Children Who Witness Violence

The Children Who Witness Violence (CWWV) program offers trauma-informed counseling and supportive services for children, ages three to seventeen, who have been exposed to or experienced domestic violence and/or sexual assault. This program offers children short-term intervention, generally twelve to fifteen sessions, in English or Spanish. The program recognizes that the therapeutic process can sometimes be scary for children and strives to create a safe, non-judgmental place. Referrals can be made by calling the YW’s hotline.

• $100 donated goes towards four trauma-informed, play-based therapy sessions for a child who has witnessed/experienced violence.
• $500 donated goes towards twenty trauma-informed, play-based therapy sessions for a child who has witnessed/experienced violence. Most children typically attend 15-20 therapy sessions and so this level of donation sponsors one child to participate in the full therapeutic process.
• $1,000 donated goes towards forty trauma-informed, play-based therapy sessions for siblings who have witnessed/experienced violence. Most children typically attend 15-20 sessions and so this level of donation sponsors two children to participate in the full therapeutic process.
• $5,000 donated goes towards 200 trauma-informed, play-based therapy sessions. This is enough therapy sessions for 10 children to each receive 20 sessions.

For each of these donations listed above, services are provided to the child in addition to the non-abusing parent. So really, you are sponsoring an individual session for a child and their parent as our therapists often help families overcome the collective trauma by working on things like re-establishing the child-parent bond after an incident of DV.

Healthy and Empowering Relationship Education Project (H.E.R.E.)

The YWCA of Western MA’s H.E.R.E. Project equips young people with the skills, confidence, and tools to interrupt and dismantle the culture of violence broadly in our society and more tangibly in Springfield. It is available for Springfield youth ages 12-18. The project aims to serve youth at risk for teen dating violence, sex trafficking of minors, and gang violence. The H.E.R.E. Project partners with Springfield middle and high schools to deliver three evidence-based core curricula:

1. One Love—addressing teen dating violence and healthy relationships
2. Bout That Life—addressing bystander intervention and the unique challenges faced by BIPOC youth
3. Not A Number—addressing the risk and protective factors of sex trafficking

• $100 donated funds four One Love group sessions at a local school or youth serving agency. These groups consist of 5-10 youth who learn about communicating boundaries, practicing consent, and knowing the signs of teen dating violence. These sessions help our youth to interrupt cycles of violence.
• $500 donated goes towards twenty Bout That Life group sessions  at a local school or youth serving agency. These groups consist of 5-10 youth who learn about bystander intervention through an anti-oppression lens. This evidence-informed curriculum was designed specifically for BIPOC students, which is a big gap in the prevention education scene.
• $1,000 donated goes towards forty Not A Number group sessions in the community. These groups consist of 5-10 youth who learn about how to protect themselves from human trafficking and exploitation through information, critical thinking, and skill development.
• $5,000 donated goes towards 200 group sessions of Not a Number, Bout That Life, and One Love at local schools or youth serving agencies.
• OR $5,000 donated goes towards youth to participate in an end of the Youth Summit, which will showcase leadership skills among group participants. $5,000 allows 50 youth to participate in the Youth Summit.