Working On Womanhood
Working On Womanhood, or WOW, is a program meant to structure, improve, and benefit the emotional capacities of young women in at-risk communities. At the end of the school year, counselors host a closing celebration known as “My Vision, My Journey.” Personalized to their school and group dynamics, the event can involve elaborate rituals, cultural presentations, and poems, essays, and songs performed by its participants.
Read the piece in full on Youth Guidance’s blog: https://www.youth-guidance.org/a-trust-exercise/
Purple is the color of choice for WOW, representing royalty and ambition.
Each counselor gets to customize this end-of-year celebration in any theme they’d like. Dorothea Brown, WOW counselor in the far south side, chose purple dog tag necklaces for this year’s cohort, as this group of survivors-turned-best friends blossomed.
“Trust your sisters”
Doretha had her students line up in a “trust walk:” all following with a hand on the next shoulder, blindfolded. Many group activities in BAM (Becoming A Man) and WOW emphasize trust, vulnerability, and supporting their fellow classmate.