Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota

A First-of-Its-Kind Partnership to Create Equal Opportunity

We’re on a mission to create a Minnesota where every girl has the opportunity to thrive and is the champion of her own life. A public-private partnership between the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and the State of Minnesota, the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment to achieve equity in opportunities and to improve the lives of young women of color, American Indian young women, young women from Greater Minnesota, LGBTQ youth, and young women with disabilities.

Advancing Opportunities with Young Women in Minnesota

The Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota will deliver a Blueprint for Action to strategically create and advance opportunities for and with young women in Minnesota to achieve equity in opportunities and start eliminating barriers to ensure that all Minnesotans can live prosperous lives.

The project will also include creation of a Prosperity & Well-Being Index of indicators to measure and evaluate the progress made in Minnesota toward gender equity. The Initiative, designed to be as participatory and inclusive as possible, is comprised of two core committees that will drive the work: Young Women’s Cabinet and Young Women’s Initiative Council

In the News

Office of the Governor & WFMN release YWI MN’s Blueprint for Action

Read the press release announcing Gov. Dayton’s appointments to the Young Women’s Cabinet and the Young Women’s Initiative Council.

Read the initial launch press release.

Watch the video of the full press conference.

YWI MN In The News: Star Tribune, WCCO, MN Daily, Fox 9 (KMSP), MN News Network, MinnPost

From Our Community Talk Bubble | WFMN

  • “Everyone should care, because it’s a problem that’s not only affecting women. It’s a problem that’s affecting everyone. It’s not just a Minnesota problem. It’s a national problem. It’s a problem that’s going around everywhere.”
    Silver Moran-Stewart
    Cabinet Member, Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota
  • “The Young Women’s Initiative is about reaching out to women, giving them resources, giving them the help that they need to succeed, and empowering them in a meaningful way.”
    Grace Maruska
    Cabinet Member, Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota
  • “We want every young woman in Minnesota – and every Minnesotan – to have access to equal opportunity in order to create and lead safe and prosperous lives. We know that when young women do better, their communities do better, and we all do better.”
    Lee Roper-Batker
    Foundation president & CEO

Article with Arrow | WFMN

YWI MN Blueprint For Action PDF
Our Work

Blueprint for Action

Built with community partners, based on community-specific listening sessions, and funded through Women’s Foundation investments, the Blueprint for Action proposes community-led solutions to advance opportunities and start eliminating barriers for young women in Minnesota.

View the Blueprint for Action

Read the full YWI MN companion report ›

Listening Sessions

From November 2015 to December 2016, the Women’s Foundation convened nine listening sessions featuring young women and advocates from the Somali and East African, American Indian, African American, Latina, Hmong and Karen, LGBTQ, disabilities, and northern and southern Greater Minnesota communities. The sessions enabled each community to form its own panels to allow for deeper conversation around economics, racism and culture, school and education, societal and gender norms, safety, and health.

We know problems and solutions are found in the same place and hearing directly from young women and youth is an important part of finding solutions. The information gathered from the sessions helps the Foundation develop a statewide agenda for gender and racial equity and increase resources for girls and women across Minnesota with the greatest disparities in outcomes. The qualitative data we gained from the listening sessions is instrumental in driving the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN).

Listening Sessions Storyboards | WFMN

Check out these listening session storyboards and more in our research ›

Listening Session | Volume I | WFMN

Listening to Young Women of Color, Youth, & Advocates: Volume I

Listening Session | Volume II | WFMN

Listening to Young Women of Color, Youth, & Advocates: Volume II

Listening Session | Volume III | WFMN

Listening to Young Women of Color, Youth, & Advocates: Volume III

Listening Session | Executive Summary | WFMN

Listening to Young Women of Color, Youth, & Advocates: Executive Summary

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Young Women’s Cabinet

The Young Women’s Cabinet, comprised of up to 25 young women and youth leaders (ages 16-24) from eight communities across Minnesota, is charged with ensuring that the work of the Council stays grounded in the lived experiences of the young women and youth from each community and the community-specific challenges and solutions they identified. The YWCA St. Paul works with the Young Women’s Cabinet to provide leadership development.

Young Women’s Initiative MN Council

The Young Women’s Initiative MN Council comprises 67 cross-sector leaders from government, business, higher education, philanthropy, and the community. Three co-chairs from the Young Women’s Cabinet sit on the Council. The role of the Council, in partnership with the Cabinet, is to sequence the Blueprint for Action and catalyze resources to move the recommendations forward.

Image Grid | WFMN

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Get Involved

Become a champion with young women in Minnesota and ensure a better future for all.

Join us!