ABOUT US
ABOUT US
YWCA Hunter is a women-led organisation that achieves positive change by providing advocacy, programs and services to support, empower and connect women and families for a stronger community. YWCA Hunter Region Inc. is part of the YWCA World and an affiliate of YWCA Australia.
As we respond to community needs and trends we have an increasing focus on early intervention programs at the YWCA Hunter as we recognise the benefit of childhood learning in today’s world. We currently deliver a suite of programs for children at preschool age and primary age. As we strive to stay relevant, Y-KinderDance and Y-KinderYoga have been added to make up our current programs. Our programs aim to make early intervention growth classes accessible to all families. We do not charge a term fee, classes are offered on a pay as you go system. All classes are affordable and accessible for everyone.
School holiday time is when the YWCA Hunter Vacation Care program comes alive with an innovative, fun packed program that ensures the children of working parents have a thrilling and enriching school holiday experience. The program is funded through Department of Education, Child Care Subsidy is available to eligible families. The program runs at the YWCA Hunter throughout each school holiday break –two weeks each break and three and a half weeks in the January school holidays. All activities are delivered through much fun, community awareness and interesting themes set under the government, guidelines called ‘My Time Our Place’.
Following local incidences of assaults on young women, the YWCA Hunter saw the need for young girls to be taught self defence skills in a calm and relaxed environment. The YWCA Hunter now offers an 8 week Self Defence for Teen Girls program. Classes have a holistic approach, including personal skills and physical self defence skills. The classes are very popular and have had a positive impact on the girls who have attended.
We recently held a 6 week Chair Yoga program at the YWCA Hunter. Sit. Get Fit proved to be very popular that we now hold classes every Friday morning at 9.30am during the school term. Class is suitable for everyone, 50+, less agile as well as active yogis. Our participants have already noticed benefits such as improved flexibility, improved circulation and less aches & pains.
YWCA’s Encore is a free 8 week program designed specifically for women who have experienced breast cancer surgery. Encore sessions currently run in February/March and October/November in Waratah, Salamander Bay and Valentine.
YWCA Hunter offers affordable Hall Hire with competitive hourly rates to hire our full-size indoor basketball court. Also on offer is budget accommodation for female international university students.
As members of the YWCA Hunter Region Inc we are committed to our strategic values:
Respect
Respect is the foundation of all interactions and behaviours toward people, animals and property at the YWCA Hunter. It is demonstrated in the acknowledgment of the traditional owners of the land and our commitment to Indigenous recognition and reconciliation.
Integrity
Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that are consistent throughout the organisation. It is an adherence to an ethical standard built on a strong moral code of behaviour.
It is in practice being honest, open and direct, of being transparent in our communications and behaviour.
This ensures that all members of our organisation treat staff and clients alike in a consistent ethical manner.
Empowerment
We envisage a world where women have the power to act on their own authority in a self-determined manner; to exercise their rights and to be full and equal members of society.
This begins at a very young age and it forms a practical approach to resource-oriented intervention to enabling and equipping.
Connection
We aim to contribute to the building of a strong community that is inclusive, accepting and appreciative of diversity.
We aim to achieve this by developing positive, effective and cooperative liaisons with other organisations within the community; by actively complimenting and enhancing services offered within our community in a noncompetitive manner.
On the home front we strive for diversity and show value and appreciation for each staff member, board member and volunteer’s unique contribution and knowledge.
Equity
We endeavour to ensure that personal or social circumstances such as gender, ethnic origin or family background, or disability are not obstacles to participating in our programs (definition of fairness) and that all are given the assistance they require to find enjoyment and success in their participation.
People are born into different economic circumstances, have different personalities, talents, interests and abilities as well as different races, cultures and backgrounds. All of these things play a role in outcomes for individuals. Because we believe that everyone should have the chance to be successful and live a fulfilling life, we endeavour to provide varying levels of support depending upon need to achieve greater fairness of outcomes for all and not allow circumstances to create situations of inequity.
YWCA Hunter exists to support, empower and connect women, children and their families for a stronger community.
Strengthened by Christian heritage and enriched by our worldwide membership of women and girls the YWCA Hunter Region is a women’s membership movement based on feminist principles of equality. Today we aspire to sustainability through the richness of diversity from many beliefs and values. YWCA Hunter exists to support, empower and connect women and families for a stronger community. The YWCA in the Hunter has been delivering services to women of the Newcastle region in later years to the wider Hunter community for 95 years.
In the Hunter, the YWCA has been supporting and working with women and their families since 1880. The YWCA Newcastle commenced operations at 113 King Street Newcastle in 1921 with club rooms, cafeteria, classes and a variety of clubs open to all people. The YWCA Hunter is part of a global membership based movement of women and girls, which promotes women’s leadership and gender equality.
The World YWCA is a global network of women and young women leading social and economic change in over 122 countries. The World YWCA is one of the world’s largest and oldest women’s organisations with a global reach of 25 million women and girls. It advocates for peace, justice, human rights and care of the environment, and has been at the forefront of raising the status of women for over 150 years. The World YWCA develops women’s leadership to find local solutions to the global inequalities women face. Annually the network supports 25 million women and girls.
Jenny Baldwin
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Natalie Smith
ADMINISTRATION
Lewis Mason
ADMINISTRATION & VACATION CARE EDUCATOR
Mikaylee Biles
Y-KINDERDANCE INSTRUCTOR
Heidi Piirala
Y-KINDERYOGA INSTRUCTOR
Bianca Flanagan
VACATION CARE NOMINATED SUPERVISOR
Max McKenna
VACATION CARE EDUCATOR
Yela Wilson
ENCORE FACILITATOR & CHAIR YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Jennifer Sumner
ENCORE FACILITATOR
Kim Oeser
ENCORE FACILITATOR
Sharon Jephson
ENCORE FACILITATOR
Nissa Lee
SELF DEFENCE INSTRUCTOR
Ying McKenzie
SELF DEFENCE INSTRUCTOR
The YWCA in the Hunter has been delivering services to women of the Newcastle region in later years to the wider Hunter community for 95 years. In the Hunter, the YWCA has been supporting and working with women and their families since 1880. The YWCA Newcastle commenced operations at 113 King Street Newcastle in 1921 with club rooms, cafeteria, classes and a variety of clubs open to all people. There were 800 members in 1963. The YWCA Hunter moved into the Dawson Street, Cooks Hill property in 1963 with the new gymnasium being added and opened by Betty Cuthbert in 1965. The YWCA Hostel in Parkway Avenue, Bar Beach War Memorial Hostel, was built in 1953 offering accommodation at reasonable rates plus ‘wholesome lifestyle’ for ‘business girls and students’. It transitioned to mixed accommodation and then was sold in 2007. The YWCA Hunter has a chequered history of program delivery and we aim to move with recognised needs/trends and available research in the community.
Yoga Instructor
We are looking for a yoga teacher to instruct a pre-schoolers gym/yoga class on a Tuesday morning. If you are interested please email your CV to Jenny Baldwin, Executive Director – jbaldwin.ywcahunter@bigpond.com
All YWCA Hunter memberships expire in December and we would like to call on our existing members to renew their membership for 2020 if you have not already done so, as we value and need your contribution as members of the YWCA Hunter. If you know other women who would be interested in membership please feel free to direct them to this webpage where membership can be easily completed online.
- Voting membership entitles you to:
- Become part of an international movement which promotes women’s leadership and gender equality.
- Ability to vote on resolutions at our Annual General Meeting.
- Support our programs and strengthen our voice.
- Are invited to apply for unique international opportunities at YWCA’s around the world, in the World YWCA
office, and at international conferences – where the YWCA supports Members to attend. - Receive emails and updates from YWCA Hunter Region Inc relating to the YWCA organisation and issues
affecting women and girls locally, nationally and internationally.
Membership is annual based on a calendar year. Membership is renewable on 1st January each year. Membership payments received between 1st October and 31st December cover the period to the end of the following calendar year. The YWCA Constitution states that each member has a three month grace period to renew their membership after its expiration date before they cease to remain a member.
MEMBERSHIP FORM
Renew or apply for your YWCA Hunter membership here. After submitting this form, you’ll be contacted by YWCA Hunter regarding payment of your membership fee.
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GOT A QUESTION?
Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you ASAP. Or give us a call on 02 4929 2954 and one of our staff will be happy to help!