This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(February 2024) |
Founded | February 10, 1858 |
---|---|
Founded at | New York City |
Purpose | Advocacy for young women’s leadership, peace, justice, human rights and sustainable development |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Location | |
Region served | United States |
CEO | Margaret Mitchell |
Affiliations | World YWCA |
Employees | 14,000 |
Website | www |
YWCA USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. It is one of the oldest and largest multicultural organization which promotes the solutions to enhance the lives of women, girls, and families.
They have been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for 165 years — from voting rights to civil rights, affordable housing to pay equity, and violence prevention to health care reform.
YWCA is an organization with 215 local associations across the United States. At YWCA's annual meeting in May 2012, a transition from the prior regional structure to a national federated structure was approved, followed by the adoption of new bylaws in November 2012. [1]
YWCA’s Local Associations are separate and independent 501 (c)(3) organizations with their own Board of Directors, staffing and budget.
Today, YWCA and its Local Associations combine programming and advocacy to generate institutional change in three key areas:
● Racial justice and civil rights
● Empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls
● Health and safety of women and girls
YWCA is a national organization (incorporated in NY) with nearly 200 Local Associations around the United States in a federated model. YWCA USA provides a range of technical assistance and capacity-building services to local YWCAs, maintains the YWCA brand, and advances the organization’s strong national presence from their headquarters in Washington, DC. YWCA USA is also a part of World YWCA, which is a global movement working for women’s empowerment, leadership, and rights in more than 120 countries.
Each year, YWCAs help more than 535,000 women with safety services, which include sexual assault programs, domestic violence services such as emergency shelter, crisis hotlines, counseling and court assistance, and other community safety programs. We also help more than 122,000 women with economic empowerment programs, and more than 160,000 individuals participate each year in racial justice education and training programs. [1]
In Aug. of 2018, YWCA partnered with nonprofit investment manager and exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer Impact Shares to launch the first of its kind ETF focused on companies empowering women in the workforce. The Impact Shares YWCA Women’s Empowerment ETF, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker WOMN, is designed to promote gender diversity and empower women in the workforce by holding shares of companies who score highest in their sector on 19 gender equity criteria as determined by Equileap, an independent, specialized data provider with a broad scope of diversity & inclusion and gender equality metrics. The criteria include a company’s:
● Gender balance in leadership and the workforce which includes an examination of a company’s non-executive board, executives, senior management, overall workforce and its promotion and career development opportunities;
● Equal compensation & work life balance which includes an examination of whether a company has fair remuneration, equal pay, parental leave and flexible work options;
● Policies promoting gender equality including its training and career development and recruitment strategy; whether employees have freedom from violence, abuse and sexual harassment; whether employees are safe at work and enjoy basic human rights; its social supply chain and supplier diversity; and overall employee protection; and
● Commitment, transparency, and accountability including its overall commitment to women’s empowerment and whether it has undertaken a gender audit from a recognized entity.
As the impact partner for the WOMN ETF, Impact Shares is committed to donating the net advisory fees from the fund to support YWCA’s work to empower women and eliminate racism. Additionally, the WOMN ETF provides YWCA with a platform to engage and educate investors, corporate America and the general public on the policies and procedures that can empower women in the workplace. By shining a light on companies that champion these values, it encourages others to follow suit and, as more investors allocate their funds to socially responsible investments like the WOMN ETF, companies are incentivized to improve their gender diversity and equality initiatives, driving positive change within corporate cultures.
YWCA USA was founded as the Young Women's Christian Association in New York City in 1858.
In 1905, the Harlem YWCA hired the first Black woman general secretary of a local YWCA branch, Eva del Vakia Bowles. Bowles joined the national association as the head of "colored programs" in 1913 and remained in that capacity until 1932. [2] Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, some YWCA facilities were segregated or operated as separate organizations. Advocates like Helen L. Seaborg in Washington, D.C., worked successfully to mediate mergers between the segregated groups.
YWCA USA used the classic "blue triangle" logo from its foundation until 1988, when it unveiled a new logo and identity designed by the renowned graphic designer Saul Bass. [3] This was subsequently replaced with a new logo, designed by Landor Associates, in 2004. [4]
YWCA USA changed its corporate name from "Young Women's Christian Association of the United States of America, Inc." to "YWCA USA, Inc." in December 2015. [1]
The YWCA of The City of New York, the oldest of all of the YWCAs in the United States, was founded in 1858. It is unique[ citation needed ] in that the organization is guided purely by human service-oriented programs rather than physical services. Such programs include their Early Learning Centers, Family Resource Center, Out-of-School Programs, Professional Development Programming, and Women's Employment Programming to name a few, and are still guided by the YW mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. YWCA of The City of New York services are a major component of the non-profit community in New York City.
The YWCA of The City of New York produces several fundraising events annually including the Salute to Women Leaders Luncheon, the YWCA-NYC Theatre Benefit (featuring the Broadway hit The Color Purple in 2005 and the revival of Michael Bennett's A Chorus Line in 2006).
During their annual Summer Soirée (held at the W Hotel in 2005 and Cipriani 23rd Street in 2006) they present their "W" award. This award is presented to a woman who is a visionary, an innovator, trend-setter, a woman who gives back to her community and helps those the YW serves daily: the women, girls and families of New York City. In 2005, this award was given to Marian McEvoy, and in 2006 to Star Jones-Reynolds.[ citation needed ]
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is the oldest and largest women's organization in the region, with a mission to eliminate racism and empower women. For more than 140 years, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago has been committed to serving the evolving needs of women and families. [5]
The Monroe Gallery at the YWCA started in 1961. Originally located at the YWCA Loop Center at 59 E. Monroe St. until 1969. It then moved to the new YWCA location 37 S. Wabash Ave. Members include Diana Solis, Diana Avila, Malu Ortega y Alberro, Salima Rivera, Eleanor Boyer, Karen Peugh, and Judith Arcana.
The Women's Video Project at the YWCA was initially created to complete video projects related to the Loop YWCA's Lay Advocacy program, provide support to other YWCA groups and individuals to use, and teach video equipment usage and guiding video projects. Judy Hoffman made equipment recommendations early on, and by 1974 the first grant assistance had come in. At that time seven women led by video maker Eleanor Boyer went to work setting the equipment up, creating tapes, and providing support to other YWCA members. Countless tapes were made documenting workshops and lectures; workshops were given to provide hands-on experience in making small-format video, including planning, shooting, and editing; and YWCA members created their own tapes. Boyer herself created more than a dozen tapes with the program, including Street Interviews on Rape (1974) documenting attitudes and beliefs about rape held by men and women, Getting Strong: Self Defense for Women (1976) discussing the dimensions and politics of self-defense for women, Breast Cancer Tapes (1977) opening up the subject of breast cancer from the point of view of women who had undergone treatment, and Bonne Bell: 10,000 Meter Race for Women (1978) documenting Chicago's first 6.2-mile race for women which was organized and hosted by the YWCA. [6] As technology shifted, the Women's Video Project at the YWCA started to seek out newer equipment that was lighter, was easier to use, and recorded in color. The members of the Video Project wrote letters of support for the newly founded and artist-run Chicago Editing Center, which later became known as the Center for New Television, and moved much of their work there.
Affirmative action refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking to benefit marginalized groups. Historically and internationally, support for affirmative action has been justified by the idea that it may help with bridging inequalities in employment and pay, increasing access to education, and promoting diversity, social equity and redressing alleged wrongs, harms, or hindrances, also called substantive equality.
The United States Bowling Congress (USBC) is a sports membership organization dedicated to ten-pin bowling in the United States. It was formed in 2005 by a merger of the American Bowling Congress—the original codifier of all tenpin bowling standards, rules, and regulations from 1895 onwards; the Women's International Bowling Congress—founded in 1916, as the female bowlers' counterpart to the then all-male ABC; the Young American Bowling Alliance; and USA Bowling. The USBC's headquarters are located in Arlington, Texas, after having moved from the Milwaukee suburb of Greendale, Wisconsin, in November 2008. The move enabled the USBC to combine its operations with the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA).
Zonta International is an international service organization with the mission of Building a Better World for Women and Girls, in support of Sustainable Development Goal 5.
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The Boston Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) (est.1866) was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, "to aid the young working-women of Boston, without regard to their religious belief." It was incorporated in 1867 by Pauline A. Durant, Ann Maria Sawyer, Hannah A. Bowen, and Clara L. Wells. It is the United States' oldest YWCA. With a mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all, the organization has been providing services to Boston residents and visitors for 150 years.
Feminism is aimed at defining, establishing, and defending a state of equal political, economic, cultural, and social rights for women. It has had a massive influence on American politics. Feminism in the United States is often divided chronologically into first-wave, second-wave, third-wave, and fourth-wave feminism.
Gerri Elliott is an American business executive.
Feminist psychology is a form of psychology centered on social structures and gender. Feminist psychology critiques historical psychological research as done from a male perspective with the view that males are the norm. Feminist psychology is oriented on the values and principles of feminism.
YWCA Greater Los Angeles is a charitable organization with a focus on addressing issues of poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and skills training for the community.
Frontera Women's Foundation (FWF) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization operating in El Paso, Texas, United States, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Frontera Women's Foundation states its goal is "promoting positive social change for women and girls along the border" and focuses its campaign on community service and issues of women's rights at the family, community, and organizational level. The FWF supports grassroots organizations on the U.S.–Mexico border. The region extends from Southern New Mexico, through El Paso County, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, to Brownsville, Texas. The Frontera Women's Foundation supports these organizations by providing grants to groups that support women and girls struggling with issues such as low socio-economic status, gender bias, and ethnic bias.
Women in positions of power are women who hold an occupation that gives them great authority, influence, and/or responsibility in government or in businesses. Historically, power has been distributed among the sexes disparately. Power and powerful positions have most often been associated with men as opposed to women. As gender equality increases, women hold more and more powerful positions in different sectors of human endeavors.
Gender diversity is equitable representation of people of different genders. It most commonly refers to an equitable ratio of men and women, but also includes people of non-binary genders. Gender diversity on corporate boards has been widely discussed, and many ongoing initiatives study and promote gender diversity in fields traditionally dominated by men, including computing, engineering, medicine, and science. It is argued that some proposed explanations are without merit and are in fact dangerous, while others do play a part in a complex interaction of factors. It is suggested that the very nature of science may contribute to the removal of women from the 'pipeline'.
Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization that aims to support and increase the number of women in computer science. Among its programs are a summer immersion program, a specialized campus program, after-school clubs, a college club, College Loops, and a series of books. The organization is based in New York and has programs in all of the United States, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom. As of 2022, there were more than 500,000 Girls Who Code alums.
Women's empowerment may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, and training. Women's empowerment equips and allows women to make life-determining decisions through the different societal problems. They may have the opportunity to re-define gender roles or other such roles, which allow them more freedom to pursue desired goals.
Gender disparity in computing concerns the disparity between the number of men in the field of computing in relation to the lack of women in the field. Originally, computing was seen as a female occupation. As the field evolved, so too did the demographics, and the gender gap shifted from female dominated to male dominated. The believed need for more diversity and an equal gender gap has led to public policy debates regarding gender equality. Many organizations have sought to create initiatives to bring more women into the field of computing.
Addie Waites Hunton was an African-American suffragist, race and gender activist, writer, political organizer, and educator. In 1889, Hunton became the first black woman to graduate from Spencerian College of Commerce. She worked for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), served as the national organizer for the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) from 1906 to 1910, and served in the U.S. Army during World War I. Hunton was a regular participant in the work of the Equal Suffrage League.
Eva del Vakia Bowles (1875–1943) was an American teacher and a Young Women's Christian Association organizer in New York City. When she began working at the New York City segregated YWCA in Harlem, she became the first black woman to be a general secretary of the organization. For eighteen years she organized black branches of the YWCA and expanded their services to community members. She received recognition from former president Theodore Roosevelt for her work during World War I on behalf of the segregated Y.
Theodora Smiley Lacey is an American civil rights activist and educator. She helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott, fought for voting rights and fair housing, and helped lead the effort to integrate schools in New Jersey.
Joyce Piliso-Seroke is a South-African educator, activist, feminist and community organizer. A former vice president of the World YWCA, she traveled internationally to speak about the effects of apartheid, overcoming imprisonment and attempted censorship in her pursuit of justice and gender equality. She is a member of South Africa's national Order of the Baobab in Gold, and was appointed the first chair of the South African Commission for Gender Equality.
YWCA of Greater Portland is a charitable organization with a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The organization serves Multnomah County in four major areas of programming including youth services, domestic violence services, senior services, and social change.
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