WFET research has found a major barrier to postsecondary education in our 25-county service area is a negative message discouraging women and girls from furthering their education beyond high school. Over the next three years, the WFET has committed $300,000 in grant money to build and fund a strong network of eight non-profit organizations that can work to reduce this barrier to post-secondary education. The network members are currently hard at work conducting research into the negative messages that women and girls hear. Informed by these research findings, network members will develop and test new messages that will form a counter narrative and will take the lead in deploying and disseminating that new narrative throughout the region.
The WFET selected experienced non-profit organizations for this work including the Boys and Girls Club of Elizabethton/Carter County, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the TN Valley, Centro Hispano, Children’s Center of the Cumberlands, Girls Inc. of TN Valley, Project GRAD Knoxville, The Restoration House, and the YWCA of the TN Valley. Collectively, these network organizations will seek to:
Change the current pervasive and discouraging narrative that serves as a barrier to education for women and girls into a cultural mindset that every woman and girl deserves to make the most of herself by taking advantage of opportunities to further her education.
The network’s goal is to change the conversation in ways that will encourage young women, their families, and communities to embrace a broader vision of possibilities and success. We look forward to keeping you updated as the network makes progress toward this goal. Meet our grantee partners and learn more about each organization HERE.
