2025-2026 YW Boston Advocacy Committee Application

Welcome to the 2025-2026 YW Boston Advocacy Committee Application!  At this time, applications are OPEN.

For any technical questions regarding this application submission, please contact Samantha Berley, our Organizational Impact Manager at sberley@ywboston.org. For Advocacy Committee specific questions, please contact Brianna Savage, Associate Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, at bsavage@ywboston.org.

Thank you so much for your interest in the 2025-2026 YW Boston Advocacy Committee.

-The Advocacy Committee

At YW Boston, we want to make sure that we are addressing you in the ways that you prefer and that are most inclusive. We therefore ask for both your first and last name, and welcome you to share your preferred name.







Home Address





Phone



Email





We would love to send them a "thank you!"

Applicant Demographics

At YW Boston intersectionality is central to the work that we do. The section below is a first opportunity for you to share some information on your identity as we work to build a cohort that reflects the diversity of the Greater Boston area. Please note that only questions with a red * are required.


If there are other aspects of your identity that you would like to share, or if the choices in this form do not accurately represent you, please let us know in the text box at the end of the page so that we may better recognize you and future applicants.


please answer in years




Race/Ethnicity and Gender Identities

Below are several questions related to gender, race, and ethnicity. You may notice that questions below are sometimes repeated, once as “choose one” and again as “choose all that apply”. This is for two reasons: (1) Some people self-identify as one answer within a category, while others might self-identify as several. (2) We want to fully see how you currently self-identify and allow for broader categories that protect the anonymity of participants in smaller or under-represented groups.


While we attempt to have lists that are both representative and expansive, we know that our lists are not inclusive of all responses. Please use the open-ended responses areas to help us continue to best represent the diversity of our broader YW community.

Gender

Gender is a category we use all the time, but can actually refer to several different socially constructed categories such as Gender Identity (man, cis, trans, woman, genderqueer, etc.), Gender Expression (e.g. masculine, feminine, neutral), and Sex (e.g. male, female, intersex, etc.).




Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Identities

Race and ethnicity are complex social constructs. Race is often determined by how you look in a certain context (e.g. the US), while ethnicity is based on the cultural groups you belong to and may be shaped by your social, religious, linguistic, and/or national affiliation.



These regions are drawn from the UN Statistical Commission.

Additional Identity Information


This could include any religious identification or practices, any disabilities (such as learning styles, mental and physical disabilities), etc.

Interest Statement

Advocacy at YW Boston can look like legislative advocacy, policy decisions and implementation, coalition building, and mobilization of public support and action. We welcome you to consider all of the above forms of advocacy as a starting point for your responses below, but please do not feel limited to describing your advocacy experiences within those categories. Our most successful members are engaged community members, critical thinkers, and have strong commitments to equity.



Professional Information

Advocacy committee members represent a broad set of professional experience, in and outside of policy work. As we look to build a diverse advocacy committee, representative of the many professional experiences across the Boston area, we encourage applicants from all sectors, industries, and roles.

Please choose the industry that BEST represents your organization.





please answer in years

please enter a URL

Commitment Statement

Selection:

  • I understand that my application to the YW Boston Advocacy Committee is part of a competitive and selective process and that my application does not guarantee my selection. 

Participation (if enrolled):

  • I understand that consistent participation is vital to the success of the committee. I will devote the time and resources necessary to ensure my full participation. This includes once a month meetings (virtual for the time being) and about five to ten hours of advocacy work between meetings. These hours can be dedicated to policy research, meetings with colleagues, and grassroots advocacy actions such as reaching out to my state representatives or supporting an initiative on social media.

  • I commit to fulfilling the program commitment, including monthly sessions, pre-work, and other advocacy commitments. While emergencies may arise, I will communicate any expected absence(s) with the Advocacy and Community Engagement Manager.  

  • If I have questions about these commitments or anticipate needing an exception, I will reach out directly to the Advocacy and Community Engagement Manager.



Contact Information