On the Frontline

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

2012-01-11T16:40:00.002-06:00

Today, Wed., January 12, 2012, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. For those of you who might be unfimilar with the term, human trafficking is essentially human slavery. According to the Human Trafficking Awareness Partners, trafficking is

In Remembrance - Diann DeWeese Smith

2011-12-07T12:53:00.001-06:00

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago mourns the loss of Diann DeWeese Smith, founder of the YWCA's Loop Center and its executive director from 1969-1977. Ms. Smith was a lifelong feminist and was instrumental in creating many of the programs and services YWCA Metropolitan Chicago offers today. We pledge to honor Ms. Smith's legacy by continuing our committment to women and girls in metropolitan Chicago

Today Is World AIDS Day

2011-12-01T16:55:00.001-06:00

World AIDS Day, founded in 1988 by the World Health Organization in Switzerland is observed annually on December 1st. World AIDS Day draws attention to the current status of the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide. The theme for this year’s international observance is "Leading with Science, Uniting for Action." Did you know? HIV – the Human Immunodeficiency Virus – is a virus that kills your body’s

There's still time to support Leader Luncheon!

2011-10-12T09:47:00.001-05:00

Even if you're unable to attend Leader Luncheon 2011, you can still support the YWCA and have the opportunity to win some great prizes by purchasing raffle tickets. Winners need NOT be present to win. Raffle winners will be drawn at Leader Luncheon on October 13, 2011. PRIZE 1: 1 set of 2 business class airline tickets to London (valued at $8,000). Courtesy of American Airlines. PRIZE 2: 1

Join the YWCA and Allstate to Increase Awareness About Domestic Violence

2011-10-07T15:21:00.003-05:00

YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and The Allstate Foundation are teaming up to increase awareness about domestic violence. In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, please join us for a tweet-up event to bring voice to this issue, offer solutions and show the impact of violence on our Chicagoland community. For every attendee, The Allstate Foundation will donate $100 to support YWCA Metropolitan

Smart Economics

2011-10-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

Investing in women is smart. It makes sense; provide women with the skills, education and the opportunity to earn money, and it not only affects them but their entire families. An economically empowered family affects a community and a community affects your town, state and so on. As Robert B. Zoellick, the president of the World Bank Group puts it, “One motivation for women’s empowerment is

Birth Control Access and Awareness: Are You Covered and Clued In?

2011-09-27T11:18:00.003-05:00

A honeymoon baby wasn’t the welcome-home gift they had in mind, but just two weeks after returning from an all-inclusive Mexican resort, the newlyweds discovered a baby was on the way. Kelly,* 21, worried birth control pills would interfere with her fertility later on and ruled them out as a contraceptive option. And the couple didn’t want to use a condom for their first time, so they decided

Are we making the right decisions about post-secondary education?

2011-08-31T13:35:00.005-05:00

When you think about education and its worth to people, you must ask yourself, why do people commit to getting post-secondary education if it takes at least three years of your life and it costs thousands of dollars, just to mention few a things? When I was considering this question, two possible answers came to mind. The first one, and I would say probably the most common answer, is because

Pay discrimination: Enough is Enough!

2011-07-01T10:19:00.006-05:00

Society has pushed and shoved women into specific occupations for decades by implying that men and women are both important in the workforce, but in different ways. We have been told that both genders have something to bring to the table, utilizing our gendered traits to their highest potential. The most obvious example of this strategic myth is the occupation of teaching. Throughout history we

Pride

2011-06-24T10:36:00.002-05:00

For those who don’t already know, June is the nationally recognized month to celebrate LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi-, trans-, queer) pride. It’s truly astonishing how far we’ve come since the 1969 riots at Stonewall and the grave injustices that the homo(trans)sexual population has faced throughout history. Thanks to the very brave individuals at Stonewall who stood up to the law for reform, we are

Help Others. Help Yourself.

2011-06-23T15:31:00.002-05:00

We are excited to introduce a new partnership that will help fund YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s Economic Empowerment Program. We are partnering with GoHYHO, which stands for Go Help Yourself Help Others (www.GoHYHO.com), in a new initiative to connect great consumer deals with charitable giving opportunities.Here’s How it Works: GoHYHO is a new way to fund and follow nonprofits in local communities

View Our Annual Report

2011-06-15T09:43:00.001-05:00

The YWCA’s 2010 Annual Report is complete and available online. In 2010, the YWCA impacted more than 130,000 women, children and families and had net assets of more than $15 million. The annual report is a great resource for people interested in learning more about the YWCA and its programs. The 2010 report features client photos and stories, demonstrating the important role the YWCA has played

Join Us to Celebrate 135 Years

2011-05-20T15:43:00.003-05:00

Join the YWCA for an evening celebrating 135 years of success empowering women and eliminating racism! Enjoy festive colors and flavors as we toast our new board members and meet our 2011 Outstanding Leaders – five of Chicago’s most dynamic women who will honored at our annual Leader Luncheon.Thursday, June 25:30 - 8:00 p.m.Carnivale702 W. Fulton MarketChicago, IL 60661Click here for

The How's and Who's of Sexual Assault

2011-04-29T15:50:00.004-05:00

All too often, I hear the wrong question asked when something goes wrong—how. How did this happen? How did the 11-year-old girl in Texas get gang raped last month? How did this person end up in a situation where they were sexually assaulted? What I don't understand is, why doesn’t anyone ever ask why? Why would someone think it’s okay to force someone to have sex? Why don’t more people know what

"What can guys like us (you and I) do?"

2011-04-21T15:45:00.003-05:00

My brother asked me this question several weeks ago when I posted a great article by Anna Holmes of Jezebel about Charlie Sheen and a society that seems to give him a free ride, despite his history of violence toward women. I hesitated to answer him, but I am not sure why. After helping organize Sexual Assault Awareness Months activities for two years and completing the 50-hour training for

Join Us for Day of Commitment to End Racism

2011-04-21T13:26:00.003-05:00

Join the YWCA in Honoring the Day of Commitment to Eliminate Racism. In recognition of the National Day of Commitment to Eliminate Racism, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is sponsoring a month-long art exhibit from April 27 - May 22. This show, The Unspoken Truth about Color: A Dialogue in Art Quilts about Racism, includes 31 pieces from 27 diverse artists from across the country. Please join us for

Internet Dating and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.....A Dilemma

2011-04-13T10:07:00.004-05:00

There are so many injustices in this world and so many current events I could have chosen to write about for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. CBS attempting to reunite Rhianna and her aggressor for a feel-good TV special, maybe? The horrifying ways in which rape survivors continue to be vilified by the media, perhaps? The anti-choice billboard targeting African Americans on the South Side? That

Join Us for an Equal Pay Day Rally

2011-04-08T12:09:00.002-05:00

April 12 is Equal Pay Day. This day marks how far into the new year a woman must work on average to earn as much as a man earned the previous year. Regardless of education and experience, in nearly every occupation women are still paid less than men - only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. Join the YWCA and fourteen other organizations at noon on Equal Pay Day at Daley Center Plaza to

Blaming rape victims will only make problem worse

2011-04-07T11:46:00.006-05:00

Heather MacDonald’s Op-Ed, “Don’t buy into tale of campus-rape crisis,” is uninformed and relays a message that will only increase the silence and shame of acquaintance rape. To dismiss the statistic that one in five female students has been the victim of rape or attempted rape as “campus-rape-epidemic propaganda” demonstrates Ms. MacDonald’s ignorance of the nature of acquaintance rape and the

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

2011-04-06T11:17:00.001-05:00

Did you know April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month? YWCA Metropolitan Chicago is raising awareness about this important issue by sponsoring a variety of workshops and events throughout the month, including guided tours of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women and Art exhibit, a digital technology workshop entitled Cyberbullying, Sexting, Facebook, Oh My!, and a

2011-03-02T10:28:00.003-06:00

Celebrate Women's History MonthMarch is Women's History Month! This month we ask you to remember the many women who have come before us, laying the foundation for our Chicagoland community, as well as the women of today who have continued in their tradition of service.Update Your Facebook and Twitter PhotoIn honor of Women's History Month, please click here to download an image to use as your

In Memory of Sargent Shriver

2011-01-26T10:51:00.001-06:00

"All of history's great changes--nonviolent changes--came from below, not from above. It comes from us... It's not what you get out of life that counts. It's what you give and what is given to you from the heart . . . And I have one small word of advice because it is going to be tough: Break your mirrors!!! Yes indeed -- shatter the glass. In our society that is so self-absorbed, begin to look

A Win for Illinois

2011-01-20T12:19:00.001-06:00