From August 26th-31st girls from all walks of life will have the opportunity to attend a once-in-a-lifetime leadership & literacy camp on Whidbey Island, WA! The camp will give girls the rare chance to work with professional writers from the acclaimed women's writing organization Hedgebrook. This camp will serve over 40 diverse girls, most of whom come from low-income families and need full scholarships. From past camps, 93% of girls have reported improved literacy skills & confidence.
Studies show that in adolescence over 90% of girls experience a significant drop in self-esteem and a feeling that they have "lost their voice." Furthermore, youth spend up to thirty hours a week interacting with screens. This has led the deterioration of self-confidence, social and psychological life. Usually only girls from higher income families have the opportunity to work with professional mentors, attend life-changing camps, and enrich their personal & academic development over the summer.
During this camp, young women from very diverse backgrounds will unplug from screens, and plug into their own creativity, voices, and stories! They will work with inspiring mentors who can help them set and meet goals for their futures. They will learn from professional writers who specialize in fiction, spoken word, playwriting, and more! They will even have the chance to perform a show of their own creations at the Seattle Rep. This camp will set young women leaders on pathways of success!
WA is home to one of the most diverse zip codes in the nation and yet we generally interact with groups from the same economic, age, cultural, religious, & political backgrounds. Y-WE provides a unique space to connect with 400 girls and 200 women from a wide range of countries, cultures, and religions. This gives them the tools to be agents for social justice. 95% participants report that Y-WE helps them become leaders who will dedicate their lives to making a local and global impact.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).