By: Gracie Elliott, YWCA of the USA digitization project student assistant

Content Warning: This post talks about activism surrounding sexual violence.

I thought this week, in the spirit of staying inspired and fighting back, I would do some digging into the Y.W.C.A. archive to find examples of incredible activist women who have been on the frontline of fights like these, throughout history. It has been a rewarding, exciting and inspirational dig into the archive, and I am excited to share what I have found. Continue reading →

Now that summer is here, and kids and teens have time outside of school to play, and create and interact with their communities it seems like a great time to celebrate how awesome kids and teens are, and what an integral role they play in building communities, and building movements. The YWCA has always worked on behalf of young people, specifically young women, and valued the contributions of these young women to the development of their mission. A great example of that commitment and the interaction of teenage women with that commitment is the YWCA publication Y-Teen Scene, which documented the lives and work of teenage girls who were active within the YWCA, and published content produced by teenagers with the intent of promoting teen empowerment and civic engagement. Continue reading →