The organization's mission is to empower women and girls and their families, and to eliminate racism. To accomplish these goals, the ywca provides a wide range of services in four areas: adult, youth, health, and residential.

Ywca youth services: ywkids was established to serve families in need of quality care for school age youth. Ywkids serves youth ages 5-13. During the school year, the program operates monday through friday from 2:30pm - 5:30pm, and from 7:30am to 5:30pm during school vacations and the summer months. During the school year, youth from several elementary schools are transported daily to and from the program. Program outcomes this year:1. Increased student success in new bedford public schools through quality childcare, academic support, and social/emotional support. 2. Improved family engagement as evidenced through increased attendance at monthly activities via free transportation to and from the ywkids program site. 3. Increased understanding by ywkids staff via professional development of zones of regulation, social/emotional strategies and supports, active learning, and differentiated instruction. This past year ywca southeastern massachusetts implemented a new program:youth/police dialogues. This is a nationally recognized program developed by the yw boston, to provide safe, structured way for young people and police officers to come together, speak openly, build trust and community. Youth/police dialogues engage young people age 13-20 and police officers in voicing and addressing negative experiences and stereotypes, exploring how youth police relationships affect community safety, and building more trusting personal relationships. Our youth/police dialogues illuminates barriers between the youth and the officers and encourages them to work together to brainstorm solutions. The six session curriculum covers topics critical to rebuilding positive relations, including stereotypes youth and police have of each other and the "stop snitching" culture and how to change it. The dialogues are highly interactive and structured to increase trust and build relationships, using group-generated agreements, and 1 on 1 conversation. Last year we completed two facilitator trainings, training nine adults and 3 youth/police dialogue sessions reaching 55 youth and 12 police officers. other program services: specific programs include the mission impact programs of racial justice and economic advancement, widowed persons program, health and wellness includes health programs and activitieswith an emphasis on breast, colon, prostate and cervical cancer prevention, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and nutrition. Residential services includes single room occupancy living facilities for women age 18 and over at a woman's place. Leading ladies leadership development program for women 18-30. The ywca embarked on a capital building project several years ago to bring all of our programs and services "under one roof. " the ywca broke ground on this project in may 2018. This project makes our administrative offices at the levi standish house, accessible by installing an enclosed walkway to connect the addition to our current building. The 6,500 square foot addition will house two of our programs: another women's place residential program for women and ywkids school age child care program. Ywkids will be housed on the first floor of the addition. This new center will increase staff and child interaction, and produce higher educational and skill development outcomes. The ywca will also remodel the lower level of standish house to provide additional classroom and office space for ywkids. The new location will be carefully and specifically designed for age-appropriate educational activities for as many as 50 children. Ywkids is currently housed at campbell school in new bedford. The second floor of the addition will be the new home of another woman's place; eight single-occupancy rooms of supportive permanent housing for women. The ywca recently closed this program, located on middle street, in preparation for our new building addition. Our curent location, a woman's place, will remain open.