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Social action and advocacy are the cornerstones of YWCA. We conduct local advocacy efforts with the help of YWCA Board Members’ Advocacy Committee and other organizations to advance racial justice and women’s empowerment.

To learn more or become involved, please contact Debbie at dpope@ywcaboulder.org.

Click here to see YWCA’s Ballot Summary for the 2018 elections.

YWCA USA Public Policy Priorities

End Racial Profiling and Criminalization of People of Color

We must eliminate policies and practices, like racial profiling, that criminalize people of color and other marginalized communities.

Support Girls of Color Who Are Trauma Survivors

Girls of color who have experienced trauma must have improved access to community resources for trauma survivors, including in the education and juvenile justice systems.

Support the United Nation’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Goals

We will work together with our global sisterhood of YWCAs to end all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere, and ensure women and girls’ full and effective leadership participation at all levels of political, economic, and public life.

Improve Women’s Economic Security by Expanding Access to Sick, Safe, and Family Leave

Women should never have to choose between their job and their health or loved ones. Every worker deserves job-protected safe leave, and paid sick and family leave.

Remove Childcare and Housing Barriers to Women’s Workplace Participation

Improving access to quality affordable childcare and housing helps promote successful workplace participation for women, especially women of color.

Promote Federal Legislation to Support Survivors of Gender-Based Violence

We will strengthen federal legislation that supports survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence.

Improve Maternal Health Outcomes for Women of Color

We must address racial health disparities by reducing maternal mortality rates and improving maternal health outcomes for women of color.

Ensure Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care for Women and Girls

The healthcare infrastructure currently provided by the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, state health insurance programs, and reproductive health service providers must remain strong and viable in order to support women and families.

Children’s Alley Child Care Closed

On March 18, Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order suspending in-person learning in public and private schools across the state from March 23-April 17. In accordance with this, the YWCA is planning for Children’s Alley to remain closed until Monday, April 20. We will keep you updated weekly as we continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation.

It has been incredibly hard for us to temporarily close our doors knowing that this is creating additional strain on the families we serve and the children we love. While some childcare centers remain open, we are following safety recommendations from Colorado Public Health to close Children’s Alley. As a drop-in childcare center with different children every day, there is an increased risk of spreading COVID-19 and our highest priority has always been to provide quality care while keeping our staff and families healthy and safe.

We are committed to working through this time by identifying the most pressing needs of our community and creatively aligning resources and programming to address these pressing issues. We are staying up-to-date with Boulder County Public Health and will communicate our reopening as soon as it is a possibility.

For more information and community resources, please read our recent blog post.