Malala Yousafzai
The Young Women’s Initiative (YWI)
The Women’s Fund SouthCoast is proud to be one of 16 members of the National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiatives (NPCYWI)—a powerful movement working to advance gender, racial, and economic justice across the country. Through this partnership, we launched our own Young Women’s Initiative (YWI) to center the leadership, vision, and lived experiences of young women and gender-expansive youth of color right here in our community.
At the heart of our initiative is the Young Women’s Advisory Council (YWAC)—a group of youth leaders ages 14–22 with strong connections to New Bedford. YWAC members meet regularly to build leadership and advocacy skills, advise the Women’s Fund on key issues, and decide how to invest $20,000 in grant funding to support youth-driven solutions.
Our YWI is about power, purpose, and possibility—equipping youth with tools for change, amplifying their voices, and ensuring they have a seat at every table where decisions are made.
Check out our first cohort’s policy brief here!
Are you a young person interested in joining YWAC? Cohort 3 will launch in October 2026. Applications will open in May 2026. Stay tuned for more information.
If you are a community partner interested in getting involved in this collaborative, please email Jaliyah Gonsalves at jgonsalves@womensfundsouthcoast.org
We also engage in other projects and initiatives to invest in the next generation of leaders. See some recent highlights below.
MA Commission on the Status of Women’s Girls Empowerment and Leadership Initiative Partnership Executive Director, Christine Monska and two New
A group of students met with the Women’s Fund staff to discuss their advocacy efforts that led their high school
On May 31 the Women’s Fund and our community partners went to the MA State House to advocate for community-driven
Ana Maria Cabral’s visit to the Women’s Fund Office on July 7th highlighted the role women played in the revolution
We collaborate with research partners to learn about the issues affecting young women, girls and gender expansive youth. We partner with them to advocate for change and fund solutions that are youth-driven
The report of the Commission on the Status of Women – Girls Initiative 2020 MA Girls – What’s Your Status? serves as one of our guidelines for community investments.
About Us
We imagine a world in which women and girls are valued and their voices heard.
Our Impact
The success of women and girls ripples through the community to make a more just place for all.
Join Our Movement
Local women helping local women. We advocate, we advance. Our collective voice initiates change.
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