YWCA YWTeen Program

Grant Information
Categories	Community , Education
Location	South Texas
Cycle Year	2011

Organization Information
Organization Name (provided by applicant)	YWCA Corpus Christi
Organization Name (provided by automatic EIN validation)
Secondary Addressee
EIN
Website	http://www.ywca.org/corpuschristi

Contact Information
Contact Name	Nancy Wesson-Dodd
Phone	361-857-5661
E-mail	ywcacc@ywcacc.org
Address	4601 Corona Drive Corpus Christi TX 78411

Additional Information
Used for	Funding supports 5th and 6th grade girls throughout the area who are in need of guidance, direction and confidence. Funding doesn’t provide well-balanced meals, new clothes, or a more lavish lifestyle; instead, funding provides tools to avoid the need for such services. Funding for the YWTeen Program introduces more than 1,000 girls each week to opportunities that build healthy self-images and the much-needed skills to overcome socioeconomic disadvantages.
Benefits	Young girls are socially and psychologically vulnerable during the transitional years of early adolescence and for some, life’s hardest lessons come too soon. By connecting with young girls BEFORE they are faced with difficult decisions, we can put them on the right track to succeed. The result is confident girls, who overcome their challenges, reach for a better life and become empowered women in our community.
Proposal Description	The YWTeen Program reaches nearly 1,500 at-risk 5th and 6th grade girls in Title I schools each week. More than 70% (over 1,050) of the girls come from low-income households and are at a great risk for teen pregnancy, school dropout, substance abuse, and gang activity. This program fights devastating statistics by empowering girls to be successful. Exposing young girls to positive influences and opportunities prevents them from making life-altering decisions with heavy consequences. Through the YWTeen Program, young girls build confidence, realize new personal goals, and make smarter choices to reach those goals. Specifically, the program helps girls avoid peer pressure and gangs. The girls are able to express individuality, accept themselves, and enhance their self-esteem. The girls learn to adjust to new environments, positively accept differences with their peers, and embrace diversity. The girls develop appropriate social skills, interact with community mentors, and effectively communicate with peers & adults. And most importantly, they get the opportunity to explore their futures and broaden their worlds. The program includes weekly sessions during the school year that focus on self-awareness, communication, decision-making, and group interaction; Leadership Camps during school breaks that focus on development of personal strengths, goals, leadership skills, and continued education; and Saturday sessions year-round that focus on exercise, nutrition, character-building, and community interaction. Charitable funding allows the YWCA to offer the YWTeen Program at a weekly cost of $68 per group of 20 girls. Your increasing support of $7,344 sponsors 80 girls for a 27-week school year and provides them with opportunities to create a successful future.