Young Women's Christian Association of Kitchener-Waterloo

Published purpose

This 60-month project will address organizational capacity needs to allow Kitchener-Waterloo Young Women's Christian Association to continue promoting social and systemic change towards gender equality. Organizational capacity will be enhanced through the development of an advocacy strategy to heighten participation in existing advocacy events and campaigns raising awareness about gender-based violence, as well as the establishment of a medium-term advocacy campaign, 'Woman Up Waterloo.' This new campaign will include community engagement, a sustainable fundraising strategy, and the collection and analysis of gender-based data to inform community programming and be made available through a newly created database. First supplemental funding will be used to acquire a printer and software as well as hire external specialists to assist with content writing and graphic design. Second supplemental funding in 2023 will be used to increase organizational capacity to affect change by using the current advocacy activities to inform the development and implementation of an improved advocacy strategy at a provincial level for YWCA Ontario (led by Kitchener-Waterloo Young Women's Christian Association). This will involve 1) research and development to highlight foundation, 2) development of governance structure and 3) a two-year advocacy strategy.