Violence is plaguing our country; it’s in our homes, schools and in our communities. According to the Department of Justice, one in five teenagers and young women have been a victim of some form of dating violence and almost 189,000 victims of sexual assault and rape annually.“We are looking at violence affecting the women and girls of this country and in our communities on an epic scale,” said YWCA Pasadena Foothill Valley Program Director, Karen Draine. “It is time to put a stop to the violence epidemic. We are saying enough!” The YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley wants residents to speak out during the Annual YWCA Week Without Violence October 21-25, 2013.
To address and prevent violence in our community the YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley along with our community partners: City of Pasadena, Day One, the Flintridge Center, LEARNs, Mustangs On The Move, Institute for Girls Development, Pasadena Police Department, Pasadena Unified School District, Peace Over Violence, Planned Parenthood and La Pintoresca Teen Center will be hosting a variety of events for all ages to promote peace and provide a safe environment during the Week Without Violence. On Monday, the YWCA-Pasadena Foothill Valley’s 11th Annual Racial Justice Breakfast will kick off the week of events. On Tuesday, the YWCA will host; Mind, Body and Soul: Survivors Edition, a workshop for Domestic Violence Survivors in support of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The event will feature three mini workshops on financial literacy, wellness and fitness. On Wednesday, the YWCA will take over the Robinson Statues at Pasadena City Hall for ‘Chalk for Change,’ where families and kids are invited to come to City Hall and chalk positive messages, quotes and artistic expressions on the grounds in front of the statues. Community partners will host booths, Panda Express will provide FREE dinner and Jarritos will pass out drinks. The YWCA will be giving out free gifts and prizes as well.
There will also be other exciting activities all throughout the week for youth ages 8-18 throughout Pasadena including interactive workshops on Cliques, Conflicts and Connections and Stand Up and Speak Out hosted by the Institute for Girls Development. City of Pasadena’s La Pintoresca Teen Center will host an Anti-Bullying Poetry Workshop and close with a Poetry Slam to wrap up this year’s Week Without Violence on Friday, October 25th.
For more information about how you can participate in any of the activities contact Karen Draine – Program Director at 626.296.8433 or kdraine@ywca-pasadena.org.
The YWCA Week Without Violence™ is a nationwide annual campaign that highlights practical, sustainable alternatives to violence in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities. To commemorate the 2013 YWCA Week Without Violence™, held the YWCA USA is declaring Enough! to violence by providing comprehensive resources to millions of people around the country to help them eradicate violence from their lives. A grassroots initiative when it began in 1995, today the YWCA Week Without Violence™ is a global campaign involving women, men and children in hundreds of communities in the United States and in countries around the world .For more information on domestic violence or how to get involved in community awareness efforts, contact the YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley at 626-296-8433 or visit www.ywca-pasadena.org.
About the YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley
The YWCA acts via a wide range of programs that strive towards the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women in Pasadena and the West San Gabriel Valley. Learn more and donate to the programs of the YWCA at www.ywca-pasadena.org. (626) 296-8433. The YWCA is located at 1015 North Lake Avenue, Suite 205, Pasadena, CA 91104.