GreenLight Fund | BOSTON — 2021 Golf Program

About
WOW Working On WomanhoodSM
WOW
A flagship initiative of Youth Guidance, Working On Womanhood (WOW) is an in-school, groupbased
counseling and clinical mentoring program that cultivates leadership, promotes mental
health, and fosters the social-emotional skills of girls and young women in grades 6 -12. To do so,
WOW applies a therapy-based approach that addresses gender-specific needs by increasing selfimage
and self-worth for female-identifying students. WOW strengthens critical protective factors
and reduces high-risk behaviors among girls by helping them to cope with negative thoughts,
interrogate their automatic responses, respond reflectively in high-stakes situations, solve problems, and build self-efficacy to make
positive and healthy decisions, and ultimately, be leaders in their schools and their communities. In recognition of WOW’s efforts
supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of girls and young women of color, WOW (with BAM) was awarded the 2020 Advancing
Minority Health Award by the American Psychiatric Association.
WOW’s dynamic curriculum is designed around five Core Values —
each serving as a building block in reducing girls’ risk and promoting
positive social, academic, and health outcomes.
1. Self-Awareness – I have power. I know who I am. I accept who I am.
I inspire others to become who they want to be.
2. Emotional Intelligence – I am resilient. I recognize and use all of
my emotions. I respond in healthy ways to other’s emotions.
3. Healthy Relationships – I respect myself and others. I maintain
healthy boundaries in my relationships. I communicate my needs
and wants. I advocate for myself.
4. Leadership – I am a leader. I set goals. I am accountable.
I seek mentors to show me the way. I take a role in improving
my community.
5. Visionary Goal Setting – I have goals. I am motivated.
I overcome barriers. I work on my goals every day.
WOW’s Impact
Since WOW’s launch in 2011 in Chicago, its impact on young women, in
particularly young women of color, has been profound. To date, the program
has served nearly 3,000 young women, equipping them with the skills to
overcome barriers (personal and societal) and to become leaders.
62% of WOW participants experienced fewer PTSD symptoms*
71% of WOW participants experienced fewer depression symptoms*
96% of WOW participants reported that the program has helped
them make better decisions for themselves.
*Of those starting in the clinical range
Plans for Boston
Under the leadership of Executive Director, Shawn Brown, WOW will launch in
three Boston Public Schools, directly serving 150 young women in Year One.
WOW will expand to nine schools by the fourth year of implementation to
serve 450 young women. As with the BAM program, it is the aim of WOW to
expand within BPS as well as neighboring school districts — Cambridge Public
Schools and Somerville Public Schools — and ultimately across the state.
Shawn Brown joined Youth Guidance in 2017, taking on
the role Executive Director and leading the expansion of
the Becoming A Man (BAM) program to Boston. Under
his leadership, BAM Boston has grown from serving three
Boston public schools and 150 young men to now providing
direct services to nearly 600 young men across 11 schools
and three school districts — Boston, Cambridge, and
Somerville. With the expansion of WOW, Shawn—working
closely with the WOW Training Academy and Boston Advisory Council—
will lead both programs, safeguarding the fidelity of service delivery and
leveraging partnerships to ensure WOW and BAM scholars, alike, have
access to opportunities that will support their personal, academic, and
professional goals.
Prior to Youth Guidance, Shawn served as Executive Director of Diamond
Educators Mentoring—an organization he founded and is dedicated to
improving the academic performance of low-income and high-risk youth.
Shawn has a passion for mentoring and more than 20 years of experience
in the field of youth development and nonprofit leadership in Boston. His
expertise and contributions to the field of youth development have landed
him on national panels—hosted by My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, the Hunt
Institute, and NAACP Boston—to explore issues such as race, education, and
equity as they relate to young people. Shawn received a BA in Sociology
from Merrimack College and holds a Nonprofit Management and Leadership
Certificate from Boston University’s School of Management.
Ngozi Harris joined Youth Guidance in 2011 and has been
instrumental in the development, success, and expansion
of the Working On Woman (WOW) program over the past
decade. Ngozi is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
(LCPC) and currently serves as WOW Director of Staff and
Program Development. In this role, she oversees program
implementation and staff training, ensuring fidelity in
the delivery of the WOW program in Chicago, Boston,
Kansas City, and Dallas. Prior to this, Ngozi held the positions of WOW
Senior Curriculum Specialist, WOW Supervisor, as well as WOW Counselor,
through which she provided group counseling, mentoring, and other direct,
psychosocial supports to hundreds of girls and young women on the South
and West sides of Chicago.
Her experience prior to joining Youth Guidance and the WOW program
include providing therapy for trauma-afflicted children and adolescents,
Department of Children and Family Services case coordination, case
management for families in crisis, and working with the Illinois Department
of Corrections and faith-based communities. Ngozi received an MA in
Clinical Professional Psychology from Roosevelt University and her BA in
Public Policy from the University of Chicago.
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