Since 1971, Women’s Equality Day has honored women’s advancements toward equality. Each year, RBC Capital Markets observes this day by participating in programs that recognize women’s progress, and by supporting organizations that advance gender equality and help underserved girls overcome challenges to educational and professional success.
Among those organizations is Girls Write Now (GWN), a New York City-based nonprofit organization that helps women and gender-expansive youth find their voices through the power of writing. This mentoring organization serves a culturally-diverse community of girls and gender nonconforming youth - 90% of color, 90% high need, 75% immigrant or first generation, and 25% LGBTQ+ and gender-expansive - who have been negatively impacted by the lack of resources and opportunities in public schools.
“We are thrilled to partner with an organization whose mission of maximizing the potential of underserved high-school girls aligns well with our core value of helping communities prosper. Through a number of efforts, such as Board membership, RBC Foundation grants, partnering on workshops and Career Days, we are having a tangible impact on the lives of local youth and building a base of diverse future leaders.”
Mustafa Topiwalla, Managing Director, Corporate Banking & Girls Write Now Board
Gaining Diverse Skills and College Preparation
Recognizing that girls and gender-expansive teens of color are rarely given the guidance, care or support they need to gain confidence in their talents, graduate from high school or access opportunities, GWN pairs youth with professional writers as mentors and role models.
Mentors host multimedia and multi-genre workshops that allow mentees to explore creative, digital, and critical writing so they can build diverse sets of skills, develop work portfolios, and prepare for college and their careers. Each Spring, mentees publish their finished pieces in award-winning anthologies and present them to enthusiastic audiences.
Supporting the Career Trajectories of Aspiring Artists
For the past two years, RBC Foundation USA has supported GWN Writing Works and Writing 360 Programs. Both programs align with RBC’s signature program, The Emerging Artists Project, which supports organizations that provide opportunities to support the career trajectories of aspiring young artists in visual arts, music, theatre, performance, literature and film.
The Writing Works Program pairs mentees with professional writers who provide support with college essays, scholarships, internships, and professional writing across many industries, including behind-the-scenes experience with Warner Media, Penguin Random House, and the beauty & lifestyle company Fresh.
The Writing 360 Program matches underserved high school girls and gender-expansive youth with professional female writers for one-to-one mentorship that is structured around creative, critical and digital skill-based programming and services. Mentees explore the intersection of language, technology, and art, and learn about the sub-genres within poetry, fiction, memoir, journalism and screen/playwriting. They also have the opportunity to learn digital skills such as audio and video editing.
Several of RBC Capital Markets’ Corporate Banking employees have been actively involved with the organization since our partnership began:
“I am a firm believer of Girls Write Now’s mission because I experienced first-hand the enormous impact mentorship and coaching from dedicated writing professionals had on my access to opportunities and future achievements growing up in an underserved community. As an engaged Girls Write Now volunteer, speaker and corporate coordinator, it makes me proud that RBC’s support is helping hundreds of young girls maximize their potential and fearlessly strive toward their goals."
- Stephanie Gordon, Director, Corporate Banking & Girls Write Now Volunteer
Breaking Down Barriers - One Step at a Time
GWN has established a long track record of successful outcomes for young women. One hundred percent of senior mentees attend college armed with writing and multimedia portfolios, and more than half win awards and scholarships. In addition, mentees have been published in The New York Times, Newsweek, and BuzzFeed, performed at Lincoln Center and the United Nations, and earned hundreds of Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
GWN has been distinguished by the White House as one of the nation’s top after school programs and recognized as one of New York City’s top ten nonprofits. By inspiring underserved young women and gender-expansive youth to tell their stories, GWN helps break down gender, race, age, and poverty barriers, elevating the voices of writers who are too often silenced. RBCCM is proud sponsor of this organization’s mission to improve the lives of young women and build a diverse pipeline of future artists.