The YWCA of Kauai
The YWCA of Kauai has crafted a local vision specific to the needs of Kauai that involves: a strong commitment to
eliminating violence in all of its forms, especially in the areas of domestic and sexual violence; providing treatment
to those who have been traumatized by violence; and providing the skills training and opportunities for change
necessary so that individuals who have been violent can live productive and caring lives. In all of our services to
victims and perpetrators of violence, our primary emphasis is to be victim-centered and to foster empowerment.
The YWCA of Kauai was founded in 1921 by Elsie Wilcox, and has a long history as a leader and passionate
advocate on issues of women’s empowerment and the elimination of racism on our rural island.
- In 1924, we established a dormitory for girls in Lihue as a complement to the existing boys’ dormitory,
so that girls could attend high school alongside the boys.
- In the 1930s, the YWCA of Kauai offered outreach health services and social work to the women and
girls of the plantation camps on Kauai.
- During the 1940s, the YWCA of Kauai was active advocating for those Japanese who were placed in internment camps.
- In 1980, just two years after the first Women’s Shelter in the nation was established, the YWCA of Kauai established its own shelter on island.
- In 1985, we established the Alternatives to Violence Program, continuing a tradition of being at the forefront of providing innovative services to women and families.
Current services at the YWCA of Kauai include a shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence, the Alternatives to
Violence Program, Sexual Abuse Treatment Services, a Sex Assault Treatment Program, Adult and Juvenile Sex
Offender Treatment, 24-hour Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault hotlines,
Prevention Education, Community Awareness, Girlz Zone, Kauai Youth Network
and Camp Sloggett.
YWCA Around the Nation and the World
The YWCA is the oldest and largest multicultural women's organization in the world. Across the globe, we have more
than 25 million members in 122 countries, including 2 million members in 300 local associations in the United States.
More important than the numbers is our mission to eliminate racism and empower women. We provide safe places
for women and girls, build strong women leaders, and advocate for women's rights and civil rights in Congress.
Learn more about the World YWCA here.
In the United States, the YWCA was established in 1858, three years after it was founded in England. The mission statement of the YWCA ends with the phrase, “Peace, Justice, Freedom and Dignity for All People.”
Over the years this has been carried out in a variety of ways.
- Initially this was accomplished through operating boarding houses for women as the tensions of an increasingly urbanized and industrialized society began to place new strains on women and family life.
- In 1911, the YWCA advocated for a minimum wage law for women.
- In the 1920s the organization lobbied for an eight-hour work day.
- The YWCA was an early advocate for racial justice, speaking out against lynching and other forms of racial violence in the 1930s.
- In the 1940s the YWCA was very active in supporting Japanese Americans who faced discrimination and forced placement in internment camps.
- In the early 1960s, the YWCA was active in the Civil Rights movement.
- In the 1970s was intimately involved in the Battered Women’s Movement.
For over 150 years, the YWCA has had a rich history of empowering women and working to eliminate racism!
YWCA associations are divided by regions nationwide. This enables our associations to pool resources, provide additional
services for their clients and combine their voices for change at the national and local levels.
Learn more about National YWCA here.