GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Since 2013, the Women’s Empowerment Center at the YWCA of Greater Green Bay has offered a support system for women in the workplace.
The center is dedicated to giving women the tools they need to succeed - whether that be free professional attire from its Women’s Career Closet or a computer lab for those without access to technology. Now, the center is launching a new program dedicated to helping women achieve their career goals.
“If we can take you from a certain level that you're at, let's say entry-level skills, and push you up to either do more or attain more or get a better paying job, that's the goal for us," said Suzzane Wiitman, the director of the Women's Empowerment Center.
The program, called YW Strive, offers free educational workshops for women where they can develop professional skills. The topics of each workshop range from job searching, to money management, to breaking gender stereotypes. Wittman says the program also plans to include guest speakers from organizations in the community.
In 2022, there will be 6 educational sessions offered throughout the year. The sessions will be 4-10 weeks in length and participants can join at any time.
The program comes at a time where the pandemic has caused many women to leave the workforce. Between virtual learning and the high costs of childcare, many women were simply forced to stay home.
"If you have to choose between family or work, I mean what are you going to do? The cost to have children in childcare, it’s just really expensive and when you take a look at the demographic that we serve, these are women who are struggling to pinch those pennies," Wittman said.
The first session of the year will focus largely on mental health with topics such as building healthy relationships, respecting boundaries, and mindful self-compassion. Burnout is one of the leading causes of women leaving the workforce amid the pandemic.
"Burnout is real and the mental health issues have come to light as a result of the pandemic," Wittman said. "As a mother myself, to try to juggle the tasks of raising your children, taking care of the house, and working a full time job is a lot."
That's why whether they're looking to venture back into the workplace, find a job, or advance their career, the YW Strive program aims to give women the skills and resources they need to make it happen.
“The intention is helping women better themselves from where they’re at, everything from skills that we can teach them to basics of empowerment and understanding what it means to be empowered as a woman,” Wittman said.
To view the full schedule of the sessions this year, you can visit ywcagreenbay.org. The YWCA is one of 45 local non-profit organizations participating in the fundraising event Give BIG Green Bay. From noon February 23rd until noon February 24th, you can donate to the YWCA and other organizations at giveBIGgreenbay.org.
