For other uses, including specific buildings and chapters, see Young Women's Christian Association (disambiguation).

Neysa Moran McMein (1888-1949) Y.W.C.A. In Service for the Girls of the World, Poster, 1919

YWCA USA (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. It is one of the oldest and largest multicultural organizations promoting solutions to enhance the lives of women, girls, and families. They have been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for 165 years — from voting rights to civil rights, affordable housing to pay equity, and violence prevention to health care reform.

Structure

YWCA is a national organization with 215 local associations across the United States. At YWCA's annual meeting in May 2012, a transition from the prior regional structure to a national federated structure was approved, followed by the adoption of new bylaws in November 2012.^[1]

YWCA’s Local Associations are separate and independent 501 (c)(3) organizations with their own Board of Directors, staffing and budget.

Services

Today, YWCA and its Local Associations combine programming and advocacy to generate institutional change in three key areas:

● Racial justice and civil rights

● Empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls

● Health and safety of women and girls

YWCA is a national organization (incorporated in NY) with nearly 200 Local Associations around the United States in a federated model. YWCA USA provides a range of technical assistance and capacity-building services to local YWCAs, maintains the YWCA brand, and advances the organization’s strong national presence from their headquarters in Washington, DC. YWCA USA is also a part of World YWCA, which is a global movement working for women’s empowerment, leadership, and rights in more than 120 countries.

Each year, YWCAs help more than 535,000 women with safety services, which include sexual assault programs, domestic violence services such as emergency shelter, crisis hotlines, counseling and court assistance, and other community safety programs. We also help more than 122,000 women with economic empowerment programs, and more than 160,000 individuals participate each year in racial justice education and training programs.^[1]

YWCA USA Partnership with Impact Shares

In Aug. of 2018, YWCA partnered with nonprofit investment manager and exchange-traded fund (ETF) issuer Impact Shares to launch the first of its kind ETF focused on companies empowering women in the workforce. The Impact Shares YWCA Women’s Empowerment ETF, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker WOMN, is designed to promote gender diversity and empower women in the workforce by holding shares of companies who score highest in their sector on 19 gender equity criteria as determined by Equileap, an independent, specialized data provider with a broad scope of diversity & inclusion and gender equality metrics. The criteria include a company’s:

● Gender balance in leadership and the workforce which includes an examination of a company’s non-executive board, executives, senior management, overall workforce and its promotion and career development opportunities;

● Equal compensation & work life balance which includes an examination of whether a company has fair remuneration, equal pay, parental leave and flexible work options;

● Policies promoting gender equality including its training and career development and recruitment strategy; whether employees have freedom from violence, abuse and sexual harassment; whether employees are safe at work and enjoy basic human rights; its social supply chain and supplier diversity; and overall employee protection; and

● Commitment, transparency, and accountability including its overall commitment to women’s empowerment and whether it has undertaken a gender audit from a recognized entity.

As the impact partner for the WOMN ETF, Impact Shares is committed to donating the net advisory fees from the fund to support YWCA’s work to empower women and eliminate racism. Additionally, the WOMN ETF provides YWCA with a platform to engage and educate investors, corporate America and the general public on the policies and procedures that can empower women in the workplace. By shining a light on companies that champion these values, it encourages others to follow suit and, as more investors allocate their funds to socially responsible investments like the WOMN ETF, companies are incentivized to improve their gender diversity and equality initiatives, driving positive change within corporate cultures.

History

YWCA USA was founded as the Young Women's Christian Association in New York City in 1858.

In 1905, the Harlem YWCA hired the first Black woman general secretary of a local YWCA branch, Eva del Vakia Bowles. Bowles joined the national association as the head of "colored programs" in 1913 and remained in that capacity until 1932.^[2] Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, some YWCA facilities were segregated or operated as separate organizations. Advocates like Helen L. Seaborg in Washington, D.C., worked successfully to mediate mergers between the segregated groups.

YWCA USA changed its corporate name from "Young Women's Christian Association of the United States of America, Inc." to "YWCA USA, Inc." in December 2015.^[1]

YWCA of The City of New York

The YWCA of The City of New York, the oldest of all of the YWCAs in the United States, was founded in 1858. It is unique in that the organization is guided purely by human service-oriented programs rather than physical services. Such programs include their Early Learning Centers, Family Resource Center, Out-of-School Programs, Professional Development Programming, and Women's Employment Programming to name a few, and are still guided by the YW mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. YWCA of The City of New York services are a major component of the non-profit community in New York City.

The YWCA of The City of New York produces several fundraising events annually including the Salute to Women Leaders Luncheon, the YWCA-NYC Theatre Benefit (featuring the Broadway hit The Color Purple in 2005 and the revival of Michael Bennett's A Chorus Line in 2006).

During their annual Summer Soirée (held at the W Hotel in 2005 and Cipriani 23rd Street in 2006) they present their "W" award. This award is presented to a woman who is a visionary, an innovator, trend-setter, a woman who gives back to her community and helps those the YW serves daily: the women, girls and families of New York City. In 2005, this award was given to Marian McEvoy, and in 2006 to Star Jones-Reynolds.

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago

YWCA Chicago Club

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is the oldest and largest women's organization in the region, with a mission to eliminate racism and empower women. For more than 140 years, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago has been committed to serving the evolving needs of women and families.^[3]

The Monroe Gallery at the YWCA started in 1961. Originally located at the YWCA Loop Center at 59 E. Monroe St. until 1969. It then moved to the new YWCA location 37 S. Wabash Ave. Members include Diana Solis, Diana Avila, Malu Ortega y Alberro, Salima Rivera, Eleanor Boyer, Karen Peugh, and Judith Arcana.

The Women's Video Project at the YWCA was initially created to complete video projects related to the Loop YWCA's Lay Advocacy program, provide support to other YWCA groups and individuals to use, and teach video equipment usage and guiding video projects. Judy Hoffman made equipment recommendations early on, and by 1974 the first grant assistance had come in. At that time seven women led by video maker Eleanor Boyer went to work setting the equipment up, creating tapes, and providing support to other YWCA members. Countless tapes were made documenting workshops and lectures; workshops were given to provide hands-on experience in making small-format video, including planning, shooting, and editing; and YWCA members created their own tapes. Boyer herself created more than a dozen tapes with the program, including Street Interviews on Rape (1974) documenting attitudes and beliefs about rape held by men and women, Getting Strong: Self Defense for Women (1976) discussing the dimensions and politics of self-defense for women, Breast Cancer Tapes (1977) opening up the subject of breast cancer from the point of view of women who had undergone treatment, and Bonne Bell: 10,000 Meter Race for Women (1978) documenting Chicago's first 6.2-mile race for women which was organized and hosted by the YWCA.^[4] As technology shifted, the Women's Video Project at the YWCA started to seek out newer equipment that was lighter, was easier to use, and recorded in color. The members of the Video Project wrote letters of support for the newly founded and artist-run Chicago Editing Center, which later became known as the Center for New Television, and moved much of their work there.  

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to YWCA in the United States.

• Official website
• World Young Women's Christian Association
• YWCA Canada
• Young Women's Christian Association of Cambridge (Mass.) Records, 1881-1981 — Schlesinger Library − Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
• YWCA of the U.S.A. Records, 1860-2002 (Bulk: 1906-2000), Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College Special Collections