YWCA Canberra is a feminist not-for-profit organisation that has provided community services and represented women’s issues in Canberra since 1929. Our history is bound to the history of Canberra shaping itself in response to changing local and societal contexts.
Our Achievements
Launch of Our lives: Women in the ACT
In 2019 and again in 2021, we conducted surveys of over a thousand Canberra women and released the findings in Our lives: Women in the ACT. These reports provide snapshots of the lived experiences of a diverse range of Canberrans, including their view and experiences on safety, financial security and community involvement.
Launch of Next Door
In 2019, we launched Next Door, a specialist women’s service that empowers older women to access and maintain affordable, appropriate and safe homes in the ACT.
Within its first year, Next Door helped 78 older women who were homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Chief Minister’s Canberra Gold Award
In recognition of YWCA Canberra’s outstanding contribution to the Canberra community throughout its 90 years of operation, we received a Chief Minister’s Canberra Gold Award in 2019. This award recognises and celebrates the unique contribution made by individuals and groups who have made Canberra their home for fifty years or more, and the role they have played in shaping our city and community.
Launch of Rentwell
Rentwell is our property management service that provides affordable rental properties owned by private investors to people who are struggling to secure and maintain tenancies in the mainstream market. Rentwell enables us to further contribute to the pool of affordable housing options in the ACT, building stronger communities and making Canberra a more inclusive and liveable city for everyone.
Launch of Hidden Women Documentary
Hidden Women is a short documentary film highlighting the experiences of older women in housing and the confluence of gaps in policy and service delivery that have exacerbated the situation. Single older women comprise a rapidly growing cohort of those experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness in Canberra.
Development and extension of the YWCA Canberra Great Ydeas Grant program
YWCA Canberra’s Great Ydeas Small Grants Program provides funds to local women, non-binary people and girls, to pursue a professional development opportunity, pilot a project, kick-start a business idea, or address a need in the community.
Release of the report, Leading the Change: The Pathway to Gender Equality
The Leading the Change: the Pathway to Gender Equality Report Card assesses the progress of the ACT Government against the ACT Women’s Plan 2016-2026, highlighting changes that would transform the ACT into the leading jurisdiction in Australia for gender equality.
YWCA Canberra’s Clubhouse
We proudly opened the YWCA Canberra Clubhouse based in Tuggeranong in 2014. Open to all young people in the region who are aged between 10-18 this resource, the first computer clubhouse in the ACT, provides a creative and collaborative out-of-school learning environment with free access to cutting edge technology.
Expansion of our She Leads program
The She Leads program is a leadership pathway for women and non-binary people who are looking to explore and develop their leadership potential. Through the She Leads program, the next generation of women leaders, from all sectors and industries, are being equipped with the skills and confidence they need to further their potential.