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YWCA HEADLINES - Click here for complete stories
- Conference will focus on complimentary care to keep patients thriving and surviving - YWCA Carlisle (8.17.2008)
- Titusville YW names executive director - YWCA Titusville (8.12.2008)
- Watch over the Guardian Angels
Crime-fighting help in the city will be welcomed if the angels work well with others - YWCA York (8.7.2008)
- Gift Allows Women To Spend Time At Chatham Retreat - YWCA Philadelphia (8.7.2008)
- Planning a pool party | YWCA will celebrate swim site's 75th milestone - YWCA Greater Johnstown (7.30.2008)
- Planning a pool party | YWCA will celebrate swim site's 75th milestone - World YWCA (7.31.2008)
- Renovations make YWCA an exercise paradise - YWCA Charleston (7.29.2008)
- Help needed - YWCA Bucks County (7.28.2008)
- Campers take field trip to Williams Grove - YWCA Hanover (7.25.2008)
- Along with 'I do' comes a chance to give - Couple decides to downsize engagement ring and donate difference - YWCA Delaware (7.19.2008)
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ywca uses the “big screen” to spotlight obsession with female physical perfection
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New YWCA Campaign to Spark
National Dialogue on the Beauty Myth
Facing mounting concern about low self-esteem among young girls related to body image, the growing numbers
of women undergoing risky cosmetic surgery to alter their appearance, and the overall national obsession with female physical perfection, the YWCA USA has formed a unique partnership with an award-winning filmmaker to draw national attention to these issues. Using a powerful new documentary film, America the Beautiful, the YWCA aims to expose the personal and collective toll that unattainable standards of beauty and relentless marketing of beauty products take on American women and girls.
“The concept of female beauty is exclusionary, alienating those who don’t meet the standards of an artificial ‘ideal.’ This issue is an important one to address because it affects every woman and girl in America,” said Lorraine Cole, PhD, YWCA USA’s CEO. “It is time that we ignite a cultural change in this nation to end the harmful pursuit of the elusive beauty myth. This film is a powerful medium for stimulating such a national dialogue and our YWCA sesquicentennial anniversary is the perfect opportunity to lead a call to action on behalf of all women and girls.”
America the Beautiful was screened at the 2008 YWCA annual meeting and received an enthusiastic response from YWCA leaders. The YWCA National Coordinating
Board (NCB) subsequently agreed to partner with the filmmaker, Darryl Roberts, to sponsor the film’s release
in New York and Los Angeles.
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Our History
Since 1858, the YWCA has fought for women's rights. We were there through the women's suffrage movement, struggling for equal rights.
Later we joined the crusade for freedom and justice for all people. We were there in the fight for civil rights and affirmative action. Throughout the U.S., individual YWCAs and their regional councils work hard, so that future generations of our nation's young women can meet the challenging demands of everyday life and achieve success.
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The Young Women's Christian Association of the United States of America began as a women's membership movement rooted in the Christian faith. It is sustained today by the richness of incorporating many beliefs and values into our work-diversity is our strength. Our members strive to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power, in order to attain a common vision: peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all people.
The YWCA channels its collective power to elimination of racism, wherever it exists and by any means necessary.
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| Today
There are 49 YWCAs affiliated with the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council in nine states, including the District of Columbia: Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. And though each operates as its own non-profit organization, they share a common thread in maintaining an all-women's governance structure and working to eliminate racism and empower women.
Local YWCAs determine what types of programs they offer based on their community's needs. These wide array of services fall under the following broad categories:
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I speak to the black experience, but I am always talking about the human condition—about what we can endure, dream at, fail at, and still survive
—Maya Angelou
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| Racial Justice and Economic Empowerment of Women are YWCA hallmark programs. Each YWCA Association is required to offer programming that addresses these two areas. To combat racism, a dialogue on race and racism. Others offer racial justice and diversity training for their communities targeted to local schools and CEOs of community businesses. To support the economic empowerment of women, some Associations offer life skills training, English as a Second Language, GED classes, adult education, welfare-to-work programs, job readiness and employment training, career counseling, and entrepreneurial and micro-enterprise workshops. |
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