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Our mission is to “cultivate the power of diverse young women* to be creative leaders and courageous changemakers.” We envision a society rooted in social justice where all young women live their truth, achieve their dreams, and change our world.
Each year, our programs directly serve 700+ young people and benefit 2,000+ community members. Of current Y-WE youth, 70% are first or second-generation immigrants, 85% are of color, and 90% are from low-income backgrounds.
We center youth who often lack access to leadership programs. For us, this means centering in our program participants who are of color, from immigrant communities, and from low-income backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTQ+. Our engaged and passionate community works to ensure that these young women feel empowered to be the voices and leaders of our future.
Our programming is valuable to the life of our youth and with a new fiscal year starting these funds will help us continue to be able to serve our community.
*those who identify as women or girls or were assigned female at birth.
We envision a society rooted in social justice, where all young women live their truth, achieve their dreams, and change our world.
Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) is a nonprofit organization that serves a diverse population of young women ages 13-26. We host a range of after-school programs, day-long events, and summer camps that focus on leadership development, skill-building, creativity, connecting with the land, and mentorship. Our goal through these programs is to create a community of belonging where young people can be their authentic selves.
Our programs link racial injustice to environmental and economic injustice, as well as patriarchy and homophobia. We interrogate pervasive assumptions of racism and sexism while exploring the power of creative dialogue and action to deepen our lives as global citizens, connected to each other. Youth learn to speak about their beliefs and find ways to help their communities.
We offer programs free of charge, and we invite families to contribute as they are able. Y-WE provides safety, cultural respect, transportation, and healthy meals for all programs. A rich sense of community grows as adult women mentors participate in program activities alongside young women. Mentors model positive risk-taking and a willingness to be transformed, and young women develop leadership skills as they plan and lead workshops and community events and shape program development. Training addresses topics such as public speaking, advocacy, institutional power, and facilitation skills.
Research shows that girls’ self-confidence peaks at age nine, then drops as they advance through high school.
Y-WE provides a community of belonging for young women during this stage of life when they are moving toward adulthood, identifying college and career interests, and exploring ways to take action as community changemakers.
Y-WE is majority women-of-color-led, and we excel at creating meaningful engagement through culturally relevant programs supported by committed mentors.
The diversity of the Y-WE community includes differences in race, culture, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, immigration status, physical ability, life experience, family status, and living circumstances. Our engaged and passionate community works to ensure that Y-WE thrives and benefits young women today and in the future.
Y-WE was born out of the enthusiasm and determination of the young women we serve. In 2010, we offered a seven-month pilot leadership program. It was so successful that the girls, mentors, teachers, and youth workers who participated in that pilot banded together to form an organization that would offer year-round programs for girls and women. We have grown rapidly since then. After generous initial fiscal sponsorship by Partners for Youth Empowerment (PYE Global), since 2015 we have operated as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Thanks to the visionary leadership of our participants and the generous support of donors, we have grown into an organization serving 700 participants each year through 12 core programs and a range of community events.
*those who identify as women or girls or were assigned female at birth
Would you give $4 a month to support four nonprofits that are making a big difference? Join forces with other 52andChangmakers to automatically give to every Cause of the Week. Every Monday, you’ll wake up knowing you’ve already made a difference! As our community grows, so does the impact!
Together we’ve become volunteers in places we would have never expected, planted milkweed for butterflies, provided books to kids in need, helped save endangered turtles, helped turn excess food into nutrition, helped bring art to youth, educated one another about how we are connected to our delicate food systems, helped save abandoned horses and given old dogs new hope, watched foster youth shine in the spotlight of movie making, helped clean tires out of rivers… we could go on and on and on. It is an absolute joy to be a part of such an amazing network of humans making a difference.
“ALMA reconnects the lives of the formerly incarcerated back to the fabric of society. Our participants have the chance at attaining gainful employment and becoming self-sufficient. Urban Farming helps everyone involved explore the relationships between plants, animals and humans as a way of creating a profound connection to both nature and their community.” - ALMA Backyard Farms
While we’re writing this and you’re reading it, Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes is out there, finding ways to provide food to more people in need throughout Santa Cruz County, where one of three residents are reported to be food insecure.
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