Mission

The YWCA Monterey County is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

Vision

YWCA Monterey County is a leader in ensuring a safe, healthy, and dignified community, empowering women to live to their fullest potential. Sustained by its values and commitment to diversity, equity, and justice, YWCA-MC provides education, advocacy, and services that prevent and address all forms of violence against vulnerable members of our community.

Empowering Girls & Women

Our programs, conferences, and wrap-around services work to empower our community as a safe place for girls and women every step of the way. We recognize the inequalities that preface so much of the violence plaguing our communities and work to stamp out those root inequalities. Our involvement in education, local government, police departments, with healthcare professionals, trauma and addiction specialists, legal advocates, business owners, and a diverse public who support our mission prepare us to provide violence prevention and intervention services for our entire community. Through our growing coalitions across classes, cultures, and neighborhoods we are becoming a stronger force to end the oppression of women in Monterey County and empower all girls and women.

Eliminating Racism

YWCAs are eliminating racism by addressing the disparities people of color face in the areas of housing, education, jobs, healthcare, criminal justice, and asset growth.

Culturally-competent gender and racial justice training.
Spanish/English Bilingual services in every program offered by YWCA Monterey County.
A public stance against the Muslim ban, race-based hate crimes, and violations of Civil Liberties for all people including those of color.
Violence prevention education and outreach for youth and future leaders.

The YWCA USA adopted racial justice in our mission in 2009. We are dedicated to justice for those most impacted by inequality and oppression. Our mission has grown and changed as the world has. We believe there is no gender justice without racial justice. And there is no racial justice without gender justice.

Through ongoing programs, conferences, events, and initiatives, YWCA-MC leaders are engaging communities to recognize the broad-based, negative and consequential effects of racism. Our mission and work require courage. We must serve communities most affected by economic, racial, and gender oppression. Together we can influence policies and legislation that ensure progress for all people impacted by violence, poverty, racism, and sexism.