Brownsville Girl's Collaborative and Young Women's Collective Sisterhood Retreat

On Saturday November 4, 2017 the 2017-2018 cohort of the Brownsville Girls Collaborative (BGC) and Young Women’s Collective (YWC) headed to YMCA Camp Bernie for their annual sisterhood retreat.  The Brownsville Girls Collaborative and the Young Women's Collective employs an 8-month Rites of Passage program model, focused on sisterhood, leadership development and community engagement for young women ages 15-18 and 19-24. Through the program, young women embark on an 8-month journey of sisterhood, developing their inner selves and building healthy relationships with others and their community

The BGC begins with a weekend long sisterhood retreat, focused on leadership development, self-reflection, communication, and team-building. Over the course of the weekend, participants also complete their first sisterhood ritual. These rituals utilize components of Rites of Passage programming, including call and response, communal vision planning, and a pledge to support each other and themselves. At the end of the retreat, both BGC and YWC members become official members of the sisterhood.

Over the next 8-month, each program will be identifying issues that most impact women, co-creating space to support Brownsville girls growth and holistic healing, and working to create small and large scale events for the larger community. Be on the lookout for more details! As for now, check out some highlights below. 

If you have any questions regarding the Brownsville Girls Collaborative or Young Women’s Collective, please contact Tiara McLaughlin at tmclaughli@nycourts.gov or Sherrell Whitmire at swhitmire@nycourts.gov .