The Women's Institute of Houston has three classrooms that can hold large lectures or intimate writing workshops. (Courtesy Sean Rainer Photography)
Established in 1951, Rebecca and Dean Richardson founded The Women’s Institute of Houston, a nonprofit organization for women who “couldn’t really go out.”
“They were at home staying with the kids, and they didn't really have the opportunities to get out and do all these classes or socialize,” Communications Director Wendy Tull said. “So, a woman in River Oaks just decided that she'd had enough, and she started her own lecture luncheons and just invited some friends, and it grew from there.”
The framework
Over time, the institute grew to offer a diverse range of classes to both genders.
Classes typically see about 20-25 attendees and can cover almost any topic, including literature, history, religion and philosophy, but Executive Director Shea Hill said the current events and politics lectures tend to be the most popular, with sometimes more than 75 participants.
In the past, The Women’s Institute of Houston has held lectures from guest organizations such as the League of Women Voters and featured classes such as the “History of ICE and the Border Wall.”
“Sometimes people suggest courses that they want to see, and sometimes the professors suggest courses that they would like to teach, and we go from there,” Tull said.
Communications Director Wendy Tull (left) and Executive Director Shea Hill at The Women's Institute of Houston. (Roo Moody/Community Impact)
Going forward
At the institute, the participants tend to be those who have recently retired or are looking to keep their brains sharp, Hill said. However, Hill and Tull are looking for ways to bring in a younger demographic as well.
They said they previously considered offering more night classes and are thinking of lecture subjects that would be engaging to younger generations.
“A lot of socialization goes on here, maybe more so than in a traditional classroom setting, because people tell us all the time how homey it feels,” Tull said. “It just feels like coming to somebody's house and hanging out.”
Classes vary in pricing, with some costing $40 per class and others, such as an Italian language course, costing $360 per semester.
