Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) offers programs for teens ages 13-19 in the Greater Seattle area. All programs are free to attend and center young women, trans, non-binary, and gender expansive youth. They explore topics across the core themes of belonging, wellness, and thriving.
Shaena (she/her) leads Y-WE’s wellness and mental health programming. This position gives Shaena a unique perspective into youth well-being, particularly the value of healing in community with people who share your background and experiences.
Responses have been modified for length. More from Shaena can be viewed in Y-WE’s 2024 Annual Report.
What keeps you coming to work every day?
Shaena: I get to work directly with young people. […] I get to hold space and see their brilliance and their depth and their humor. It gives me so much hope.
What does healing mean to you?
Healing is a process, not a destination. […] It’s nonlinear, it’s messy, it’s embarrassing. It’s also very sweet and intimate. With age, more and more, I’m reminded that healing doesn’t happen in silos. It doesn’t happen in a vacuum, just within yourself – healing happens in relationship and in community.
Exposure to all these different communities that speak to different parts of your identity gives you an opportunity to access your wholeness. There’s something healing, too, about engaging in difference. Sometimes people illuminate parts of you that you didn’t realize needed to be accessed or needed to be held or worked with.
What’s required to show up in healing community?
It’s a good question. Imagination. Access to possibility. I really think a deep commitment to your own healing is so necessary if we want to change anything. What’s required? Authentic self-reflection. A sign that healing is happening is your ability to access levity.
