united teen equality center : young women's project

The Basics

So few magazines today speak to the real teen woman. Many claim to be about the "inner you," but still fill their pages with models of unattainable proportions, stories about getting the guy & the best way to look the most beautiful. YWP participants have examined how these stories and images affect young women, and weren't happy with what they discovered. Often, low self-esteem, eating disorders & unreal expectations go hand-in-hand with what the media tells us a young woman should be.

And so, YWP has set forth to create their own magazine for teen women.

Focusing on real issues that affect young women, Goddess girls (the group of YWP girls working on the 'zine) will receive training from the Lowell Sun on the basics of researching, interviewing & newswriting. These young women will then head out into their communities to really explore what is important to young women.

Our Goal

We are hoping to raise $1,000. Each young woman will receive a $100 stipend upon publication of the first issue of Goddess. There are currently 8 young women involved in Goddess: Daneris, Kerry, Shachie, Masada, Taeya, Selena, Angelique & Jessica. Eventually, each young woman will have a page where she will update with her progress, but for now, we're working in partnership with the Lowell Sun to get things up and running.

Aren't their organizations that will fund this project?

Some of the pieces, such as the Coordinator's salary & other overhead costs, are covered by state and private grants, for which we are lucky and very grateful to have. However, if you've been following the state of the economy, things are getting tighter. State and private funders are quickly losing access to money they use to support programs such as this one. Jobs for youth -- especially state funded jobs -- are quickly dwindling, and teens are losing out on valuable learning experiences, as well as money that often is more than summer fun, it's a means of helping to support their family. So we're turning to the community to help us out -- and what better way to show the young women that so many people out there CARE about giving them opportunities and supporting their right to express themselves? And you'll get to hear directly from the girls about the impact YOUR SUPPORT has had on them!

How do I donate?

See that donation button below? You can click on it and donate through paypal, or you can send a check to:

United Teen Equality Center
10 Kirk Street
Lowell, MA 01852

Please note on the check that it is a donation for YWP/Goddess.

Anything above $800 raised will go directly towards the creation and publishing of the magazine. Please note: Any donation of $50 or greater comes with a free Goddess t-shirt with the Goddess logo on the front (created by our very own Goddess, Taeya Ngo). We will email you with more information when we receive your donation. All donations are tax-deductible. If you would like a receipt, please contact us or note such on your donation.

All sponsors will receive a free copy of Goddess, as well as a special thank you, both on this site and in the first issue!