Blogs

September 14, 2018

We are pleased to provide the following updates:

Hurricane Florence

As parts of the country prepare for Hurricane Florence, our thoughts are with our local associations who could be impacted by the storm. We hope everyone stays safe, and that folks are taking necessary precautions. YWCA is an Emergency Partner with the CDC, who has shared a helpful document full of resources for before and after a hurricane. Please read and pass along these resources to friends, family, partners, and clients.

Week Without Violence

2018 As a reminder, registration is now open for this year’s Week Without Violence, taking place October 15-19. As one of YWCA’s signature campaigns, we encourage all YWCAs to sign up and participate! Registering gets you access to an online toolkit—and it also populates the events map, which helps show the reach and impact of the entire YWCA network! Remember: The sky is the limit when it comes to creating and planning your event, and your event does not have to be set in stone in order to register—once you register, you can always log back in and update your event(s) details! Here are some event ideas to help you get started:

• Hold a dialogue about gender-based violence in your community. Discuss how you can create better support for survivors of violence. This could be in-person or digital, such as a Facebook Live.
• Organize an awareness event such as a march, film screening, or art exhibit.
• Hold a panel discussion with local leaders, advocates, experts, and other stakeholders.
• Create space for survivors to share their experiences. This could be a creative event such as an open mic or it could be a more structured time of sharing.
• Hold an event in partnership with or to support organizations in your community that provide gender-based violence services. This could even be an educational or get-to-know-you event, such as a potluck or community dinner.

This year, YWCA USA is launching a Week of Action that includes a photo campaign, a Hill briefing, and a number of digital events. We would love for you to join us for any or all of these activities!

YWCA 160th Gala

Join us as we celebrate 160 years of action, service, and impact on October 2nd at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.

Please invite your legislator to the gala or ask them to make a statement on the record congratulating the YWCA. If you have talked to your legislator about attending the gala or need language for a statement on the record, reach out to our government relations manager Morgan Brand at mbrand@ywca.org.

Google Coding Parties

Please join us for a brief webinar on Tuesday, September 18 at 3 p.m. ET to learn more about Google coding parties and the opportunity to give-away a Google pixel book to a girl in your program. Register now.

Strategic Planning Update

In June, we launched a strategy development and implementation process with La Piana Consulting which will be completed in Winter/early 2019. The Strategic Business Planning Council, a group of about 20 people including board members, local association CEOs, and YWCA USA staff, is leading the effort. The work has focused around identifying the most important needs to address, options for addressing those needs, and a broad vetting of those options with the network. We’ll provide regular updates on content development and opportunities to engage in the vetting process in the Weekly Wrap-Up over the next few months.

YWCA Opposes the Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to SCOTUS

Hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court began last 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. Please continue to take action by urging your Senators to vote “No” on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination!

YWCA Get Out the Vote Initiative, and Save the Date

Our YWCA Nationwide GOTV Week ran last week September 1– 10. It was so great to see so many events taking place across the country during this week of action. Keep up the awesome work and remember: it’s not too late to do something (big or small) to empower our communities to vote.

• Save the Date: On September 25th, National Voter Registration Day, we want YWCA to take Twitter by storm and raise our collective voice around “Your Voice. Your Vote. Your Future”! Join us in talking about the importance of voting and uplifting women, particularly women of color, and their voices and concerns as it relates to elections and voting. Look out for more information early next week.
• YWCA is a partner for National Voter Registration Day on September 25, and we encourage you to sign up to participate in this day of action, as well.
• Take a look at our GOTV resources and GOTV webinar recording from August 23.

2017 Census Data

Learn more about what the 2017 Census data released this week tells us about poverty in the U.S., health care enrollment, gender pay gaps, and the importance of federal safety net programs like SNAP in reducing poverty for the women, children, and communities we serve.

YWCA 101

The next bi-monthly YWCA 101 webinar is on Tuesday, September 25 at 2 p.m. ET. This one-hour session provides a great background on YWCA, including our history and mission framework, our collective reach and impact, new YWCA initiatives and events, World YWCA, and the many resources available to support your work. We encourage you to send this registration link to staff and board members, especially those relatively new to YWCA.

Women’s Empowerment in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute

On September 12, YWCA USA CEO Alejandra Castillo spoke about financial inclusion and YWCA’s newly launched Women’s Empowerment ETF during a panel with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). The panel, entitled “Exploring How Fintech is Driving Financial Inclusion,” was hosted by Rep. Darren Soto and discussed the ways in which newer financial technology (“fintech”) is driving financial inclusion in underserved communities. Visit CHCI to learn more about this and other sessions.

Spoken Word Contest: Scholarship Opportunity for Students

Starz, a Lionsgate entertainment company, is inviting students from across the U.S. to participate in their “Share Your Voice” spoken word contest for its new original series “America to Me,” for an opportunity to win a $25,000 scholarship. The contest challenges students ages 14 to 19 to answer the question, “What does America mean to me?” in a 60- second original spoken word video. Entry submissions are being accepted through October 7 via Instagram or Twitter using #AmericatoMeContest and #Starz hashtags or by uploading it to their website. The winner will be announced October 28. Feel free to share this opportunity with any young people in your network, and use these social media graphics to promote it!

Important Dates

• September 25 at 2 p.m. ET: YWCA 101 webinar
• October 2: Real Estate Summit
• October 2: YWCA 160 Gala
• October 15 to 19: Week Without Violence 2018

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