YWCA Mankato

YWCA Mankato is eliminating racism and empowering women through programming initiatives for girls and gender-expansive youth, eliminating barriers for new American families, and supporting and empowering women leaders.

We actively support women and girls in realizing their dreams, fostering the creation of the lives and communities they envision. We engage in meaningful conversations and drive initiatives that bring about a more inclusive and equitable community, where every voice is heard and valued. 

New American Families

We have witnessed the challenges faced by immigrant and refugee families with young children when settling in the Mankato area. As a response, our cornerstone New American Families (NAF) program was developed to assist in navigating a new country with distinct systems and rules. The NAF program provides home visits using an evidence-based curriculum and system navigation to eliminate these barriers, focusing on families with children from prenatal to five years of age. Our culturally specific and multilingual team delivered 382 home visits and 11 group meetings for Latinx, Somali, and other East African communities in the Mankato area in 2023. Through a holistic approach focusing on early education outcomes and the families’ social determinants of health, participation in the program promotes thriving families with children who are ready for kindergarten. 

Building Confidence in Girls

Our youth programming inspires girls to build confidence in girls in the Greater Mankato area through after school youth programs. Programs like Handball 2 University and Trades Trailblazers partner with local post-secondary institutions and create equitable opportunities through education and empowerment. In addition, our MindSet and Sewing for Success programs emerged out of community conversations regarding the needs and interests of girls, whether they are widely or uniquely felt. Rising reports of mental health concerns for teens inspired the mental wellbeing summer camp programs for MindSet and the lack of culturally relevant clothing for Somali women inspired Sewing for Success! Keeping in mind the intersections of identities, our work with youth aims to build a pipeline of community resources including college and career readiness, emotional and physical wellbeing, mentorship, and more, empowering girls to be the next generation of leaders.

Women's Leadership

To support emerging and established leaders, the Elizabeth Kearney Women’s Leadership program empowers up to 30 women annually and has over 300 alumni. For over 15 years, the program has fostered personal and professional growth through monthly cohort meetings providing a space for women to acquire new skills and cultivate meaningful relationships. YWCA hosts a variety of events, activities, and conversations aimed at building community among women, because as half of the population, women can lead the way toward a more inclusive and innovative society. Dr. Annette Parker, president of South Central College underscores this point and told us: “We’ve benefited from their professional and personal development because they return more focused in their work and are better leaders.” 

Advocacy and Community

YWCA Mankato knows that we cannot work towards our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women without building strong relationships and fostering a community that values peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Our advocacy and community work advances conversations and initiatives at the internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and ideological levels and includes our current work like the Lead the Vote Coalition and the Young Women’s Cabinet. We work to raise every voice in Greater Mankato to advocate for gender and racial justice at the community, city, state, federal, and global level.

YWCA Mankato is an affiliate of YWCA USA, a national organization at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for more than 160 years. As one of over 130 sister YWCA associations, our affiliation writes us into the history of one of the largest and oldest women’s rights organizations. As the sole YWCA serving southern Minnesota since its establishment in 1926, YWCA Mankato has been a steadfast force in the greater Mankato area. 

Our mission is more important now than ever. We need everyone, across race, gender, sexual identity, age, ability, and ethnicity to prioritize racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls. Join us in our work because achieving equality and well-being for all members fosters a more inclusive, prosperous, and resilient society, benefiting everyone.