YWCA Lancaster

YWCA Lancaster’s main office will be closed on Friday, July 3rd -- in observance of Independence Day.

Our office at YWCA Lancaster will return to normal business hours on Monday, July 6. We wish everyone a safe and happy Independence Day weekend!

The Listening to Lancaster interview series highlighted YWCA Lancaster co-facilitators of our Healthy Masculinity program Randy Puljek-Shank and Teddy Boucard, in an online interview for Hourglass Lancaster.

Focused on the topic of “Why are boys doing worse in school?” – the interview examines recent state and national trends in educational attainment, differences in educational outcomes by gender, and how these trends intersect with broader conversations about masculinity and community well-being.

To listen to the interview, visit the Hourglass Lancaster website at -- https://hourglasslancaster.org/resources/podcast/listening-to-lancaster-s7e4-why-are-boys-doing-worse-in-school/

At the Healthy Masculinity Panel event at YWCA Lancaster on Saturday, July 18 – panelists will explore this topic in depth.

Event: Healthy Masculinity Panel – “Educating the Next Generation of Boys and Young Men”
Date / Time: Saturday, July 18 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: YWCA Lancaster | 110 N. Lime Street, Lancaster, PA 17602

Register to attend at the event webpage at: https://ywcalancaster.org/events/healthy-masculinity-panel

Panelists include:

• Dr. Floyd D. Beachum is the Bennett Professor of Urban School Leadership at Lehigh University’s College of Education, where he researches educational leadership, ethics, and equity. His work focuses on how leadership practices can promote academic achievement and social justice, particularly in urban and diverse school settings.

• Malinda Harnish Clatterbuck is a local spiritual leader, counselor, and professional. She presently serves as the Executive Director of the Conestoga River Club, an outdoor organization focusing on education, recreation and well being, while managing the stewardship and conservation of the Conestoga River. Malinda is a 2024 YWCA Lancaster Women of Achievement honoree.

This conversation is for everyone — parents, educators, counselors, and community members of all backgrounds and perspectives. Come ready to listen, question, and think together.

Highlighted in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, a Commentary piece by YWCA Lancaster Chief Mission Officer Susan Knoll and Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect (PCAR) Public Policy Director Gabriella Romeo focuses on the importance of child protection from AI-generated images through legislation and funding.

A 2023 case in Lancaster County resulted in 59 children being victimized at a Lancaster County school where male students had used AI to create s*xually explicit images of female classmates.

Bipartisan reforms are being advanced by Pennsylvania lawmakers to strengthen protections for children and ensure abuse is reported and addressed more quickly.

The bipartisan work is being led by Lancaster County lawmakers, including Senator Scott Martin (R-13) and Sen. James Malone (D-36), and Rep. Nikki Rivera (D-96) and Representative Smith-Wade-El (D-49). They join Senator Tracy Pennycuick (R-24), who has demonstrated important victim-centered leadership.

This was never a partisan issue, but rather a test of whether we are willing to move with the urgency our children deserve.

To read the full story online visit -- https://penncapital-star.com/commentary/pennsylvania-cannot-politicize-child-protection/