YWCA Tri-County Area

It is our mission to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.  This mission and the combination of social service and intentional social change efforts is what sets the YWCA apart from other organizations.

YWCA is the nation’s oldest and largest women’s multicultural membership organization, reaching women at 300 locations in the United States and in 109 countries. Its mission is to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

YWCA Tri-County Area was founded as YWCA of Pottstown in 1908. Its original focus was to provide a haven for young girls and women who were homeless, or who had come to Pottstown to work in the town’s factories. Over the years, services expanded and adapted to meet the changing needs of girls and women in the community, and to work for racial justice and equity within the organization and throughout the community.

Although YWCA Tri-County Area’s buildings had to close between March 13 and July 6, the learning continued in most of our programs. YW continues to provide remote learning opportunities for its program participants, despite a loss of earned income throughout all programs. Our goal is to engage participants and their families – the majority of whom are low- to moderate-income – in program activities via internet and phone.

This public health crisis has affected everyone but is impacting our program participants and their families heavily. We are grateful for the support of our community as we continue to respond to the needs of our program participants. Thank you.

Today, YWCA Tri-County Area remains a leader in advocating for girls and women, and families providing quality programs and services designed to support and enrich the community. YWCA Tri-County Area serves more than 1,500 women, children, and families an educational organization that is empowering and inclusive, providing programs that encourage individuals to learn, grow, become, and take a stand. Direct service programming includes early childhood education, before- and after-school enrichment, youth empowerment, adult education, and workforce development. Mission-based advocacy efforts raise awareness, offer issue education, and build social capital around women’s empowerment, racial and social justice, and safe and healthy communities. YWCA Tri-County Area is proud of its holistic view of the families it serves and engages the community regularly through events designed to bring people together to spotlight community issues and solve community problems.

YWCA Tri-County Area envisions a world that holds equal promise for every person, celebrates diversity, practices inclusion, and promotes equality. We are committed to drive change, to listen, facilitate discussion, support and most importantly, act. Through our collective work, YWCA Tri-County Area will be known as an organization where all people, but especially women, girls, and families of color, receive trauma-responsive, culturally competent education services that will support the enrichment of their lives.