Programs at The W
Safe Sisters
Safe Sisters
Safe Sisters is a 12-week program for girls, young women and non-binary and two-spirit youth ages 8 to 16.
Rooted in the philosophy of holistic safety, Safe Sisters encourages girls to make healthy choices in all areas of their lives, empowering them to take an active role in creating safe environments for themselves. Through a gender-based, strengths based framework and analysis, girls have input in the creation of the program in their community to guarantee their specific needs and interests are met.
The program uses interactive activities (with an emphasis on arts-based activities such as theatre/drama, visual art, and mixed media projects) to increase girls’ skills and confidence to strengthen their relationships to their communities. Past activities include mask-making, fibre sculptures, worry dolls and neighbourhood safety audits.
Participant
My Story →
“I like that sharing our thoughts brought us all closer”
Caregiver
My Child’s Story →
“It’s given gals who are struggling a chance to take off their masks and allow a little of their true selves to shine through.”
Participant
My Story →
“Before I was in group, I didn’t know who I was, but now I am exploring who I am”
Educator
My Story →
“Safe Sisters has created a space that enables relationships to form and grow in ways that would not typically be possible within school walls.”
Are you an educator interested in bringing Safe Sisters to your school?
To learn more about the benefits of having Safe Sisters programming in your school, please contact thew@ywcacambridge.ca
Safe Sisters is funded by the Cambridge and North Dumfries Community Foundation.
Other Programs
YWCA Cambridge Provides Supportive, Inclusive And Participant-Led Programs For Cis And Trans Women And Girls And Non-Binary And Two-Spirit Individuals.
TechGyrls
In this unique program, participants have the opportunity to explore, design, create and share all things related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math!
Absolutely no skill or knowledge level is necessary to participate.
STEM Mentoring
Rooted in the belief that girls cannot be what they cannot see, STEM Mentoring is about more than just building girls interest in skills in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), it’s about building strong, healthy relationships with other girls and mentors (who just so happen to be amazing women working in our community in the STEM field)!
GLOW
GLOW is rooted in the philosophy of holistic wellness. GLOW focuses on the 5 Dimensions of Wellness: physical, social, emotional, spiritual and environmental. GLOW is driven by its participants interests and skills, so each program offering is unique.
SHYFT
This program provides opportunity for discussion and action, by allowing participants to make sense of what they are experiencing externally and feeling internally. The goal of SHYFT is to foster critical thinking skills and provide outlets for participants to create their own social-justice based media-arts projects.
STEPS
S.T.E.P.S is about creating a safe space for participants, developing skills for healthy relationships, reducing isolation and increasing inclusion, engaging participants in critical thinking and strengthening leadership skills.
SMALL STEPS TO SUCCESS
Aimed at supporting women in our community, Small Steps to Success provides the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence needed to be successful in the workplace or in a school setting.