Meet Alyn, a Nature Connections participant who made friends found community in the program. By spending extended time together in the outdoors, youth are able to make new connections and feel seen for who they are ..read more

Y-WE's Nature Connections program creates a safer space for young women and gender expansive teens to learn new skills and build connections with the natural world – particularly youth of color ..read more

Youth in Nature Connections describe it as a space that allows them to try new things and stretch their ideas of what they're capable of. See firsthand the joy and connection shared during our recent camping trip ..read more

This summer, we're offering a glimpse of the seeds our youth are planting at Marra Farm. In this video, Fatima, who participated in a recent Y-WE Grow season, offers her candid reflections ..read more

Summer programs are underway, and we invite you to see what’s germinating at Y-WE’s garden plot at Marra Farms! We’re kicking off our summer campaign with an inside glimpse of our farming and food justice program, Y-WE Grow.  Grow empowers our youth with farming, leadership, and self-reliance skills as they grow culturally relevant fresh food and increase healthy food access for local communities of color. See what we’re cultivating on the farm and what youth are saying about their experience in this 1-minute video: Video by Trial and Error ProductionsWhen this campaign achieves full fun ..read more

In a candid conversation with Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) alumni Naomi Kirori, Y-WE Co-Executive Director Reagan Jackson delves into her unlikely path as a journalist through the publication of her latest book, “Still True: The Evolution of an Unexpected Journalist.” From challenging journalism stereotypes to amplifying marginalized voices and defying checkboxes, Reagan and Naomi discuss how Y-WE influences Reagan’s creative process and inspires her fierce passion for “making space for us to be able to show up in the fullness of who they are.” Amid a nationwide book tour – which includes ..read more

On April 27, 2024, we hosted our 13th annual Career Day in downtown Seattle’s Best Buy Technology Development Center. Career Day is an opportunity for young people to build practical skills for success and make meaningful connections with adults and each other. It’s also about connecting youth to meaningful mentorship that reflects their identities, growing their community of support for job exploration, and exploring possibilities on the path to careers where diverse talent is still vastly underrepresented. This year’s Career Day featured a unique lineup of professionals including entrepreneu ..read more

On February 3, 2024, we hosted our annual STEAM Day at the Seattle Public Library in Downtown. STEAM Day is one of our biggest annual community events, and the intention is to provide an opportunity for young people to be exposed to new things and make meaningful connections with adults and each other. Women, trans, and gender expansive folks, especially BIPOC and queer folks, are historically underrepresented in STEAM fields, so it’s valuable for our youth to see themselves represented in adults from these professions. This year’s theme was “STEAM for social change,” focusing on how we can us ..read more

Written by Y-WE’s Co-Executive Director, Reagan Jackson Originally published on the South Seattle Emerald Growing up in my household, MLK Day was a day on, not a day off. It was a time to honor the legacy of a great leader and get inspired for the year of activism to come. In addition to founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, some of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s achievements included organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, helping to get segregation laws changed in Birmingham, and standing strong in his commitment to nonviolence in the face of virulent racism ..read more

This past Friday night we hosted our second annual holiday party at the Y-WE office! Thank you so much to everyone who came out and joined in the fun. We had a blast celebrating another amazing year at Y-WE with staff, mentors, volunteers, facilitators, and community members. We played games, shared delicious food and drinks, and had a heated dance battle tournament! P.S. If you have serious FOMO looking at these pictures, we hope you’ll join us next year! Photos by Munoz Motions Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) cultivates the power of diverse young women and gender expansiv ..read more