Girls Initiatives
Highlights from our girls symposium
Girls Initiatives at the YWCA-NYC reflect our core belief that empowered girls become empowered women. Designed to inform, engage, and inspire young people to become self- advocates, our goal is to ensure that every girl gains the skills, knowledge, and confidence to pursue the education, career, and life options of their choice.
Girls Initiatives programs are open to all high-school-aged (grades 9-12) self-identified girls and gender non-conforming youth in New York City. There is no academic requirement to enroll and no enrollment costs.
Geek Girls: Inaugural HACKATHON
We are announcing our inaugural YWCA-NYC Hackathon, hosted by Betterment, on Saturday, October 28th.
Get ready for an action-packed day of coding, app-making, and innovation! Our one-day competition marks the beginning of a fantastic journey in tech and creativity. We’re thrilled to kick off this adventure with our Girls Initiative, Geek Girls program, and tech professionals in the New York City area.
The primary objective of the YWCA-NYC’s Geek Girls program is to break down gender barriers in the tech industry. Historically dominated by men, computer science and technology have seen only 18% of computer science degrees awarded to women on average. Our program empowers high school girls to enter this realm, fostering their passion for technology and innovation. The annual Hackathon serves as a thrilling platform for them to compete and collaborate, where they can develop cutting-edge apps designed to address pressing social justice issues within their communities.
We’re excited to have three outstanding professionals serving as judges for this incredible event:
Kate Chatzopoulos – Director at Symphony (technology for financial services)
Andrew Birnbryer – Principal, Global Sales Lead, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Games
Girls Symposium: A Force for the Future
The YWCA of the City of New York (YWCA NYC) works to eliminate racism, empower women, and stand up for social justice by providing leadership and advocacy training for young women in culturally diverse communities. Our Women’s History Month Girls Symposium is truly a “Force for the Future”.
The main event took place in-person on Friday, March 31, 2023. Together, attendees engaged in dialogue around the theme of “A Force for the Future,” which aims to drive conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusivity across all facets of life.
Please visit ywcanyc.org/force for more information! Stay tuned for more information on next year’s event!
Girls’ Initiatives Programs 2023
Girls Initiatives at the YWCA-NYC reflect our core belief that empowered girls become empowered women.
At the YWCA-NYC, our opportunities for leadership, activism, and personal growth help create change agents for a society poised to eliminate racism and inequity. These programs equip young girls and gender non-conforming youths with the tools to be the change NYC needs.
This opportunity through the YW is open to self-identified femmes, girls, and nonconforming youth in grades 9-12 and recent graduates. There is NO academic requirement or cost to participate. Participants are eligible to receive a stipend and certificate upon completion of the program. Participants are also eligible to receive metro cards and snacks at in-person activities.
This year’s programs will teach participants invaluable skills in computers and coding, college and career prep, and leadership abilities.
Programs occur at our YWCA Resource Center at 500 W 56 Street, NY, NY 10019.