Young Women’s Action Team (YWAT)
Team
A. Sharma, CURL
D. Van Zytveld, CURL
S. Abdul-Mohammed, Undergraduate Fellow
J. Gattuso, CURL
L. Patrick, Undergraduate Fellow
Overview
Loyola University Chicago’s Center for Urban Research and Learning is conducting an evaluation of Girl Leadership U (GLU), a series of six sessions hosted by Young Women’s Action Team (YWAT) in which emerging young women leaders develop skills that can be utilized in efforts to take action and create social change. The evaluation will include a participant survey that examines: leadership development; advocacy; community organizing; self-awareness; ability to think critically; and connecting with other young emerging leaders to form allies for social change. The evaluation will also include an analysis of participants’ motivation to participate in GLU as well as the participants’ and session speakers’ perceptions of the program. The evaluation results will be used to inform future YWAT programming.
Outcome
A report that includes findings from each of the evaluation objectives. Upon the conclusion of GLU, it was found that youth participants not only demonstrated a greater knowledge of their own identity and values, but also a greater understanding of their capacity to create social change. In addition to their advocacy efforts, YWAT is also dedicating efforts toward developing future programming for young women.