Young Women of Color Day of Listening
This week’s blog is written by Samantha Overton, Community Engagement Coordinator, Way to WellvilleDay of Listening
On May 5th, 2019 at the CC Woodson Community Center, the Mary Black Foundation, in conjunction with local community partners including Way to Wellville, City of Spartanburg, and Bloom Upstate, hosted a Day of Listening entitled, “My Voice Matters.” The event was designed to provide a safe space for young women of color ages 16-19 with a purpose of:- Increasing opportunities for Young Women of Color (YWOC) living in the City of Spartanburg to have their voices heard and share their stories;
- Increasing understanding of the needs of older YWOC;
- Increasing community initiatives that understand YWOC experiences in Spartanburg; and
- Increasing the understanding of what YWOC want from their community.
Partnerships
The Mary Black Foundation’s Adolescent Health Initiative, Connect is a Tier 1B Grantee for the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH). Under the guidance of their Community Advisory Board partners, Bloom Update and the City of Spartanburg Parks and Recreation they sought to listen to Young women of color ages 16-19 this particular age group among women of color has voices often unheard. The planning committee for the event, consisting of local youth serving partners and teens in Spartanburg, developed three overarching questions that would be posed to the young women at the event. They included:- What is life like for you as a young woman of color in Spartanburg?
- Tell us how Spartanburg is or is not supporting you as a YWOC in being the woman you want to be.
- Tell us how Spartanburg could be a better place for Young Women of Color