What is YW Boston’s F.Y.R.E. Initiative?
F.Y.R.E. stands for Fierce Youth Reigniting Excellence. The F.Y.R.E. Initiative is YW Boston’s leadership and empowerment program for middle school girls in the Greater Boston area. The program’s curriculum incorporates social justice education, positive identity development, and civic engagement. Each weekly session is designed to promote dialogue and experiential learning to cultivate empathy and increase social-emotional learning.
The F.Y.R.E. Initiative takes place in schools or during Out of School Time programs. F.Y.R.E. is developed to operate in a “girls group” structure rather than a traditional classroom structure. At the end of the program, participants will present a community action project at the F.Y.R.E. Symposium and have the opportunity to engage with other youth leaders from across Greater Boston. Sessions can be facilitated in-person or remotely.
Thank you to our F.Y.R.E. Initiative Sponsors: Alexion Charitable Foundation and Citizens Bank Foundation
Be sure to follow YW Boston’s F.Y.R.E. Initiative (@yw_fyre) on Instagram to hear from our participants and facilitators!
Program Objectives
• Participants will utilize critical thinking to assess racial and gender inequities in the City of Boston
• Participants will learn about historical and current movements for racial and gender equity
• Participants will increase their capacity to engage in advocacy and policy change and lead others to act on issues important to them
• Participants will build a sense of self, empowerment, and resilience through controlling their lives and making an impact in their community
• Participants will identify community needs and assets and build problem-solving skills in identifying solutions
• Participants will understand how identities intersect and are impacted by systems of power
• Participants will utilize reflection, empathy, and conflict resolution to work across differences to resolve broader institutional issues
Curriculum Outline
The F.Y.R.E. Initiative consists of seventeen 1-hour sessions.
Section I: Learn
Session 0: Information Gathering
Session 1: Introduction & Community Norms
Session 2: Personal Power: Self Esteem & Self Advocacy
Session 3: Identity: Race & Gender Intersectionality
Session 4: Healthy Relationships
Session 5: Conflict Resolution
Session 6: Collective Power
Session 7 & 8: Unpacking Racism & Sexism
Section II: Plan
Session 9: Community Assessment
Session 10: Selecting a Community Issue & Root Cause Analysis
Session 11: Researching & Understanding the Issue
Session 12: Conducting the Power Analysis
Section III: Act
Session 13: Identifying Tactics & Project Development
Session 14: Symposium Preparation
Session 15: Reflection
Session 16: Program Review & Discussion
YW Boston Gender Inclusion Statement: