Gender Equality United States Project #20970

Help us raise 10 scholarships this Summer!

A microproject by Young Women Empowered

Project Report | Oct 27, 2015
A special thank you!

By Alison Driver | Development Manager

Young women writers in action

I want to thank you. Thanks to you, we raised $750 for our scholarship fund. Those funds made it possible for girls to participate in Y-WE WRITE, our summer writing program in partnership.

Y-WE WRITE has an incredible impact on young women. One parent sent me an e-mail explaining the impact on her daughter. She wrote:

"Y-WE has developed an atmosphere of complete trust and acceptance which encourages young women to take risks and pursue challenges they normally wouldn't. The fact that our daughter who has dyslexia not only chose to attend Y-WE WRITE, but actually enjoyed the act of writing and exploring is a remarkable expression of confidence in this amazing organization."

This is just one story of impact from the summer. Katia attended Y-WE WRITE last summer for the first time. She left so inspired that she started a girls' writing group at her high school. This summer, she brought several members of her club to Y-WE WRITE, and this fall she joined our youth leadership council. Katia had that experience because you gave to young women's leadership.

I'd love to thank you in person, so I want to invite you to the first ever Y-WE Happy Hour from3:30-5:30 on November 13. We’ll have beer, wine, and snacks at our Kirkland office. We'll celebrate, hang out, and thank YOU for the amazing impact you have on girls.

Tickets are free, but space is limited. Get your tickets today at: y-wehappyhour.eventbrite.com

In appreciation,
Alison Driver, Y-WE Development Manager, alison@y-we.org

Permalink

Jul 9, 2015
Summer at Young Women Empowered

By Arlene Martinez-Vazquez | Administrative & Events Manager

Nimco

Dear Y-WE Supporter,

In June 2015 Y-WE flipped the script on how media talks about women. Instead of focusing on what they wear, we focused on their intellect and accomplishments, using the graduation gown as a symbol for this and using the hashtag #themostbeautifulgown. We have secured $25K in matching funds and this campaign helped us raise $18,500, leaving only $6,500 to go!

Right now, we have 20 young women, 10 mentors and 7 teaching artists analyzing the fashion industry in our Summer camp Y-WE Create. There, they'll explore media literacy, the true cost of fashion, consumerism and media's representations of women. Our young women will create looks to reflect their unique personalities upcycling materials and will present them in a fashion show this Sunday (7/12) at Urban Lights Studio (8537 Greenwood Ave N, Suite 1, Seattle WA 98103). This is a free event and you are most welcome to join us, just RSVP here.

Nimco has been part of our program since 2011 and credits Y-WE with giving her the confidence to pursue her dreams. Read her story below!

NIMCO'S STORY:

Resilience is the kind of beauty that inspires.

Nimco joined Y-WE in 7th grade, when “it was one of the lowest points in my life because I was struggling academically and socially.”

Nimco has dyslexia, and was frustrated with her test results and grades. “It made me feel I was not good enough.” Nimco says Y-WE made a huge difference for her -- suddenly she was surrounded by girls who accepted and embraced her for who she was and mentors who encouraged her to explore her secret dream – to become a diplomat! This led her to take a big risk: studying abroad in China. “As a little girl, I used to watch the United Nations briefings with my dad and I dreamt of being in the same room with all these influential people someday… to become one of them…and to fight for education and equality for girls, women & people of color.”

Out of her bold new experiences, Nimco has become, in her words, “an open-minded, expressive and determined young woman.” Before Nimco heads to college this fall, she takes another step towards her dream – she is one of only 200 youth from the entire world to be invited to attend the Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security held in Amman, Jordan.

Y-WE Create youth sketching their designs

Y-WE Create: Fashion in the making

Links:

Permalink

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can recieve an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.