,000 men and women in classes ranging from power blackjack to tai chi.

The Village, as it is now popularly known, had humble beginnings.

The idea was first put in motion by Chris Edwards, Diane Rosner and Lynn Selwyn, three women in their 30s with similar lifestyles--they were all married, all mothers and all searching for a strong dose of intellectual stimulation.

“I wanted to go to college, but aspiring to be a homemaker was the thing in those days,” said Edwards, the last living founder. “Then I thought, wouldn’t it be great if housewives could continue learning without competing in a typical classroom environment, without grades or tests?”

So the trio took action.

With some financial help from their husbands, the three leased a half-acre lot in Van Nuys where a handful of small houses sat vacant.

“Our husbands wanted to make us happy, so they helped us get the property,” said Edwards. “But I don’t think they thought we could pull it off.”

The men were in for a big surprise.

Armed with scrub brushes, paintbrushes and hammers, the women enthusiastically transformed the five buildings with adjacent garages into 13 classrooms and workshops.

They recruited professionals and experts to teach fine arts, music and physical fitness.

And their grand opening drew instant response.

More than 200 women enrolled during the first week, with hundreds more to follow.

But after the first enrollment call they discovered that men, too, wanted to learn in a non-competitive environment.

“We received tons of calls from men who asked if they could also take classes,” said Laura Selwyn, executive director for Everywoman’s Village and daughter of one of the founders.

“The name Everywoman’s was appropriate when we opened, but it confused people,” she said. “So we became the Village.”

Although the sign still reads Everywoman’s Village, word of mouth and a new name on class catalogues ensured that the center welcomed everyone.

Today, the Village operates mostly on class fees and some donations. Prices vary from $49 for an acupressure class to $162 for a course in WordPerfect.

A two-hour class on how to dance sensually for your man was recently added to the schedule.

“We’re open to suggestions by students, as long as they’re in good taste,” said Anita Mathews, program director. “We look for trends and topics in demand.”

Tim Johns, a Van Nuys resident who leads a mountain hiking group and teaches garden design, said the Village is an environment equally friendly for men and women.

“Men who want to be in a creative environment like it here,” he said.