• 2025 Racial Justice Summit

    The 23rd Annual Racial Justice Summit is happening on September 25–26, 2025. Click the button below to explore the new Summit Website Hub and register for the experience today! Registrations are open until September 8.

    Explore the Summit

  • Youth Mural Unveiled: A Celebration of Youth, Art, and Restorative Justice

    The three-panel mural, born from restorative justice circles and a co-creation process came together for the first time among the artists and an audience of community members.

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  • The Art of Coming Together in Circle: The Creation Story of a Youth-Centered Community Mural

    Born from a spark of inspiration, Madison youth co-created a powerful mural through restorative justice circles and community art. Learn more about the collaboration behind this transformative project and YWCA Madison’s new Restore Art program.

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  • Reflections from YWCA National Conference for Executive Directors

    Gery Paredes Vásquez, Executive Director of YWCA Madison, shares deep insights from YWCA National Conference with Executive Directors. She offers important takeaways on how YWCA Madison plans to navigate the challenging times with love, joy, and dignity.

    Click Here to read

  • Moving with the Spirit of a Humming Bird: An Open Letter from YWCA Madison's Executive Director

    This week, Gery Paredes Vásquez, Executive Director of YWCA Madison, travels to Phoenix to join fellow YWCA leaders from across the country. As she prepares for this national gathering, she reflects on a powerful story shared with her in Teotihuacan—a myth of Coatlicue, the Earth Goddess, whose vulnerability gave rise to immense power and protection.

    Read Here

What’s Happening at YWCA Madison

Blog
A Warm Welcome to Our New YWCA Madison 2025 Board Members!
A Warm Welcome to Our New YWCA Madison 2025 Board Members!

YWCA Madison welcomes five new members to help guide our mission: Luz Arroyo Calderon, Brian Jones, April Kumapayi, kristy kumar, and Jordan-Lindsay Morris! Together with our continuing board and staff, they will help YWCA Madison build stronger, more connected pathways for justice and liberation.

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Annual Block Party
Annual Block Party

You are invited! Our annual Block Party is one of our most cherished YWCA Madison traditions since 2006. It is a great opportunity to connect with residents and families at our downtown location, and to support our work in Housing Justice. Community members are invited to join and learn more about our work at our 101 Downtown Residential Building.

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Art, Tenacity, and YWeb: How Dani RAD is Building a Creative Future
Art, Tenacity, and YWeb: How Dani RAD is Building a Creative Future

In 2020, Dani RAD returned to Madison, a place where they had spent a portion of their childhood before completing high school in Illinois. Dani found themselves at YWCA and saw an opportunity with the YWeb Career Academy, marking an important milestone in building their career as an artist.

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

YWCA Madison envisions a community where people of all racial, ethnic, socio-economic and gender groups are valued and included, and discrimination and injustice are eliminated.

  • Employment & Transit

    Employment & Transit

    Economic empowerment is more than simply having a job. Our goal is to create economic justice. 

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  • Housing & Shelter

    Housing & Shelter

    We believe housing is a human right; everyone deserves safe, affordable, and stable housing. 

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  • Race & Gender Equity

    Race & Gender Equity

    YWCA Madison provides a spectrum of programming aimed at creating a more just and inclusive society. 

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  • Restorative Justice

    Restorative Justice

    Providing alternative discipline models to keep students in school and out of the justice system.

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Community Impact ↘

YWCA Madison provides direct services, empowerment programming, and advocacy to support marginalized individuals and families, especially women and girls of color, while working to challenge structural barriers to equity.

YWCA Madison is a proud partner of United Way of Dane County.

  • Economic Advancement

    YWCA’s employment training, career navigation, job search support, paid internships, and financial classes help low-wage workers build economic security.

  • Homelessness & Housing

    YWCA’s eviction prevention, rental assistance, affordable housing, and basic needs programs, such as food and hygiene, help low-income households find stability.

  • Safety & Health Access

    YWCA’s emergency shelter for DV survivors, health access programs, and gender-based violence advocacy help protect the well-being of women and families.

100%

of families enrolled in the Steps to Stability program gained and maintained housing stability in 2022.

91%

of families enrolled in YWCA Madison's Third Street program maintained housing stability in 2022.

90%

of youth who participated in a Restorative Justice circle completed their agreements to repair harm/conflict.