UTEC's Young Women’s Project is particularly devoted to providing programming for those young women most often overlooked and labeled as “at-risk” (though we prefer to use the more appropriate term of “at-potential” youth). A core group of 75 young women will be involved in the direct running of YWP programs, and an additional 150 will be served though street outreach, informal counseling, referrals and special events.
Statistics
In 1999, there was a 50% enrollment decrease from grades 9 to 12.
Last year, Lowell had the 8th highest community teen birth rate in the state, almost two times the state rate of 33.8% (a drop from 2nd in the state after the implementation of the Young Women’s Project and other teen projects in the city).
Over 50% of these births were to women 18-19 years old, compared to the state average of 60%.
The highest percentage of mothers under age 20 were among Southeast Asian youth – 47% overall.
Last year, Lowell had the highest chlamydia rate for young women throughout the entire state.
Girl gang membership is also on the rise with many becoming involved in the male gangs and at least two growing girl gangs now visible on the streets.
According to a recent Lowell Police report, 63% of Lowell’s repeat runaways were female, and one-third of those young women were involved in the criminal justice system as youth.
The average age for these runaway youth is fourteen, and the increase in Asian female runaway youth exceeded all other categories in both 1999 and 2000.
Confronting the Issues
Through this project, UTEC women will confront and examine a variety of gender-related issues as identified by the young women leaders. Some of these issues are as follows: reproductive rights and pregnancy prevention; the social construction of gender and gender norms; the national and local media’s portrayal of young women; the political dimension of body image and size; and gender roles within a cultural framework. Young Women's Project incorporates these issues into the several different components, each emphasizing a specific strength, while still maintaining a holistic approach to each young woman's personal development.
The Components
Currently, the Project is broken down into four components: Social Change & Community Building (Young Women's Activism, Inner Beauty Awards, Leadership Team), Personal Expression (Creative Writing, Dance Choreography, Voice, Piano, Double Dutch, Step), Technology (Digital Photography, Desktop Publishing & Web Design) and Life Skills (Young Women's Support Network). Young women can choose to participate in one, several, or all elements. Each department will eventually contribute to Goddess. Co-facilitated by the YWP Coordinator or volunteer staff and a Teen YWP Coordinator, all classes meet weekly throughout UTEC’s four quarterly sessions. All YWP members will be encouraged to participate, and assume leadership positions, in the various weekly programs offered at UTEC. It is important to recognize the need for a girl-only safe space, where they can begin to examine social expectations and limitations, express their hopes and fears, and begin to work on the self-development needed to become strong and self-sufficient leaders, both in their personal lives and within the community.
Young Women's Activism
Particularly important to this project is Young Women’s Activism, the social change component of YWP. A weekly group created and facilitated by the young women, YWA strives to empower young women to take grassroots action surrounding the issues that affect them. YWA anticipates using the publication as a forum for the research they’ve done, expanding the circle of education to adults and other community members in Lowell. YWA is at the beginning stages of true organizing; the young women have begun to identify relevant issues and are beginning the selection process of young women who would be dedicated to such a dense and important project. Suggested topics for further consideration include addressing the quality of the health education curriculum (particularly as it pertains to educating young women on pregnancy prevention methods) and researching dating violence among Lowell's young women with the goal of empowering young women to keep themselves safe. These projects provide the opportunity for these young women to transform their research & skills development (via the community assessment) into grassroots organizing. Rather than emphasizing social services, the focus of these projects are social change/social justice (i.e. organizing presentation at City Council hearing on health education curriculum). Since educating communities about the root causes of social and economic problems lies at the heart of YWP’s community building projects, UTEC emphasizes “community building” rather than “community service” for this exact reason. UTEC wants to focus on the root causes of social inequities, while at the same time, increasing young women’s belief that they can be effective agents of social change.
YWA is also responsible for organizing monthly educational series & discussions, "Let's Talk," which focus on issues that affect their peers. During these workshops, young women will be exposed to a variety of topics dealing with social and economic injustices in their own community. Past topics have included media literacy and eating disorders, homophobia and low-income access to adequate healthcare.
It is also important to recognize that the program is driven by young women; they are the decision makers, the rule makers, the budget experts and the The editorial staff, comprised completely of young women, are responsible for determining the topic of each issue, as well as accepting and editing the material submitted. Young women also serve on the board & Leadership Team,and are responsible for surveying their peers and determining the need and desire for particular classes and workshops to be offered.
