JawnAnthony Bramble
OST Director

OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME (OST) nurtures the social development and academic success of youth, providing them with a safe and enriching environment outside of school and home. This free after-school program serves elementary and middle school students in 6 program sites across Central Harlem, Carroll Gardens, Coney Island and Brownsville, Brooklyn.

OST students participate in age-appropriate conflict resolution sessions through our Adventures in Peace Keeping program, learn about environmental science and grow produce through the Gardening Project, and reflect on self-empowerment and racial justice through Everyday Heroes. These programs reflect OST’s intention of serving the whole child and, in turn, meeting the needs of the community.

“We consider ourselves the nucleus of the community,” says OST Director JawnAnthony Bramble. “We take on a holistic point of view, asking ourselves ‘How are we serving the student and how are we serving the family?’”

JawnAnthony joined YWCA NYC in 2021, serving as a site program director and becoming OST Director later that year. He knows what it’s like to find a second home in Out-of-School programs. A self-described after-school kid from West Harlem, JawnAnthony joined the YWCA NYC with a passion for youth development and a love of coaching and developing staff.

“If there’s anything I wish people would know about us it’s that we go above and beyond. We’re not just a tutoring program. We ask what the students and community need, and we develop the resources to meet that gap,” says JawnAnthony.

And the gap has grown larger following the COVID-19 pandemic. Test scores are down and there’s increased social disconnect among youth. “We want to bridge that gap,” says JawnAnthony. OST is committed to resourcing students and families, hiring specialists within OST programs to address academic and social needs, and connecting families to social services, community forums, and other city resources.

“I understand the support the kids need. I remember being that kid,” says JawnAnthony. “This is what’s possible through OST: equity. Through OST, we shine the light on inequity and offer space for the community to advocate for themselves.”

The post Going Above and Beyond appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

Crowned Miss New York in 2022, Taryn Delanie Smith was first runner-up in the Miss America contest this past December. On TikTok, the popular content creator commands an impressive following of more than 741,000. Smith studied Communication Arts and French Language at Saint John’s University. She is a Cum Laude Graduate in Bachelors of Science (Communication and Media Studies) and Summa Cum Laude Graduate in Masters of Science (International and Intercultural Communication).

The post Taryn Delanie Smith appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

Dear Friends,

They say time flies when you’re having fun. After a whirlwind month as the CEO of the YWCA of the City of New York, I can honestly attest to that statement’s veracity. From meeting with longtime funders to attending my first YW-NYC event, the depth of warmth and camaraderie I have felt is enormous. I am excited to share with you some of the highlights during my time here that has truly made it an absolute joy.

The 49th annual Salute event on October 20th was a huge success! It has been wonderful learning about the YW-NYC’s rich history, including the significance of honoring incredible women who are making real contributions as leaders in their workplaces and communities each year. This year, we had close to 150 YW-NYC supporters celebrating Salute with us at City Winery and 80 people screening from home. Not only were we able to reach our fundraising goal, but we were privileged to shine a light on four incredible leaders:

Changemaker Champion
Jolen Andersen, Global Head of Human Resources, BNY Melon
Distinguished Service Award
Mary Crawford, Former YWCA NYC Board Chair and Philanthropist
Emerging Leader Award
Audrey Elliott-Barnes, Department Manager in Shared Financial Services
Planning, ConEdison
Grace Hoadley Dodge Honoree
Elsie McCabe Thompson, President of the Mission Society of NYC

I also spent time visiting our incredible programs in Brooklyn and Manhattan. From Coney Island to Harlem, our after school and girls programs serve 1500 young people annually. It is truly a gift to work directly with staff who are committed to working every day to ensure that YW-NYC children and youth are developing their academic, social-emotional, and leadership skills. Their dedication and passion to the mission of the YW-NYC is unmatched.

There is so much more to look forward to as I continue our collective work at the YW-NYC in service to New York City communities. Thank you for your continued investment and belief in this city’s youth.

With gratitude,

KHATUNA KORIDZE

The post A Letter from KHATUNA KORIDZE appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

The YWCA of the City of New York (YWCA-NYC), the nation’s very first YWCA association, is pleased to announce the confirmation of KHATUNA KORIDZE as CEO. Alba will lead the organization in its mission to eliminate racism by empowering New York City’s young women, boys, and gender non-conforming youth.

In announcing this decision, YWCA-NYC Board Chair Tracy Richelle High said, “Alba is a leader in aligning mission with strategy and has been dedicated to the well-being of NYC youth throughout her 20-year career. We are excited to welcome Alba to the YWCA-NYC and know that she will bring her commitment and rich experience as a nonprofit leader into this new season for our organization.”

Alba stated, “New York City’s youth, in particular the city’s young women and gender non-conforming youth, face the heaviest burdens of structural inequity. From gender discrimination and racism, to poverty and health injustice, the issues run deep. They need communal support, and the YWCA-NYC has been a crucial part of that support for over 160 years. We offer free educational programming through our Out-of-School (OST) programs and provide needed career mentorship and academic enrichment through our Girls Initiative program. And with the recent $3M gift by Mackenzie Scott, the YWCA-NYC is only poised to grow in deeper solidarity with NYC youth. I look forward to working alongside the staff, Board, YWCA-NYC stakeholders to create a world that sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: equal, powerful, and unstoppable!”

Alba succeeds YWCA-NYC former board member Mary Crawford who served as interim COO. Ms. Rodriguez earned an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.S. in philosophy and biopsychology from Tufts University.

About YWCA-NYC
The YWCA-NYC’s mission is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Established in 1858, the YWCA-NYC is one of the nation’s oldest non-profit organizations committed to the personal, physical, and social development of women, their families, and their communities, and as such has been a pioneer for social change since its inception. In honor of this history, and in service of our mission, the YWCA-NYC currently provides leadership and advocacy training to 150 young women through our Girls Initiatives and out-of-school time (OST) programming for elementary- and middle-school students in culturally diverse communities in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

For media inquiries, please contact Susan Madon at smadon@ywcanyc.org or 917.930.1508.

The post YWCA Announces New CEO KHATUNA KORIDZE appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

Photo credit: Jéan Béller

Dear YWCA NYC Community,

We write to you in the wake of the Derek Chauvin murder trial. The videos and testimony re-opened painful wounds from a year ago when George Floyd was murdered. While it is a relief that accountability has been established in this case, it also serves as a sobering reminder that this is just one small step in the fight against systemic racism in America. As we know all too well, excessive force and killings in police encounters with people of color continues. We must bear down in the work to Eliminate Racism.

The Floyd family provides inspiration to us. In the midst of the traumatic loss of their loved one and the fog of grief, their message over the past year reminds us of the ongoing nature of injustice and the need to work toward true reform and healing.

Last week was a busy time at the YWCA NYC. While taking in the conclusion of the trial, the daily work to raise awareness and advocate for our communities continued. Students who participate in our Out-of-School-Time program in Coney Island learned about exercising their rights in a democracy when they marched with placards calling for an end to the digital divide. Our high school girls led a workshop on intervening to stop harassment and hate, and nurses and midwives joined us in a webinar focused on the stark and persistent racial disparities in maternal health.

We thank our YWCA NYC community for your support that allows us to do this important work and take the fight forward. And we thank the staff of the YWCA NYC who are activists every day, both those of you serving the children and young women of NYC directly, and those carrying out critical enabling functions. Your energy, compassion and expertise make progress possible.

Let us all find inspiration in this historic verdict and commit even more urgently to the YW’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

Tracy Richelle High, Chair, Board of Directors
Alison Martier, Vice Chair, Board of Directors
Mary Crawford, Interim COO

The post Statement Post Chauvin Verdict to YWCA NYC Community appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

[Message from Girls With Impact | girlswithimpact.org]

YWCA and Girls With Impact Partner to Equip New York Girls as Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs – Made Possible by U.S. Bank Foundation

New York, NY, July 23, 2020  – As New York continues to face the effects from Covid-19, Girls With Impact and YWCA of the City of New York (YWCA NYC) are partnering to equip local girls as tomorrow’s business leaders and entrepreneurs through live, virtual learning, thanks to the support of the U.S. Bank Foundation.

Girls With Impact and YWCA NYC are aligned in their mission to support diversity, arm young women with confidence, and develop women leaders of the future.

“YWCA NYC prepares the next generation of change leaders to advocate for themselves and others, creating real change in the communities we serve,” said Maureen Friar, CEO of the YWCA of the City of New York.

“Together with Girls With Impact, we are enhancing the entrepreneurial, business and financial skills our young people need to bring their Non-Profit vision to reality,” she continued.

“Girls With Impact’s two-week Mini-MBA will bring a new level of learning to the participants of our Girls Initiatives program.” 

Girls With Impact will fall under YWCA NYC’s Girls Initiatives program, to ensure that every girl gains the skills, knowledge and confidence to pursue the education, career and life options of their choice.

Diversity has been a hallmark of each program. Over 50 percent of Girls With Impact’s students are of color and the majority are from low-to-moderate income households.  Further, with the help of Girls With Impact partner U.S. Bank Foundation, the program is offered to girls via YWCA NYC at no cost to them. 

Outcomes of the Girls With Impact program include increase in confidence, leadership, public speaking, tech and financial skills, college differentiation, college majors, scholarships and more.  

YWCA NYC will recruit girls ages 12-18 from the NYC area to join Girls With Impact’s Summer intensive starting August 3rd and Fall session starting in September. Each Academy class is capped at 20 students.  Nearly 1,000 girls recently graduated from Girls With Impact’s Spring session.

These girls will undergo a live, instructor-led business training program from home, through which they will develop their own business or nonprofit venture, arming them with critical entrepreneurship, leadership and business skills that give them a huge leg-up for their future. 

About Girls With Impact:  Girls With Impact, a 501c3, is the nation’s only live, online mini-MBA for girls 12-18, designed with leaders from the Harvard Business School’s Career Center.  Offered year-round, the 10-week, after-school Business and Innovation Academy moves girls from ideation to a business plan and venture pitch, driving improvements in confidence, leadership, college readiness and professional skills for success.  Programs offered include virtual camps, workforce readiness workshops and virtual mentoring. Girls With Impact was developed by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jennifer Openshaw to increase the number of diverse women leaders and innovators in today’s workforce. Watch this.

#. #. #

Contact: Jessica Hinkley

recruit@girlswithimpact.com

(860) 372-6964

The post YWCA NYC Partners with Girls With Impact! appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

The post YWCA NYC Releases New Video appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

May 29, 2020 | ywca.org

We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd, and to the larger Minneapolis and St. Paul community. YWCA continues to be outraged by the violence and deaths of people of color in America due to police brutality.

As facts are still coming to light, and federal, state, and local authorities review the case, we believe that the seriousness of the incident requires additional independent oversight by law enforcement at all levels. We request that federal, state, and local authorities conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the events that led to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, and that we bring those accountable to justice.

YWCA Minneapolis’ Midtown location, located in the heart of the area where George Floyd was murdered and the scene of current protests, alongside YWCA St. Paul have served the Twin Cities community for over 100 years. We stand together with the people that we serve and our community stakeholders to eliminate racism and empower women.  This work and our mission is at the core of what we do, and today we lift our collective voices to demand justice.

“George Floyd was one of ours. He took advantage of a training program offered by YWCA St. Paul and, like many of those we partner with, he was taking steps to build a brighter future. The anger, anguish, and grief we are feeling in this community is real. And yet, we must channel those emotions into positive action that demands justice, drives change, and most importantly honors his memory,” said Gaye Adams Massey, CEO, YWCA St. Paul.

“We condemn the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Department officers. We have seen this tragedy before. Unfortunately, George Floyd is just one of countless other black lives lost to police violence, including that of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile, said Michelle Basham, MPA/ESQ YWCA Minneapolis, CEO/President. “We must work toward racial justice. And we must work in partnership with others to hold our elected officials and law enforcement accountable.”

Together with YWCA Minneapolis and YWCA St. Paul, over 200 YWCAs across the country unite to answer the cry for justice, peace, and dignity for all.  YWCA continues to call for dismantling systemic racism and equal protection and opportunity under the law through its public policy and advocacy work.

Alejandra Y. Castillo, CEO, YWCA USA states, “We are outraged by the callous killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis Police Department officer – and similarly appalled by the inaction of three other officers who stood by watching as George Floyd endured unspeakable suffering,” Ms. Castillo continued “ But addressing this specific incident alone won’t be enough to prevent future incidents of police violence against Black people, and people of color in America. Our country’s failure to address institutional racism is costing lives. Racism is why coronavirus is killing more people of color than white people. Racism is why police shootings are a leading cause of death for young Black men. Racism is why Black mothers die more frequently in childbirth. Racism has no place in the America we all deserve.”

At YWCA, we demand a world of equity and human decency.  We envision a world of opportunity. We commit ourselves to the work of racial justice. We will get up and continue to do the work until injustice is rooted out, until institutions are transformed, until the world sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.

For more information, contact YWCA:
Yolanda Raine, Director, Marketing and Communications, Email: yraine@ywca.org

###

About YWCA St. Paul
For more than 100 years, YWCA St. Paul has been breaking down barriers and building up communities.  We are on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.  We advance our mission through education and advocacy on issues of racial justice and gender equity, and through programs that help women, girls and their families overcome barriers in areas of significant racial & gender disparities – housing, employment,  youth empowerment and wellness.  Learn more at ywcastpaul.org.

About YWCA Minneapolis
YWCA Minneapolis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. For more than 128 years, we have worked to create opportunities to overcome social injustice, particularly in matters of race and gender. Last year, YWCA Minneapolis served more than 30,000 people in our community through high-quality programs and advocacy focused on racial justice, early learning, youth development and wellness. To learn more, visit ywcampls.org.

About YWCA USA
YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. We are one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families.

YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for over 160 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy in order to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls. Learn more at www.ywca.org.

The post YWCA Statement on the Murder of George Floyd appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

The post YW Launches Online Resources Collection appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.

The post Spring Into ACTION! appeared first on YWCA of the City of New York.