YWI Summit Builds Power & Community
Building community power and investing in leadership is at the heart of the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s mission. One way we build power and leadership is through our Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota programs for ages 16-24.
This fall, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota and Marnita’s Table hosted a Power Up YWI Summit as a program kick-off for participants from all of our Young Women’s Initiative (YWI) programs. This year, we celebrated a new cohort appointed to the statewide Young Women’s Cabinet by the Office of the Governor, new members joining the Greater Mankato Cabinet, and our eighth cohort of Innovators receiving microgrants to support their projects for gender and racial justice. Additionally, we welcomed back YWI alumni, those who have returned for their second year and those who have completed their time in the program.
Convenings like the Summit build real-time connections that go deeper so that we can go further together, faster. We hosted the first YWI Summit last year, and cohorts have shared how much they appreciate being in community and working together. WFM designed the Summit for all cohort members to gather for the first time and build connections, train on policymaking and civic engagement, and share their input about future goals for Young Women’s Initiative.
A welcoming session introduced participants to one another and to YWI and its various programs. Stations were set up around the room so they could learn about the Young Women’s Initiative, meet new people, add songs to a music playlist, make bracelets, and have fun. Thoughtful activities led by Marnita’s Table contributed to five key event goals:
- Foster peer-to-peer connections among cohorts
- Build skills and knowledge through trainings
- Strengthen YWI connections and understanding of all YWI cohorts
- Deepen alumni engagement
- Highlight and identify priorities related to new YWI goals
While sharing their input about YWI goals, members got to know one another and share more about their passions and experiences. They participated in energetic activities, including sharing the languages they spoke besides English. In the room, 20 languages were spoked by YWI participants! BMO led a conversation on budgeting, and Citizens League led a training on what it takes to build a policy agenda. Members of both the statewide and Mankato Cabinets will be crafting their own policy agenda in the coming months and planning their Day at the Capitol for March 4, 2026.
Participants Shared
- “This is the sort of community I had always wanted to work with.”
- “I was able to connect with people from different backgrounds who had the same values as me. I felt powered up to take action in my community.”
- “I was able to go to the Summit last year, and I love it this year! It was very empowering to come together with all of the cohorts and learn about each other’s programs.”
- “It was inspiring to be in a room full of women and gender-expansive individuals who are passionate to generate change”
- “It was nothing short of inspiring to be surrounded by such brilliant, and passionate individuals”
About YWI
The Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota was created in 2016 because WFM knows that young people are not just leading in the future, they are leading today. Building pathways to leadership and changing systems for the better is the hallmark of the Young Women’s Initiative, as a leading partner in a powerful national network.
To be part of the change we are driving together, listen to and amplify the voices of young women and gender-expansive people in your lives, and stay tuned to WFM News & Events to see all that’s next for these Innovators and Cabinet members.
Enjoy the photos from Bethany Birnie showing great moments of members in meaningful conversations throughout the day.
