By Jamie-Rose Edwards | Executive Director: Programs
Winter is a thriving season at Y-WE. Our biggest fundraiser of the year: Our Ignite Dinner--takes place on February 26th 2015 at Sodo Park in Seattle. Over 300 Y-WE supporters are going to watch the girls take the stage and perform dances, poems, videos and songs about their powerful life stories. Two of our alumnae--Amy and Nimco--are going to give keynote speeches about how Y-WE helped them to achieve their personal and professional goals. The evening also features an auction, an art sale of original works by Y-WE girls, and delicious food. It's sure to be an inspiring evening for all!
Preparing for our dinner has brought us closer to the stories of success of some of our girls. One of the most striking stories is Kadija's. Kadija's family came to Seattle from Ethiopia to provide better education & opportunities for Kadija and her siblings. Kadija has been participating in Y-WE programs for 4 years and is currently an intern facilitator. Last year she attended Y-WE's Career Day where over 200 girls work with professional women trailblazers from diverse fields and expand their thinking about their own futures. At Career Day, Kadija had the opportunity to meet Erin Jones--a motivational speaker who discussed the importance of taking advantage of one's education. Erin repeated the phrase "It doesn't matter where you start, it matters where you finish." throughout her talk.
This line resonated for Kadija and she decided to do something unprecedented in her community: Try out for the track team! She says, "My family and friends couldn't believe it...they thought, how are your going to run in a scarf...? But I needed to do this for my own self-confidence. I'd been holding myself back because I was afraid of what other people would think of me." Y-WE empowered Kadija to take this healthy step in her life. She knew that at Y-WE she was surrounded by friends and mentors who would support her courageous step. She remembers, "As I crossed the finish line at my first meet, I felt a huge weight of fear just fall off my shoulders. I did it!"
Kadija's bravery and determination to defy stereotypes and follow her dreams, is also transferring to other areas of her life. She is applying to The School of the America's where she plans to study political science. She says, "I don't see women who look like me in politics in this country so I want to go into government and be able to give other girls that opportunity." Kadija's wonderful family, and her mentors at Y-WE, will be cheering her on every step of the way!
It is stories like these--where girls push themselves beyond their comfort zones and fearlessly THINK BIGGER about their futures--that illustrate why Y-WE programs are so important. Please continue to show your support for girls like Kadija and by helping Y-WE to expand in 2015. We plan to serve 500 girls and women this year and we can't achieve that goal without your help!
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