Young Women Empowered

Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) is a Seattle, WA-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing transformative mentorship and leadership programs for young women, non-binary, and gender expansive youth ages 13-26. Since its founding in 2010, Y-WE has grown from a successful seven-month pilot program into a comprehensive year-round organization serving over 700 girls and women annually while benefiting 2,000+ community members across the greater Seattle area.

Y-WE's mentorship-based empowerment programs center on five core pillars: belonging, wellness, thriving, finding one's voice, and leadership development. The organization provides no-cost camps, creative workshops, leadership training, mental health support, and community conversations designed to help young women develop self-confidence, explore educational and career pathways, and become courageous changemakers in their communities. With experienced facilitators, social workers, and nurses available at every program, Y-WE creates safe, inclusive spaces where participants can express themselves authentically.

As a majority women-of-color-led organization operating as an independent 501(c)(3) since 2015, Y-WE brings collective lived experience to all programming. The organization specifically centers the experiences of BIPOC youth, first and second-generation immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ individuals, with 85% of current participants identifying as people of color and 90% from low-income backgrounds. Y-WE's intersectional feminist approach links racial injustice to environmental, economic, and gender-based inequities, creating a healing community space where diverse young women find their voices and develop the skills to effect positive change.