Blogs

September 7, 2018

We are pleased to provide the following updates:

Week Without Violence 2018

We are excited to announce that registration for this year’s Week Without Violence is now open! We encourage you to start registering now to access the toolkit, and to help show the impact of the entire YWCA network. Remember: Your event(s) doesn’t have to be finalized and set in stone in order to register – once you register, you can always log back in and update your event(s) details! This year’s Week Without Violence is October 15-19. In the coming week, stay tuned for rolling updates, including new resources, tools, and updates.

YWCA Opposes the Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to SCOTUS

Hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court began this week on Tuesday, September 4, making this a critically important moment for YWCA to raise our collective voice and remind Senators to oppose this confirmation and #StopKavanaugh. On core issues likely to come before the Supreme Court, Judge Kavanaugh’s record and judicial philosophy are at odds with the principled pragmatism required to make decisions that protect the people and communities we serve. On Tuesday, CEO Alejandra Castillo joined women from dozens of organizations in sharing her personal story of #WhatsAtStake while the Senate Judiciary Committee began its first hearing on Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Please continue to take action by urging your Senators to vote "NO" on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination. To learn more about YWCA USA’s opposition to this nomination, read this letter to members of the Senate sent by YWCA USA on August 6, and watch our monthly policy webinar from August 29 about this nomination with speakers from our partner, Alliance for Justice.

Congratulations, YWCA Silicon Valley and YWCA Union County!

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded 54 grants totaling $32 million through its Improving the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program. Over the next 3 years, YWCA Silicon Valley and YWCA Union County will work collaboratively with justice system and victim service provider partners to identify problems and share ideas that will result in enhanced responses that support victim safety and offender accountability.

YWCA Real Estate and Facilities Summit

Registration is now open for the YWCA Real Estate and Facilities Summit. This inaugural event kicks off efforts to address the unmet needs of YWCAs regarding their real estate and facilities, from maintenance to leasing, to financing a building to support 21st century programming and provide revenue back to the YWCA. Learn from industry experts and YWCA leaders from the trenches to find out what you need to know when considering—and leveraging—your options.

YWCA Ornament

Help us spread the word to your network of YWCA supporters. Don’t forget to place your order by September 10 to guarantee delivery by Thanksgiving.

2018 YWCA Self-Assessment

By now, each association should have received links to the 2018 YWCA Self-Assessment survey process. If you have not received the links, contact assessment@ywca.org. The process this year has three parts: completing the online survey, uploading requested documents, and entering board member information in the database. Remember: the deadline for submission is Wednesday, September 12. You can access additional information and resources on the YWCA intranet assessment landing page. Email assessment@ywca.org with questions.

Nationwide GOTV Initiative

Our YWCA Nationwide GOTV Week is happening NOW and running through Monday September 10 – we hope that you will consider holding or attending a voter registration drive THIS WEEK! YWCA USA is proud to support 118 local YWCAs in our nationwide GOTV Initiative, which aims to register and mobilize 10,000 voters across the country, engage in candidate forums, and empower voters through voter protection education efforts.

Take a look at our GOTV resources and GOTV webinar recording from August 23. YWCA is also a partner for this year’s National Voter Registration Day on September 25, and we encourage you to sign up to participate in this day of action, as well.

Sign up to host a Google Coding Party

Google’s Made with Code is partnering with the teen girl publication Rookie magazine on a new coding experience and is offering coding parties to the YWCA network. All you need are the girls and computers – Google provides the rest, including a gift card for snacks. This will be a great activity for current STEM/STEAM programs and for YWCAs that do not currently have a program but would like to try a coding activity. Please review the FAQs for details and how to sign up.

YWCA Resource Library

New in the YWCA Online Resource Library is September's Mission Minute postcard, Get Out and Vote. The card provides a quick look at the importance of voting and encouraging others to get to the polls and is designed for easy printing and wide distribution to increase the visibility of YWCAs' fall election initiatives.

Important Dates

• September 1 to 10: YWCA Nationwide GOTV Week
• September 12: Self-assessment materials due
• October 2: Real Estate and Facilities Summit
• October 15 to 19: Week Without Violence 2018

Questions about what you read today? Contact communications@ywca.org.