hallmark

racial justice and women's economic advancement

There are many approaches employed by YWCAs nationwide to carry out our bold, dual-pronged mission of eliminating racism and empowering women, but two very specific priorities are present in all local Associations: our YWCA Hallmarks of Racial Justice and Women’s Economic Advancement. These are the common threads that unite YWCAs across the country, they reflect our strategic purpose, and they serve as a YWCA distinction.

YWCA Hallmark initiatives are designed to have a direct and measurable impact throughout the YWCA as well as beyond the YWCA’s daily programs and services.


racial justice programs

The YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts is focusing its Advocacy efforts on Racial Justice Outreach and Education as a component of Hallmark Programs, a requirement of affiliation with the YWCA USA. The Racial Justice Outreach & Education Program is responding to the needs of the area served by this YWCA to effect change through dialogue, influencing policy makers and making a difference in appointments or hiring practices.

The YWCA has set a goal to improve the conditions of racial interaction in the Greater New Bedford area with a series of initiatives that will be open to participants in the YWCA, member agencies of the United Way, other not-for-profits, public and private services providers, government agencies and others that wish to avail themselves of the offerings.

The purpose of this programming is to help people understand what racism is and why this clarification is important to the well being of the communities in which we live. It provides an opportunity for people to voice concerns or questions that they may have about racial justice. Although this work can be challenging, it is better to have open discussion than for people to “tune out”, rely on assumptions or let questions go unanswered. For others, this work provides an opportunity to establish expectations and share frames of reference that determine the differences or similarities between people.

Our Mission at the YWCA is eliminating racism and empowering women. Hallmark Programs are required in Racial Justice and Women’s Economic Advancement at each YWCA in the United States.

Programs in the area of Racial Justice include:

• Training on the impact of racism for work groups with emphasis on upper management who set the direction for the entity.
• Study circles for groups of individuals who have interest in issues that will make a positive impact on racism.
• Workshops on cultural competency for groups of people with no personal connection with one another, but who may have common employment such as teachers, health workers, customer relations workers, etc.
• Leadership Registry to provide a resource for referring qualified persons of minority populations to serve on boards, commissions, task forces and a complementary means of recruiting other persons interested in training to qualify for such service.

The YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts created and tested a youth racial justice curriculum for 100 children per year. The program is developmentally appropriate and aligned with the cultural competency guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. It is designed to counteract bias, promote respect for differences, and give children the tools to confront those who display biased attitudes and behavior. From the start, parents are involved in the program and encouraged to participate in the YWCAs adult racial justice workshops. Specific program components include the following:

• Active and intentional use of materials that reflect the diversity of children and foster positive self-identity.
• Weekly cultural awareness activities, involving guest speakers, designed to promote understanding and appreciation of different cultures.
• Role playing exercises, based on the nationally known “Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes” model (tailored for each age group), to develop children’s empathy and understanding of the effects of prejudice.
• Training to help YWCA staff embed “teachable moments” into the context of daily program activities, so that issues are dealt with as they may arise and in ways that help children learn to resist, prevent and confront bullying behavior.

women’s economic advancement programs - Back To Top

Women’s Economic Advancement is a Hallmark program of the YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts. The YWCA is committed to helping women of all ages and backgrounds achieve long-term social and financial security. Through YWCA economic advancement programs, women are able to transform their lives through participation in a variety of educational programs and free services that focus on new beginnings, employment training and career opportunities. The YWCA provides women and girls with the tools they need to succeed from learning how to manage a checking account to obtaining employment and reaching self-sufficiency.

The purpose of programming is to help women and girls better understand their finances and how their personal habits can affect their financial stability and any long-term financial goals. The YWCA’s Financial Planning program is a series of workshops that target economic issues that may arise at different stages in life. The Financial Planning workshop series focuses on educating and empowering women to take control of their personal finances and achieve greater financial well-being. The program is facilitated by professional women and includes personal financial planning tools targeted to women’s unique financial issues.

The YWCA strives to make women well-informed about the issues around the wage gap, where women are only making 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. By launching WAGE Clubs, the YWCA offers a space to talk about women’s experiences with unfair treatment at work and hear the stories of other women. It’s a place to get information about what women should be earning and ways to mobilize others where they work so that, together, women get paid fairly.

Furthermore, with the increase in after-school programs, it is important that the YWCA offer programming for girls ages 10 -14. This target group is becoming aware of the value of the dollar, and the expenses that families are responsible for. They may be earning an allowance or babysitting and they are interested in opening their first bank account. Financial literacy programs teach these girls about budgeting and saving through activities and group discussion.

Programs in the area of Women’s Economic Advancement include:
• Financial Literacy Programs for Girls
• Financial Planning Workshops for Women and their families
• The “Money Conference for Women” with the State Treasurer’s Office
• Investment Clubs
• WAGE Clubs


The YWCA Hallmark Programs are funded in part by the Island Foundation and the United Way of Greater New Bedford.