Young Women and CFCS Come Together for “I Am Why” Workshop

A snapshot from one of the participant’s collages.

I Am Why is a social justice organization dedicated to empowering young women through workshops across the country. These workshops include a lively curriculum, and give young women the opportunity to express themselves through art and meaningful conversation. I Am Why takes a therapeutic and creative approach to this important work towards social equality, and we are very excited to work with them to provide workshops and opportunities to the young women we serve. We recently hosted an I Am Why event for our clients, including the moms in our Young Parents Support program and a resident at Teens Learning Choices.

The event started with the group having a video chat with one of I Am Why’s ambassadors, Jazmine, who is a young mother herself. Together, our clients and Jazmine discussed their common experiences and compared issues facing young mothers in San Francisco and Boston. The group talked about homelessness as a significant problem for young women, and particularly young mothers, in Boston. This initial conversation built a sense of sisterhood among the ladies, and it also allowed them to learn about new resources available to them.

After the video conference, we did an official I Am Why workshop with a facilitator. The group created collages that displayed the things holding them back and the strength they have to overcome those challenges. It was really fun to do a creative activity with our clients! Afterwards, everybody said that they enjoyed the event and wished we could have more events like it.

We hope to answer that wish with future collaborations with I Am Why. We’re looking forward to the wonderful opportunities this partnership will bring to the young women we serve!