YWCA Evanston North Shore

Ywca Evanston/North Shore operates the only comprehensive Domestive Violence Program serving the entire Northeastern Metropolitan Chicago Area. Counselors and staff assist thousands of women each year in breaking free from violence in their homes, healing from that violence and acheiving stability free from their abusers.  
 
Services Include:
A 24- Hour Crisis Phone Line
A 32 bed Emergency Shelter for women and children fleeing violence in their homes
Bilingual, community-based resources providing domestic violence counseling and support for women in the community
A court-based legal advocacy program which offers legal information, referrals, and help securing orders of protection
A domestic violence education program for early education, high school, and college.

The Aquatics Program seeks to teach all children the in the community to be safe in the water, to encourage you to become empowered through swimming, to provide a positive recreation outleft to adults and their families, and to create an environment of acceptance in which commitment, inner strength, self confidence and respect for one another are fostered. 
The program includes:
Parent-tot classes teaching kids 6mos-2 yrs to become comfortable in the water.  
Learn-to-swim program for youth
Swim team offering competitive and non-competitive tracks
Master program offering a swim team for adults
Aqua aerobics, a low-impact swimming for adults to build cardiovascular fitness

The YWCA Evanston/North Shore is helping our community understand, challenge and eliminate racism. We foster opportunities to engage in open dialogue about race, racism and race relations. Our efforts include racial justice dialogue series using films and books as a catalyst to encourage youth and adults to challenge their own prejudices and encourage conversations about the impact of racism on all of our lives. We seek to empower women through education and leadership, enhancing their ability to live independent, self-sufficient lives. Financial literacy educates low to moderate income women about basic money management.

We know that racism is more than personal bias. Racism continues because it is built into our institutions and policies, fostering predictable patterns of inequity.

We are dedicated to promoting racial and gender equity at the individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels by partnering with individuals and institutions through training and education, community engagement programs, and annual events.