Youth Guidance – WOW Launched 2021 About Supporting girls of color to find their power, their voice and, ultimately, their way Working On Womanhood (WOW), a program of Youth Guidance, provides in-school, group-based mentoring and clinical support to cultivate leadership, promote mental health, and foster the social-emotional skills of girls in Grades 6 through 12. WOW Scholars, through the gender-specific, therapeutic approach, gain skills to cope with negative thoughts, solve problems, and build self-efficacy to make positive and healthy decisions and, ultimately, be leaders in their schools and their communities. Too many youth of color are exposed to traumatic experiences as a result of systemic racism —community violence, grief, and loss. For girls, this trauma leads to PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms—significantly more than their male peers. In 2019, 45% of girls in Boston Public Schools reported feeling sad or hopeless for two or more weeks. GreenLight brought WOW to Greater Boston to address these challenges. WOW, working alongside staff and administrators, brings to Greater Boston its proven ability to positively impact girls’ mental health and ensure they are on track for graduation. It has shown that 62% of its participants experienced reduced PTSD symptoms, 71% reported decreased depression symptoms, and 96% affirmed the program improved their decision-making skills. Founder Gail Day CEO Michelle Adler-Morrison Executive Director, Youth Guidance Boston Shawn Brown National Headquarters Chicago, IL Email Contact [email protected] Website youth-guidance.org/youth-guidance-boston “WOW is needed here in Boston because our young people need to feel supported and need to feel like they matter.” WOW’s Impact in Boston In 2022-2023 198 individuals reached 69% of WOW participants with clinical PTSD showing improvement by the end of the year 67% of WOW participants with clinical depression showing improvement by the end of the year In Boston 215 young women participated in the Working on Womanhood (WOW) program in school year 2023 Read the Story WOW circles create a space for girls of color to be themselves. What Our Community is Saying “What makes WOW special is giving our young queens a counselor with lived experience and a safe space to address the traumas and pains they’ve dealt with. We’re meeting young people in schools, embedded in their schedule. It’s an elective a WOW young queen will have for the entire school year.” Shawn Brown Executive Director, Youth Guidance Boston “Our strategic plan in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) says that we want to give every student what they need, and that’s different for every student. And so, this program providing those services to the young women in BPS is going to be a game changer.” Charles Grandson Chief Equity and Strategy Officer for the Boston Public Schools “Going in, I thought I wouldn’t get anything out of it. Before, I was really closed off and wouldn’t talk about my feelings. But I learned it was ok. My [WOW] counselor talks to me like a human, not just a child. I realized I could reach out to other women in my life, like family and teachers.” Justis Porter WOW Scholar, Jeremiah E. Burke High School Join our work in Boston We rely on champions and supporters who believe in the power and potential of community-driven change. Follow Us @GreenLightBOS Get In Touch
