Young Women's Freedom Center

Ultimately, our success is measured by the confidence, leadership, self-worth, resilience and self-reliance expressed and enacted by the young women and TGNC young people we work with towards fulfilling, safe and self-determined lives. Moreover, success is measured in the ways they contribute toward improving the conditions that led to harm and injustice in their lives, their families and their communities and in supporting others in similarly changing their own lives. Long-term, we will divert young women and TGNC at risk of incarceration or already incarcerated into our program. In addition, we will greatly increase participation of those who have dropped out of school through offering relevant and accessible educational options. Through a job training program connected to paid internships, we will offer an experience of success and skills building that provide immediate employment and support long-term economic self-sufficiency. All of which is central to escaping of cycles of incarceration, abuse and exploitation. Medium-term, we will reduce the involvement of our members in the juvenile justice system. For youth who remain connected to systems, we hope to reduce the seriousness of their offenses and therefore the frequency and number of systems involved in their lives. Similarly, another measure of success will be a reduction in the number of young women and TGNC people who end up in high-security and State facilities. Short-term we focus on increased stabilization - supporting the young people we work with in finding housing, connecting them to mental health, health care and social services, removing themselves from exploitative and harmful relationships, and transitioning out of the street economy (supported by higher paying, more engaging work).