wyse women make waves
"When Milwaukee Public Schools announced that their fall semester would be fully virtual, WYSE had a plan to ensure that they could still reach out to the Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education by moving their meetings to an online format. “This will be a challenge, but I know my WYSE girls are up for it,” [Erin] Cook says." (read more)
"For four years, Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE) has allowed me to have a role in dozens of young women's lives—both our middle school mentees and college-age mentors. The group is the cornerstone of my Stanford experience, and it's helped me grow into a leader and a more compassionate person." (read more)
Tulane WYSE partnered with Geaux Girl! magazine, a teen magazine local to New Orleans,LA, to create this featured piece in the Spring 2019 issue. 6th and 7th grade WYSE mentees at Langston Hughes Academy shared their thoughts and ideas all around social media during session, and it evolved into this helpful guide. (read more)
9/12/18
My First Year As An NYU WYSE Mentor: Teaching sixth graders about puberty and sexuality helped me heal - via NYU Local
"When I was in middle school, sex was something only discussed amid giggles and whispers in the back of the bus. It was something to be embarrassed about, a topic of conversation to be strictly avoided. So when I was sexually assaulted at age 14, I didn’t know how to talk about it. I was confused and ashamed, so I kept it a secret. Talking to the young girls in WYSE about issues like consent and watching them build a healthy understanding of their own sexuality truly helped me heal in a way I was never able to before." (read more)
"Bridget Brown and Alexa Lee are the two co-directors of the volunteer organization Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE), a national organization that pairs UCLA women with middle school girls in 7th and 8th grade. The student-run mentorship program seeks to provide support and empowerment to middle school girls to take initiative and foster change within their respective lives and communities. A hallmark of the organization is to foster dialogue according the the WYSE national curriculum, which encompasses topics that facilitate the improvement of self-esteem, body image, critical thinking, and leadership." (read more)
"The Occidental chapter of the organization Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE) hosted a series of events promoting the club’s mission: to empower and support female-identifying students April 2–5. The week included a screening of the documentary “Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution,” a flower sale and an anti-rape art therapy workshop with artist, activist and Bill Cosby survivor Lili Bernard. WYSE is a nationwide organization founded in 1992 to help young women make empowering, healthy choices, according to their website. The club has been active on Occidental’s campus for 25 years, but this is the first year the club hosted a WYSE week..." (read more)
"Pivotal social movements in history are often associated with radical action. Long, complicated struggles are condensed into a token event for future generations to point to as “the moment change happened.” Throughout America’s fight for equal rights and representation, there have been many instances of this — dumping tea into the Boston Harbor, convening in Seneca Falls, marching over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The Women’s March in Washington, DC and the sister marches that happened around the world this weekend were massive undertakings that represent the power of women coming together to support one another. Demonstrations like these are needed to create awareness and ignite change, but they are also reminders of the work to come. No good movement consists solely of singular events, but instead requires countless hours, energy, and people willing to join for the long-haul..." (read more)
"America much like any other society is a nation characterized by gaps. Something in human nature compels us to find ways to label each other by groups by which we can compare and contrast. It might be socioeconomic class, gender, religion, race, ethnicity or any number of categories but it is by these gaps that we define each other. Over time the conversation has shifted from how to exploit these gaps to how to eliminate these gaps. Today most organizations and leaders are conscientious about supporting or at least referencing social inclusion. However, equality, empowerment, change, however you phrase it is about far more than words. Not only does it take systematic shifts but also it takes reintegration through encouragement, support, and learning. Today I have the fortune to write about an organization, which does exactly that: Women and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE)..." (read more)
"Metal detectors and mandatory uniforms are just some of the differences between GW and Jefferson Academy, a public middle school in Southwest D.C. But a new student organization, GW Women and Youth Supporting Each Other, is looking to find what they have in common. The mentorship program matches female college students with middle school girls to discuss topics like sex education, sexism, female empowerment and bullying. WYSE focuses on one-on-one engagement and uses a curriculum that gives mentors specific topics to address each week. The members had specific criteria to meet when they selected Jefferson Academy for this semester: The school had to be receiving Title I funding, which means a majority of students get free or reduced-price lunches and many of their families are below the poverty line..." (read more)