Black History Month Toolkit is Now Available!
From pioneering sheroes such as Dr. Dorothy Height, Helen Claytor, and countless others to our programming and advocacy efforts, YWCA has a long history of advancing racial justice that began decades ago with our own reckoning of racial inequities within the YWCA movement. During Black History Month, we are sharing our story and raising awareness of YWCA’s history of advancing racial justice from the inside out. The work that began in the early 20th century reverberates to this day through the work we proudly continue toward our mission to eliminate racism and empower women.
We’ve put together this social media toolkit to make it as easy as possible to engage on social media throughout the month highlighting our YWCA story, and we encourage you to explore and uplift your own history of advancing racial justice in your community. Feel free to use these sample posts as you see fit and to modify them to best fit your association’s unique voice.
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Update on Until Justice Just Is and Racial Justice Challenge
Registration for this year’s Until Justice Just Is campaign will launch officially on January 30, and the theme for this year is Advancing Justice: Ensuring Equity for All. The 2023 YWCA Racial Justice Challenge, which will coincide with the Until Justice Just Is campaign, will take place from April 17 – May 15 and will focus on the following four topic areas:
- Music
- Disability
- Mental Health
- Housing
Additionally, YWCA USA will host a virtual event on April 13. The link for both our Virtual Event and the Racial Justice Challenge will go live on January 30. For more information regarding the campaign, challenge, and virtual event, we are offering an Until Justice Just Is Overview Webinar on February 2, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. ET.
For questions, don’t hesitate to reach out at ujji@ywca.org
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Request for Presenters for the YWCA National Conference 2023
Planning for National conference is well underway, and we are excited to convene our network of YWCA leaders once again for what is sure to be a beautiful time of sharing, learning, and empowerment as we uplift the work of the YWCA network. The conference will take place at the Capitol Hilton in Washington D.C. from June 7-10, 2023. Registration information soon to come!
With that, we want to formally announce the Request for Presenters (RFP) for national conference will open on Monday, January 30, and will remain open through Tuesday, February 28. Our aim is for our theme Advancing Justice: Our Shared Mission, Vision, and Story to come through every workshop hosted. We are seeking leaders, changemakers, implementers within the YWCA network to engage colleagues and peers with various learning levels and styles to discuss one of more of the following topics:
- Mission Work – Racial Justice, Child Care, Gender Based Violence, Housing, Reproductive Justice
- Storytelling/Narrative/Data
- Wellness
- Leadership – Operations, Fundraising
If you have a workshop in one of these topics that you would like to submit for consideration, please click here to submit your proposal.
For anyone who may have further questions surrounding the RFP, we will also be hosting a Proposal Q&A Webinar on February 8 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Click here to register.
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View the Latest YW Connect on Our YouTube Channel
If you missed our December 2022 YW Connect centered around the Strategic Business Plan updates and important information on the new Membership Agreement rollout, you can find it on our YouTube channel! Click here to view it now.
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New Report: Strengthen your Child Care Advocacy
YWCA knows first-hand of the nation-wide child care crisis, from the affordability of quality child care to the staffing challenges child care providers face. Child Care Aware of America’s new report can strengthen your Local Association's child care advocacy efforts. This report provides data analysis and recommendations as you continue to share your experiences and on the ground stories with community leaders and elected officials to improve the child care sector for all.
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New Tool: End Rape on Campus' Campus Accountability Map and Tool
The Campus Accountability Map & Tool (CMAT), launched by End Rape On Campus, is an online tool that empowers students with the information they need to understand the sexual assault policies of colleges and universities across the country, providing them with in-depth information on each institution’s sexual assault investigation policies, high-level statistics, prevention efforts, and available survivor support resources.
The CAMT will change the game for students, survivors, and advocates across the country. Share this tool with your network using this toolkit.
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In it Together: Membership Agreement Update
On January 9, local executives received an email via DocuSign for Membership Agreement finalization, due March 31, 2023. Visit the Membership Agreement page on the Intranet for access to resources in support of your review process — links for related documents can be found in the persimmon box on the right-hand side of the page. Questions are encouraged and welcomed by your Director of Member Services, who are appreciating connecting with so many of you and your board members about the Membership Agreement and its underpinning spirit of reciprocity. (Keep those connection opportunities coming—we're here for it!)
As of January 24, we're at 36 Local Associations signed on...and counting!
Office Hours have been established for live Membership Agreement Q&A. The next session will include representatives from our legal team for any questions about the agreement. Please register via the link below:
As always, please reach out to your Director of Member Services with any questions at any time.
Onward for collective impact and strategic change — onward for justice!
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Available now: YWCA USA Outcomes Webinar
If you were not able to attend the YWCA USA Outcomes Development Webinar held in December, watch this recording to understand how you can be involved in Measuring what Matters. Also be on the lookout for future Weekly Wrap-Up announcements with more information about ways to get involved and project progress.
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YWCA USA Board of Directors Nominations Open
The call for nominations to serve on the YWCA USA Board of Directors is open! Serving on the YWCA USA Board of Directors is an extraordinary opportunity for strategic and future-focused leaders who are passionate about YWCA USA’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
The Governance Committee will review all applications submitted, schedule interviews, as appropriate, and prepare a slate of recommended candidates for approval by the Board. Once the YWCA USA Board approves the slate of candidates, we will present it to the Local Associations for a vote. Although you may submit applications at any time, you must submit completed application forms for consideration in conjunction with the June 2022 Annual Business Meeting by the close of business on Monday, February 20, 2023.
Board member applications should be submitted online. Additional information on Board of Directors roles and responsibilities, nomination guidelines, and application instructions can be found in the 2023 Nomination Packet.
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Is it Time for a Board Assessment?
The Healthy Associations assessment is right around the corner and now is the time to ensure you have completed a board assessment within the last 2-3 years. In reciprocity, YWCA USA is offering access to the BoardSource Board Self-Assessment (BSA), a $600 value! This free resource will help lay the foundation for setting board development priorities and motivating board members — individually and collectively — to strengthen the full board’s governance performance and practices. Local Associations can review the purpose and content of the assessment by watching our Board Self-Assessment Overview. If your association is interested in participating in the assessment, please request access by emailing assessment@ywca.org.
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Important dates for your calendar
Does your local association have new staff members?
Please have them first register to access the YWCA Intranet and then sign up to receive the Weekly Wrap-Up to get all the updates from YWCA USA!
Questions about what you read today? Contact communications@ywca.org.
Be sure to follow YWCA USA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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