When I first started work I got a purple T-shirt.  It was about two sizes too big, and the back sported a giant picture of a condom with the bolded words “No Glove No Love, Ask me for Condoms”.  This shirt haunted me.  I had taken a lot of big steps that year.  I had joined the Young Women’s Project (YWP) as a peer educator, attended sexual health trainings, led focus groups, but this, this was impossible.  There was no hiding in the crowd with this shirt on.

When I first started working at YWP two years ago most people described me as shy, quiet, and a person who wasn’t able to accomplish much on my own. II was afraid to speak up for things that I knew I needed because I didn’t want to seem like I was complaining. People use to always tell me to just be satisfied with what I had, but how could I be satisfied with the things I had when I knew I deserved so much more?  When I first started working at YWP I was a year from aging out of foster care. This was a time when I needed guidance and support but I was not really getting it.

Before I began working with The Young Women's Project, I was extremely shy and found that I wasn’t so great in public speaking and writing. I was also very bored since after school I would normally either go home or volunteer in the community in order to gain community service hours. After working here for about 2 years, I can honestly say that I have gained confidence through the various opportunities I have experienced at YWP.