YOUNG WOMENS RESOURCE CENTER
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Mission Statement
EVERY girl deserves a life of possibilities, and EVERY girl is vulnerable at different points in her development. The Young Women’s Resource Center (YWRC) is a non-profit organization that supports, educates and advocates for young women ages 10-24. We offer small groups and individual support focused on self-esteem, healthy relationships and reproductive health. Teen moms receive additional support focused on parenting skills and understanding the importance of education. The YWRC meets girls where they are and assists them with discovering their abilities and pursuing their dreams. Founded in 1978 by Louise Noun and other community activists, the YWRC has been providing gender specific programming exclusively to girls for over 39 years. Both Empowerment Program and Young Moms Program services are offered to more than 1,500 young women each year.
About This Cause
Being a teenage girl is not easy. Lack of self-confidence and bullying are two major problems that girls and young women continue to face. Every seven minutes a girl is bullied in school, with rates of bullying highest amongst pre-teens in middle school. Between bullying and social expectations, 70% of teenage girls report feeling like they don’t measure up. Beyond feelings of depression and anxiety, 3/4 of girls with low self-esteem report engaging in negative activities like cutting, bullying, smoking, drinking or disordered eating. Rates of self-harm are highest amongst females, and suicide remains the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Often, self-esteem is only one piece of the problem with young women facing disturbing rates of abuse and assault. Recently the CDC found that 23% of females who ever experience rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner first experienced a form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age. In fact, one in three girls in the US is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner. Pregnant and parenting teen mothers face compounding challenges. Recent data shows that 1,953 children were born to teen mothers in Polk County during 2010-2014. Teen pregnancies carry significant short-term and long term health risks to both the mother and the baby. In Polk County, 16% of teen births were pre-term births, and 11% of all infants born to teens were low birth weight (in comparison, only 6.6% of all births were low birth weight). After the birth, teen moms are more at risk of post-partum depression, inadequate maternal-infant bonding, and are more likely to neglect or abuse their child. In addition to significant challenges surrounding a healthy pregnancy and developing parenting skills, young moms are at high risk of poverty and homelessness. Barriers to self-sufficiency often begin with lack of education. On average, 50% of teen mothers never finish high school and less than 2% complete college by the age 30. The vast majority, up to 80%, of young moms wind up working and raising their child as single mothers. Within five years of giving birth, 75% of young moms receive welfare. It is no surprise single women with children are the fastest growing homeless population in Iowa. In response to the challenges above, a few elements of YWRC programs are implemented across all programming. The YWRC offers all Empowerment and Young Moms programs for free, with transportation provided to and from on-site programs. All programs are gender specific, culturally responsive and trauma informed. Every effort is made to create a safe, non-judgmental environment where clients can build trust with facilitators and healthy relationships with their peers. The Empowerment Program utilizes the research based Girls Circle curriculum which is designed for girls ages 9-18 and is based on relational theory, resiliency practices and skills training in a gender specific format to increase participants’ positive connections, competence and personal and collective strengths. Previous studies have revealed statistically significant improvement for participants in Girls Circle programs, including: an increase in self-efficacy, a decrease in self-harming behavior, a decrease in rates of alcohol use, an increase in attachment to school, increases in positive body image and increases in social support. Programs within the Empowerment Program include: * Empowerment Groups: six week segments within over 40 local elementary and middle schools * After School Groups: year-round programming available to clients in 5th grade through high school * Connections: small group for juvenile justice referred clients focused on impulse control and anger management * Lotus Group: art therapy small group focused on serving clients who have experienced assault or abuse * Mariposa Group: small group developing young Latina women as leaders while celebrating their cultural heritage * Sheroes: high school leadership group focused on engaging in community volunteerism and philanthropy * Hit the Ground Running: prepares clients to participate in a 5K by focusing on teamwork, goal setting and physical health The Young Moms Program relies on a combination of research-based curricula, including: International Childbirth Education (ICEA) curriculum and the Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP). Each of these curriculum contain elements specifically focused on achieving healthy pregnancies, supporting the mental health of the mother and encouraging nurturing parenting skills with an emphasis on attachment and parental resilience. Programs within the Young Moms Program include: * Better Beginnings Doula Program: individual support with a personal doula that helps young moms advocate for themselves, assists in prenatal visits, attends the birth, and follows up during the post-partum period. * Pregnancy and Childbirth Education and Support Group: small group to help clients understand what to expect during pregnancy, assist in communication with health providers, and address common challenges * Young Moms Education and Support Group: small group focused on developing positive parenting skills and life skills * Individual Support Program: individual support to address clients’ unique needs and to achieve personal goals