Girl’s Rights:
Women’s Fund Radio with
Willow Scappace & Karla Travieso
The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts is working towards gender equality. They do this by “by funding the most promising solutions, collaborating with results-oriented partners, and by elevating the collective power of local women to take charge, and to lead with purpose.”
One way they do this is through the Young Women’s Initiative- the Young Women’s Advisory Council. This council of 20 young women participate in leadership development and implement a social justice program.
Two graduates, WIllow, 16, and Karla, 20, share how their experiences helped them grow as leaders and how they implemented new social programs to benefit the community.
In episode 2 of Hear Our Voices podcast, Willow Scappace, age 16, explains how she has benefited from a Women’s Fund grant.
Willow is an active participant of Community Action of the Pioneer Valley’s Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI.) The program aims to impact young people in Hampshire and Franklin counties to take on leadership rolls in youth groups that will help teens make healthy decisions. Community Action received a 3-year grant for YLI from the Women’s Fund.
“I think my biggest accomplishment is breaking out of my comfort zone and becoming a leader because I was pretty laid back and now I’m able to lead these meetings and help teach other people how to be stronger leaders.
In episode five of Hear Our Voices, YWI graduate Karla Travieso talks about her experience on the Young Women’s Advisory Council and how it helped her find her voice in her second language, English.
“They inspired me and taught me I am who I am and I have to show what I have, regardless of my accent.”
Karla Travieso is a young, passionate, innovative woman that is committed to the Springfield, Mass. community and to helping others. Karla has dedicated herself to initiatives like Gardening the Community, the Springfield Young Women’s Initiative, and the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact so that she has the opportunity to own her leadership strengths and empower other women to achieve their goals.
These interviews were originally posted here and here. Re-posted at the request of and with the permission of Kelley Bryant, Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.
Related Reading
Learning from the Voices of Herstory: Activist Suzy Post by Olivia Marcum
My Letters, My Comfort: A Personal Narrative by Tara Kimbrough