YWCA of Central Virginia Events
Your YWCA loves to engage our community through signature events! Learn how you can get involved with eliminating racism and empowering women year round!
Below are ways to get involved. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates and reminders.
Organization-Wide Events
SAVE THE DATE for a night of elegance and celebration.
Click here for more information.
Sexual Assault Response Program
Activism and awareness for sexual assault prevention began to gain traction in the 1940s and 50s, along with other movements for social change and equality. These efforts were championed by Black women and women of color. Advocates like Rosa Parks worked at the intersections of race-based and gender-based violence (a framework that would be dubbed “intersectionality” by advocate and professor Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. A complete history of the movement can be read here.
Although traditionally recognized in April, this page is updated regularly with events surrounding this advocacy work.
April 2022: Sexual Assault Awareness Month
Sexual Assault Awareness Month is a movement to end sexual violence through awareness and prevention. Sexual assault is any type of sexual activity that is not consensual. Most sexual assaults happen at or near the victim’s home, often by someone they know, and/or trust. 63% of sexual assaults are not reported.
Wear Teal in solidarity with survivors of sexual assault. Snap a selfie and send to us at communications@ywcacva.org
Location: YWCA Town Center, 262 Church St.
Time: 2:00-4:00 PM
Cost: FREE
Join YWCA Central Virginia’s Sexual Assault Awareness Program (SARP) and Lynchburg Police Department for a presentation on Personal Safety and Violence Prevention by Investigator K. Stevenson.
Location: University of Lynchburg
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Join us as two of the top experts discuss why violence prevention education on Sugar Dating is so necessary.
Speakers: Vashali Jain, Co-researcher, Medial Students Fighting Human Trafficking@VCU School of Medicine
Megan Lundstrom, M.A., Survivor Expert, Co-Founder & Director of Research @ The Avery Center
Location: Online
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
This webinar will focus on LGBTQ+ Communities and Sexual Violence and will be presented by the YWCA Sexual Assault Response Program (SARP)
Register by clicking here.
Time: 9:00 – 11:30 AM
Donations will be accepted at participating Walmart locations in Bedford and Madison Heights.
On this day, millions of people across the world will wear jeans with a purpose – to support survivors, and educate themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence. Wear denim to support survivors of sexual violence.
THE HISTORY
The campaign began after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans, she must have helped the person who raped her remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, what started as a local campaign to bring awareness to victim blaming and destructive myths that surround sexual violence has grown into a movement. As the longest running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history, Denim Day asks community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion statement by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual violence.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Observed in October and conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Awareness Month revolves around three themes:
- Mourning those who have died because of domestic violence
- Celebrating those who have survived
- Connecting those who work to end violence
To learn more about the history of month click here.
Events and Opportunities
We are working on providing you with wonderful opportunities to advocate in your community. Check back closer to October for information on how to get involved.
Racial and Social Justice Program
At YWCA Central Virginia, we demand a world of equity and human decency. We envision a world of opportunity. We commit ourselves to the work of racial justice. We will get up and continue to do the work until injustice is rooted out, until institutions are transformed, until the world sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.
To learn more about this program click here.
Events and Opportunities
YWCA Central Virginia is proud to join with YWCA South Hampton Roads (Norfolk, VA) and more than 50 other YWCA’s from across the country to Eliminate Racism.
In April 2022, YWCA will launch this year’s Stand Against Racism Challenge (formerly the “21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge”). The challenge will begin on Monday, April 4th and continue (Monday – Friday) for 21 days.
Click here for more information on how to get involved!
Click here to join the challenge now to receive informational emails regarding this topic.
Click here to join the challenge now to receive informational emails regarding this topic.
Click here to join the challenge now to receive informational emails regarding this topic.
Click here to join the challenge now to receive informational emails regarding this topic.
This is held the last Thursday of every month. Check back frequently for updates.
March 25, 2022
11:30 – 12:30 pm
Black Wall Street: The Black-White Wealth Gap
February 25, 2022
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Minority mental health crisis
What’s on the menu? For Black History Month guest speakers Sophia Strange, LPC and Erin Pinckney, LPC from Advanced Psychotherapeutics will lead a discussion on a portion of the Minority Mental Health Crisis – How racial trauma has affected communities of color and the healing process.
Pack your lunch and get ready to listen in on this awesome lunch and learn session as we close out Black History Month!
April 4, 2022- May 2, 2022
YWCA Central Virginia is proud to join with YWCA South Hampton Roads (Norfolk, VA) and more than 50 other YWCA’s from across the country to Eliminate Racism.
In April 2022, YWCA will launch this year’s Stand Against Racism Challenge (formerly the “21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge”). The challenge will begin on Monday, April 4th and continue (Monday – Friday) for 21 days.
YWCA Central Virginia, as well as YWCAs as a whole, recognize that there is an increased awareness about racial equity and social justice over the past few years. With our collective mission to eliminate racism and empower women, we act together to provide our neighbors and friends with the opportunity to engage in 21 days of learning, education, and reflection. Learn more.
April 29, 2022
11:30am-1pm
The annual Side by Side Walk for Racial Justice and Harmony is the primary event of YWCA Central Virginia’s Racial and Social Justice program and is a part of their Stand Against Racism Campaign.
We will celebrate our 24th Annual Walk on April 29, 2022, from 11:00am-1:00pm during the YWCA USA Stand Against Racism Observance Weekend!
We will begin with a 10-minute walk Downtown. Afterward, enjoy an informal lunch and a speaker. YWCA Central Virginia is proud to have Ms. Keesha Burke-Henderson, Chief Diversity Officer at Randolph College who will discuss how to apply a racial equity lens in whatever role, position or environment that you are in, along with brief remarks about Randolph College’s upcoming events. While the event is free, we hope that you will RSVP so we can make sure we have enough refreshments for all!
AMEND Together and AMENDING Through Faith
This program is dedicated to ending violence against women and girls by engaging men and boys to change the culture that a supports violence. It seeks to:
- Challenge the culture that supports violence
- Cultivate healthy masculinity in men and boys
- Change the future for women and girls
To learn more about this program click here.
Events and Opportunities
We are working on providing you with wonderful opportunities to advocate in your community. Check back for information on how to get involved.