Circle 2023 registration is open!

Join us as we celebrate 20 years of unity at Circle 2023. Invite your circle of friends to learn more about YWCA programming and how we are an organization for our community, by our community.

Registration is free, but there will be a donation ask during the event. We encourage all attendees to support YW in our efforts to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen our community.

Thursday, May 4, 2023

11:30 am - 1 pm

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel

WE BELIEVE IN REAL CHANCES

Kate Brunk

Think for a minute about the most positive, transformative experience you’ve ever had. Maybe it was something that changed the course of your career or your whole life or maybe it was something that made you see yourself or the world in a whole new way. Think about the ways that the experience changed you or shaped you. Through our programs, we’re working every day to provide the space for women who’ve been incarcerated to have transformative experiences so they can rebuild their lives. We’ve seen firsthand that transformative experiences only come from having Real Chances to succeed.

Now consider all of the factors that led up to your transformative moment. What gave you a Real Chance at having that experience? What opportunities, support, or resources did you have leading up to that experience? Did you have someone close to you encouraging you? Did you learn from or with other people? Did you have the financial means needed to meet your needs during that time? Were you part of a school, program, or organization that opened up opportunities for you?

As humans, we’re biologically designed to seek connections with one another and contribute to the groups and communities we’re part of. For many people, after being incarcerated, we lose some or all of those connections and opportunities to be part of a supportive group. Our opportunities and resources are more limited by the fact that we’ve been incarcerated for a crime, regardless of our guilt, innocence, or desire to invest in our futures. We typically don’t have a Real Chance to overcome our new, stringent barriers to achieve success.

Congratulations to our Strive graduates!

On Thursday, February 23, three clients graduated from YWCA Strive, our professional development program facilitated by Ms. Trudy Robinson. This was Ms. Trudy's first cohort as the facilitator and she knocked it out of the park. Big thank you's go out to Ms. Trudy for her hard work, to our guest facilitators and to our graduates for seeing this through to the end!

Real Chances with Labyrinth Outreach Services for Women

YWCA Labyrinth Outreach Services to Women offers reintegration services to women who've experienced incarceration. The overall vision is to significantly reduce recidivism.

Labyrinth addresses the needs of women released from the Illinois Department of Corrections and McLean County jail who are returning to the community. We help rebuild each woman’s dignity and nurture her growth as she develops the attitudes and skills required for productive, independent living.

Upon assessing each woman’s needs, our staff and volunteers provide support and guidance for clients to obtain the resources needed to aid them on their new journey. That support and guidance can look like:

Mentoring Program

Eligible clients are based with trained community members as additional support to work on personal/career goals, coaching, and personal empowerment. Mentoring includes monthly match events with all members of the program and involves a one-year commitment to the program.

Economic/Employment Services

Classes explore résumé development, interviewing, financial literacy, explaining a criminal record, and uncovering careers that can lead to economic stability and success. Our coaches help clients with job search preparation, how to use personal networks to find employment, preparing for job interviews, and how to utilize soft skills to remain employed, as well as providing education to potential employers and partners.

Outreach Case Management/Counseling

All eligible clients meet with our case manager/counselor to complete an intake and determine their personal goals. Services are provided based on an individual level and for as long as they are needed. Outreach services include on-site support groups and skill-building workshops.

Labyrinth House

Labyrinth House is a transitional living program for formerly incarcerated McLean County women. Residents live in a shared two-bedroom furnished apartment and receive on-site support from residential counselors each evening. Residents have access to economic/employment resources and a counselor/case manager. Residents are able to increase their privilege level over time and can remain for up to two years.

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Real Chances with Labyrinth Made Goods

Labyrinth Made Goods creates opportunities that empower women who have experienced incarceration by providing professional development training, apprenticeships, and permanent employment as a part of YWCA McLean County.

All proceeds from the nonprofit social enterprise are reinvested to create more empowering opportunities so every purchase and donation made supports our mission. Learn more and purchase here.

Labyrinth Made Goods also facilitates YWCA Strive, a free professional development program for individuals who struggle to secure or retain living-wage employment. Learn more or sign up here.

Labyrinth Made Goods on TV?!

On March 15, Candice Byrd, Assistant Director of Labyrinth Made Goods, and Marilyn Brown, Business Specialist at Labyrinth Made Goods, joined WEEK25 News to discuss Real Chance Month, their candles and newly launched wax melts, and what we do at YW that provide real chances for people. Click the video to watch!

Employee Spotlight

The Ladies of Labyrinth

With our grant funding, we were able to hire 4 new part-time positions at Labyrinth Outreach Services for Women in July 2022: two Specialist 1 positions and two Specialist 2 positions. The positions were set up similar to Labyrinth Made Goods apprenticeships and we focused on hiring current/former Labyrinth clients and college students who were in social work, criminal justice, or going through the Peer Recovery Specialist certification program at Heartland Community College.

Specialist 1 positions are focused on outreach in our community – presenting to individuals or agencies in the community about Labyrinth services and how they became involved with the program. They also assist in the preparation, and welcoming, of a new resident moving in. They are learning about resources in the community and how to connect clients with those agencies.

Specialist 2 positions work closely with the clients in our program, learning the role of case management, including transportation, facilitating groups, and individual sessions.

We have a great team right now, who is passionate about helping others, working as a team, learning about the great resources in our community, and how to support women on their path to independence!

Dates of note:

March is Women's History Month

March is Real Chance Month

21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
23: Ramadan begins
23: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade
31: International Transgender Day of Visibility
31: Labyrinth Open House