Governor Mark Dayton, Lt. Governor Tina Smith and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota today announced the launch of the Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota (YWI MN).
It’s a new effort aimed at improving opportunities for young women in Minnesota. The initiative will bring together nonprofits, businesses, government and philanthropies to create a plan to build equity in outcomes for young women in Minnesota.
Dayton says “we must continue working to build a state where all Minnesotans have equal opportunity to succeed.” And he says the partnership is “an important step in improving equity and opportunity for young women in Minnesota, especially young women of color.”
The Young Women’s Initiative of Minnesota is focused on improving the lives of young women between the ages of 12 and 24. The first phase of the program will engage three core committees in development of an Action Plan, to create opportunities for young women in Minnesota to achieve equity in outcomes. The Action Plan will be released in April 2017.
Dayton says it’s the first statewide initiative of its kind in the nation.