What does YWP mean in COMMUNITY

The Young Women's Project (YWP) is a non-profit organization located in Washington, D.C. that works to provide support and resources to young women of color who are facing complex life issues such as homelessness, family instability, violence and poverty. YWP offers education, mentoring and advocacy services to help young women develop the skills they need for successful adulthood.

YWP offers a variety of different programs aimed at helping young women build social and economic opportunity. These programs include job readiness training, financial literacy classes, educational programming and other life skills development initiatives. We also have an online presence with information about our services as well as youth-driven content which can be accessed through our website or social media accounts.

The majority of our services are targeted towards youth between the ages of 14-24 years old; however, many of our resources can still be accessed by those outside this range depending on availability.

You can access our website to find out more information about how to become a part of YWP, from applying for participation in one of our core programs to joining us as a volunteer. Depending on your interests, you may also be interested in becoming involved with one or more of our community partners or allies who work closely with us in supporting young women’s development and success.

No prior experience is necessary for participation in any of YWP’s programs; we simply ask that interested individuals come willing and open to learning new skills and perspectives that will help them reach their goals. Prior qualifications are not required for admission either; it is up to each individual participant whether or not they choose to pursue additional qualifications during their time at YWP.

Our mentorships are designed around youth-driven goals– meaning that all participants set goals based upon their own aspirations and experiences while working together with their mentor over several months in order to realize these objectives through group activities such as field trips, workshops, one-on-one conversations and team challenges. All mentorships begin with an initial orientation session where participants learn about expectations from both sides before beginning their journey together as mentor/mentee pairs.

In addition to providing shelter referrals whenever possible, we also offer housing stability workshops which focus on budgeting basics, understanding tenant rights/responsibilities and navigating housing search processes so that homeless/unstably housed youth have access not only to immediate shelters but also longterm strategies for achieving housing security whether through conventional rental markets or other affordable options such as public housing options offered by local governments or charitable organizations like ours.

We often hold events focused on LGBT topics such as discussions on intersectionality within LGBTQIA+ identities as well as featuring speakers from various backgrounds who can share narratives regarding experiences common among younger members within these communities in order for youth attendees to feel connected rather than isolated when dealing with issues related specifically for sexual orientation/gender expression diversity. Additionally our counseling staff are trained in providing sensitivity towards gender identity concerns from both queer & allied perspectives which adds additional dimensions when attempting recognizing multiple overlapping aspects concerning sexuality & gender beyond the binary constructions commonly accepted within mainstream culture today.