Sunday, April 23, 2023 | Special Advertising Section 1 R 46 SPONSORED CONTENT PROVIDED BY YOUNG WOMEN EMPOWERED Ensuring that young people develop a strong sense of self is key to helping them unlock their potential, yet they are facing unprecedented challenges in that department. “The biggest thing I feel like young people are facing [today] is a mental health crisis,” says Emma Miller, marketing and communications associate at Young Women Empowered, an organization in Seattle that works to support young people who identify as women, girls, trans, nonbinary or gender expansive through after-school programs, summer camps, events and more. According to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, poor mental health in adolescents is increasing. In 2021 nearly one-third of students reported experiences of poor mental health. These reports were also found to be more common among female students, LGBTQ+ students and across racial and ethnic groups. Though navigating concerns of mental well-being can be difficult, the CDC notes that building strong bonds and relationships with adults and friends at school, at home and in the community can provide youth with a sense of Wellness strengthens Seattle’s next generation of leaders Y-WE cultivates the power of diverse young women, trans, nonbinary and gender-expansive youth to be creative leaders, courageous change makers. We envision a society rooted in social justice where young people live their truth, achieve their dreams, change our world. Learn more at youngwomenempowered.org. connectedness that supports their mental health. Speaking from experience, Miller says, “Over the years I’ve seen a lot of transformation in young people who participate in Y-WE’s programs. Being in a place where they feel like they belong and can be exactly who they are makes them feel so much more capable of doing what they want to do.” Being part of a diverse and welcoming community, along with access to wellness tools and care can help young people flourish. Providing wellness tools Equipping young people with wellness techniques can help improve mental wellbeing and strengthen their sense of self. This can include the basics of self-care, but it can also include concepts that are lessons in empowerment. “One of the big focuses in our wellness programming is boundary setting,” says Miller. She notes that learning to say no is not easy, especially for young women and gender expansive youth. Teaching kids to honor their boundaries and stand up for themselves can reduce their risk of harm and change the course of their lives. Miller mentions that along with teaching these techniques, Y-WE meets young people where they are at by reassuring them that self-care looks different for everybody and that there is no pressure to meet a standard when it comes to wellness. Having access to quality mental health care is another important tool, but not knowing where to start, economic barriers and stigma around getting access can be hurdles. Knowing where and how to access care can help break those barriers. An example of this is Y-WE’s Healing Justice Collective, a recently launched initiative Miller says helps secure access and cover the costs of therapy for their young people. They work to provide holistic support by partnering with mental health professionals in the area who are representative of the communities they serve. Cultivating the space to grow Creating communities that are safe and welcoming is a powerful way to help young people thrive. An important part of that is connecting them with mentors that they can relate to. “They need safe adults and professionals who look like them,” says Miller “[Adults] who understand them and how they experience the world.” She notes that the majority of the staff, adult mentors, and program facilitators reflect the youth that they serve, “Most adults at Y-WE hold BIPOC and queer identities. We align with the kids we serve, and I think that’s extremely powerful.” Along with mentorship, giving young people space to explore things they are passionate about is key to furthering the connection with themselves and their communities. Miller describes different programs at Y-WE that include subjects like tech, farming and theater, which allow students to explore different interests. They can build their Youth at Y-WE’s annual STEM Exploration Day participating in a pitch competition where they invented new companies during a workshop with Microsoft. Y-WE’s Black Girls Matter Mentorship program pairs one youth with one mentor for monthly one-on-one outings. (Photos courtesy of Young Women Empowered) Donate today! Youth practice using their voices and exercising their creativity in Y-WE’s theater program, Y-WE Speak. confidence in those subjects and move into leadership roles. Programs like these give them a space where they can feel comfortable learning and taking risks in something they are passionate about. “It’s awesome to see kids take a risk,” says Miller “We set up a safe way for them to do that. Having that first experience and feeling successful will open so many doors for them to do it again later in life.”
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