Event Date
Bi-weekly Saturday meetings from late January through May
Target Group
Underrepresented Minority Students (African American, Native American, Latino and Pacific Islander)
History
The foundation for the EMPOWER program took the form of a class project for a Women/Ethnic Studies course. Following the passage of Initiative 200, a group of graduate and undergraduate student activists joined together in a grassroots effort to focus on building student initiated efforts that would extend educational opportunities to economically disadvantaged students and students of color. The program would accomplish this by assisting our students to develop and enhance their leadership skills while promoting discussion around issues such as racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, and religious oppression. Now operating in its 11th year, EMPOWER continues to serve students and give them a safe space to express themselves.
Description
Students meet at UW every other Saturday for 3 hours starting in late September through June. During fall quarter, students are exposed to campus life as well as make bonds with other students. For the seniors, the volunteers help them write their personal statements and critique their applications. During winter and spring quarter, the students are assigned readings that correlate with the weekly discussions. The material will be analyzed through critical dialogue between students and mentors in a safe space. In the last portion of the program, students organize a community event, which is open to the UW and outer community.
Contact
Primary contact: empower@uw.edu, (206) 616-1526
Directors:
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