who we are…

We are a King County-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded and led by a former foster care recipient and systems survivor. We have been providing comprehensive wraparound services and programming to youth* and their families throughout Washington State since 2002. 

We have been licensed for over 10 years by the Department of Health and partner with Amerigroup, CHPW, Coordinated Care, Molina and UnitedHealthcare to provide outpatient behavioral health services, including WISe to Medicaid (state-funded insurance).

We are known as a specialty provider, as our programming and services are designed to meet the developmental and psychological needs of Black, African American, African Diaspora and Afro-ethnic youth* and their families. We welcome all youth* of color and those from vulnerable populations.

Our inspirational team of professionals is comprised of social workers, therapists, health navigators, substance use disorders counselors, case managers, youth mentors, peer support specialists and amazing support staff, who all are a part of the communities we serve. 

where we reside…

We currently have two locations that we serve our participants at when they are not being served at their schools, homes, or in the community.

• South Seattle/Mt. Baker: 2200 Rainier Ave S, Suite 201, Seattle, 98144
• Kent/Covington: 15215 SE 272nd Street, Kent, 98042

where we serve…

We primarily serve youth* who reside or attend school within a 25 miles radius of one our two locations’ zip codes: 98144 or 98042. Therefore, you will find us inspiring youth* throughout King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Thurston Counties.

what we do…

We offer an array of programming and services to inspire sustainable success among youth* who receive or are eligible for Medicaid (state-funded insurance) and/or free or reduced lunch within our service area.

• Mental Health: Outpatient individual, group, and family counseling,  family support services (WISe Wraparound) and substance use prevention allyship via telehealth and/or in person. To initiate mental health services anyone can securely submit a referral online.  
• Essential Life Skills: Youth* ages 13-17 who are working towards a pathway to: ‘college bound,’ ‘social justice entrepreneurship,’ or career exploration’ are connected with a peer mentor for 12 months to guide them through systems navigation to attain their success pathway goal. Leadership opportunities for young leaders, advocates, and changes agents in grade 9, who are interested in disrupting and dismantling broken systems interfering with their abilities to thrive in partnership with the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up Initiative. 21st Century Skills and Developmental & Transformational Relationships are vital for our youth’s sustainable mental, physical, and economic success. Therefore, in partnership with the youth’s schools and other community based organizations we offer skill-building and support groups and workshops. To register or bring a leadership programming to your school/organization contact us.  

• Housing: Responding to insufficient housing resources and support services in Washington State for older system-involved youth*, we have received generous investments from the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, as well as hosts of other amazing individual and foundation investors to get the doors open to our 18-month young adults therapeutic housing program. The housing will foster to the therapeutic needs of youth* (aged 17-24) harmed by systems (foster care, legal, child welfare, etc.), struggling with housing security, finding stable employment, and developing sustainable independent living skills. Right now, the program continues to rebuild after a fire threatened its efforts. We are seeking capital sponsorships of $10,000+ which includes naming rights and other incentives as well as procurement of in-kind items from our Amazon Wishlist to make the house a home for our future residents. Investors can contact our executive director, Jamila Coleman for a sponsorship agreement.

who we serve…

*Youth is defined within the You Grow Girl! Sisterhood, as a person:

• between the ages of 11 & 25,
• who identifies, socializes, or was assigned at birth as a,
• cis or trans girl/woman, or;
• non-binary, gender queer, gender fluid, and gender non-conforming.

We acknowledge that this vocabulary is inherently imperfect and is continually evolving. For this reason, we welcome individuals ranging from 9 to 35 years old to access our services if they feel that their developmental and psychological needs can be met within our specialized framework.

who we need…

We are always seeking individuals who share our values to inspire sustainable mental health and life success to the youth* we serve in the following ways:

• We accept applications year-round for post-secondary scholars who need 6 or more months of social work, clinical, direct service, business or accounting field experience through our internship program.
• We are always looking for volunteers to support us in ways of board leadership, youth mentorship, resource development (FUNdraising), and amplifying our advocacy initiatives.  
• We love seeing individuals with lived experiences surviving systems join our team. So bring your authentic professional self to work! We offer a flexible 4-day/32 hour workweek/hybrid schedule, paid holidays & self-care days, free dental, employer-contribution towards medical and vision insurance, 30-day paid sabbatical, retire pay, as well as vehicle and technology allowance. Employees earn over 150 hours of PTO in their first year. In addition to quarterly incentives and wellness perks (massages, facials, manicure, pedicures, etc.). We provide free continuing education hours, professional development training, peer mentorship, clinical licensure supervision, and growth opportunities. Compensation for any open position will be no less than $25.00 per hour.   
• We can’t fulfill our mission’s work of inspiring her pathway towards sustainable success without monetary investments from our community members, like YOU! Investments made to our Sisterhood goes directly to inspiring those who we serve and are fully tax deductible.  

what we need…

We rely heavily on our community members to fuel our mission to ensure no youth* is left behind. To meet the needs of those we serve we need access to consistent, flexible, and equitable funding to sustain the Sisterhood until we are no longer needed in communities.

We use funds from program contracts, foundation grants, and individual gifts to provide direct support to youth and their families, such as, food and utilities assistance, medication co-pays, transportation, legal, and eviction prevention/housing, etc. so that they can prioritize their mental health needs without also battling basic needs insecurities.   

Additionally, we use funds to recruit, train, and retain high-quality professionals who look like and have lived experiences similar to those we serve. With a national shortage of behavioral health providers, specifically providers of color, we want to make sure that we are competitive in the market and aid in alleviating most, if not all, financial barriers (i.e. student loans, sole household provider, etc.) our team members experience while serving the Sisterhood as inspirational contributors. 

Here are four ways you can sustain the Sisterhood: