Empower 400 Young Women Leaders in the NW!

On Our Way to Reaching our Goals

Thank you so much for supporting Young Women Empowered! Because of your tremendous generosity, Y-WE has doubled our programs & services this year. We are well on our way to empowering 400 young women leaders because of YOU! 

What are the young women saying? 

Maddie, a high school student and 2nd year Y-WE participants says:

I participate in Y-WE’s program Y-WE Lead and am on the Youth Council Board. Y-WE has helped me to express my personal journey and deep feelings and I learned to let go of my fear of judgment. Because of this, I gained much more confidence and inspiration to express myself creatively (in Y-WE) and academically (in the classroom). Also, it is has helped me expand my friendship groups outside of the school environment with girls of a wide variety of nationalities, races, and views."

Adiza, a Y-WE alumni and college student says:

I participated in Y-WE 2010-2011. Y-WE has had a great impact on me. It has gotten me more involved in social issues, the arts, gender/women’s studies in college…..the list is endless. It’s also given me strong female role models that are not singers or models or TV hosts, but women who live and breathe and share the same space as me- women who support families and communities. The person-to-person connections that I had with my mentors in the program and STILL maintain to this day and are so important in my life. 

What's been happening at Y-WE this season? 

On February 6th we held our fundraising dinner Ignite and we raised $90,000--surpassing our goal thanks to the 200 donors and all the amazing sponsors who made the event possible. The event featured youth performances, inspiring speeches, a live auction, and a raffle.

Our Y-WE Lead Program is thriving with over 60 girls and 30 mentors. They meet once a month at the Seattle Girls School. The girls have taken part in leadership workshops; they have learned from peers and mentors from different backgrounds; they have participated in social change projects; they have gained resources to develop their college and career paths. 

Our Y-WE Speak Program is in full swing. The group of 11 mentors and 11 girls have met at the Seattle Rep 1-3 times a month for the last five months and they will be performing a show of their original stories on the Rep's Leo K Stage on March 8th. This celebration of International Women's Day is not to be missed! Please, join us on Saturday at 2:30 pm. Tickets are free and available through Seattle Repertory Theatre at seattlerep.org/ywespeak.

What's Next?

Y-WE's big Career Day is coming up on April 5th! Women professionals from every major sector--including law, arts, technology, the trades, politics, entrepreneurship, and more will be sharing their wisdom and experiences with over 200 girls and women. 

Y-WE is planning our first summer program called Y-WE Write--A collaboration with the women's writing institute Hedgebrook, on Whidbey Island. Girls will work on their literacy & communication skills with esteemed professional writers, they will receive mentorship, they will find their voices, and they will express their unique stories. 

Y-WE is building a partnership with the Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute in NY. Our young women leaders have begun to have digital exchanges and they will be visiting each other's programs this summer. We are excited to explore the synergy between our leadership programs and brainstorm ways we can collaborate to share our programs with more girls and women across the country and the globe. 

We need your continued support to execute these amazing upcoming programs. Please consider making another contribution to this project and/or asking your contacts to donate. Thanks!