For most, childhood has looked drastically different in 2020. This year, children and teens faced the sudden reality of not returning to campus and seeing their friends, many watched their parents struggle with new and exacerbated financial challenges, and others experienced violence in their homes and left in search of safety.

At YWCA Glendale, we believe that your experiences in childhood determine the path of your life - and that is why we commit to offering comprehensive services and programs designed to address and support all the critical points in the development of children and youth. This year, those programs have never been more important and sought after as we respond to the many challenges presented COVID-19, an escalation of domestic violence, and learning gaps and disruptions to social connections with the shift to virtual learning.

Our goal is to provide children and youth - and their families - the support and skills they need to brave these uncertain times.

We create real change and we need your help!
This Summer, we met 9 year old Rene,* whose mother came to YWCA Glendale seeking support after a violent incident with her husband. Mom was concerned that Rene was "getting stuck" in recalling an abusive incident in their home and had begun biting his nails and struggling to fall asleep at night. Our clinician was able to safely connect with Rene through a telehealth platform to provide a promising therapeutic intervention for children, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to help him talk through the abusive experience and begin releasing the stress and anxiety that would overwhelm him any time the topic of the abuse or their new living situation came up. Through weekly sessions, Rene's mom noted a progressive improvement and that Rene was now putting into practice the new skills he had learned to calm his body anytime he felt overwhelmed. *Name changed for confidentiality.
Tempele logged on to our Girls Circle After School Program not knowing what to expect. What she found was a safe and affirming space to create new friendships and participate in hands on learning activities that allowed her to express her growing artistic talents. She was able to connect with other girls and learn about their rich cultures and identities through empowerment activities, I Am poetry workshops, dance, and art exercises. Tempele's growing writing skills provided a powerful vehicle for her to share about the beauty and importance of her culture and how it has shaped her identity.
When a new TechGYRLS Robotics workshop opened up this Fall, Jada signed up right away. She received a Lego 2.0 robotics kit in the mail and logged on for virtual instruction sessions. Not only did she learn about maker and computational thinking from a female Robotics Engineer who led the workshops, she was able to document her experience by creating and editing a short film about her robot! We hope you enjoy watching her Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) skills in action! This Spring, we will be providing Jada and her peers with 1:1 STEAM mentorship opportunities through our partnership with CalTechY to support girls' interests in pursuing STEAM education and future career pathways.
Will you consider making a gift in honor of the children and women who rely on our services? By doing so you’re giving children the experience of hands-on STEAM education and empowerment programming, safe places to learn, access to transformative clinical care - opportunities to heal from trauma, and dream big.

We thank you for providing these opportunities to the children and youth in Glendale and surrounding communities by making a gift to YWCA Glendale today.
735 East Lexington Drive
Glendale, CA 91206
Phone: 1-(818) 242-4155
Support YWCA Glendale's mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.