The Young Women's Project

Public Policy OfficesUnited States11-50 Employees

The Young Women's Project (YWP) builds the leadership and power of young people so that they can transform DC institutions to expand rights and opportunities for DC youth. YWP programs engage youth on three levels – as organizers (educating, engaging, mobilizing their peers, working as teams to make decisions), as advocates (presenting testimony to city Council, convening accountability meetings of Agency leaders, developing and passing policies) and as system rebuilders (developing programs, creating new peer-led systems, integrating youth into decision making).  Our work engages under-resourced BIPOC youth ages 14-21 from all DC Wards and most public high schools. Last year, we hired and trained 251 young people from 25 DC public and charter schools; half of our youth live or go to school in wards 5, 7 and 8. Founded in 1994 as a Collective, YWP has a staff of 6 adults and 150 youth and a budget of $700,000. We are value-driven, anti-racist, and feminist, grounded in youth development and partnership, and work every day to dismantle oppression and rebuild institutions. YWP has built a citywide network membership of hundreds of youth advocates in all wards, most schools, united behind a shared vision of youth progress and power. YWP's work is organized into two programs. The Youth Health Educator Program, including 60 youth on the ground in 18 schools, works to reduce DC’s unintended teenage pregnancy and STI rates through peer education, resource provision, and clinic referral initiation. YWP’s Mental Health Campaign Team, including 80 youth in 21 schools, works to strengthen school-based mental health programming, connect youth to services, reduce stigma, and expand access to mental health education.

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