Mission Statement

The mission of the YWCA Chester County is to empower women and girls of all ethnicities by providing them education and supportive services and to eliminate racial and economic discrimination in our community.

Sign the Pledge for Racial Justice

I believe that every person has worth as an individual.

I believe that every person is entitled to dignity and respect, regardless of race or color.

I believe that every thought and every act of racial prejudice is harmful; if it is my thought or act, then it is harmful to me as well as to others.

Therefore, from this day forward I will strive daily to eliminate racial prejudice from my thoughts and actions.

I will discourage racial prejudice by others at every opportunity.

I will treat all people with dignity and respect; and I will strive daily to honor this pledge, knowing that the world will be a better place because of my effort.

Who Are We

The YWCA is the oldest and largest multicultural women's organization in the world. Across the globe, we have more than 25 million members in 122 countries, including 2 million members in 300 local associations in the United States. More important than the numbers, is our mission to eliminate racism and empower women. We provide safe places for women and girls, build strong women leaders, and advocate for women's rights and civil rights in Congress.

Women come to us in times of crisis, as survivors of rape or domestic violence. They come for job training and career counseling. They come for childcare. They come for health and fitness. They come for a variety of reasons. But they come. And they leave with a renewed spirit, new skills, and stronger lives.

YWCA associations are the bedrock of the organization.  They are in almost every community nationwide, and their services range from Childcare and Job Training, to Violence Prevention and Leadership Training.  YWCA staffers, volunteers and friends are your neighbors, family members, co-workers and friends.  To find out how you can help your community contact call 610-692-3737

the birmingham pledge

The Birmingham Pledge Foundation is a grassroots effort to recognize the dignity and worth of every individual, by making a personal, daily commitment to remove prejudice from our own lives and to treat all people with respect. Inspired by the historic events in Birmingham during the civil rights movement, The Birmingham Pledge has worldwide recognition with tens of thousands of people signing this personal commitment.

The mission of the YWCA Chester County is to provide educational and supportive services to empower women and girls of all ethnicities and to eliminate racial and economic discrimination in our community. From our beginning in 1858, the YWCA USA has stood for the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women — and still does today. Over the years, however, the general public ’s awareness of our mission has lessened. This is why we are pursuing a brand revitalization – to let everyone know we are alive and well. We’re still serving millions of women every year while striving toward the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women. We’ve come a long way over the past 146 years; we still have a long way to go but we know that we do not have to go it alone.We would like to invite you and your business, organization or congregation to host a signing of the pledge at your location – for a week, a weekend, or even just a day.

The YWCA has available 3 large, laminated posters of the pledge, along with display pads of signing paper on easels that can be displayed in your workplace or business to be used to collect signatures. We will also supply quantities of the pledge pocket card for each signer. The Pledge has already been signed by the Chester County Commissioners, the West Chester Borough Council and by the YWCA Board of Directors. The pledge is being taken to various locations throughout the community to encourage the public to think about instances where they have observed racism and make a personal commitment to non-racist behavior. Individuals who sign the pledge will be given a small card on which the pledge is printed so that they can remember every day the kinds of actions that they have agreed to avoid.

The Birmingham Pledge is one way that we can work together with all citizens to bring about the slow but necessary growth of tolerance and fairness that the good people who founded our county sought so sincerely. We hope that you and your organization will join us in promoting the pledge as a way to encourage people of good will to participate with us.

Facilities

Our building is located at 123 N Church Street in the Borough of West Chester, one block west of High Street between Chestnut and Gay Streets. There is a public parking lot on the corner of Chestnut and Church and metered parking on Church Street. Our hours of operation are 9:30 am - 5:30 pm Monday-Friday. We are closed and all programs are cancelled if the West Chester Area School District closes due to inclement weather.

Have an Event to Plan? We rent our space to community groups for meetings, and classes. Please contact us if you have a need for space you would like to discuss.

YWCA Chester County · 123 N. Church Street · West Chester, PA 19380 · Phone: 610-692-3737 · Fax: 610-692-5014 · Email: ywcacc@comcast.net