From Seeds to Blossoms: A Leadership Succession Plan To Empower Immigrant Women

The Brave House supports young immigrant and refugee women, ages 16-24, in New York City, with a focus on survivors of gender-based violence. They provide free legal aid, community, and holistic services within an environment of joy, friendship, and resilience. This support consists of case management for education, employment, food, and health insurance, and programming like New and Expecting Moms Assistance and Youth Leadership Board. Their capacity-building project is to implement a leadership succession plan. They have an already-identified Brave House program alumna they recently hired full-time, who will follow a three-year timeline to assume the role of Executive Director. The young woman they have identified as incoming Executive Director is one of the few Brave House participants who has followed every step on their pathway to leadership. She was one of Brave House’s founding members and has been with the organization since the pilot program. She has firsthand experience of the systems within which Brave House advocates, including the housing and shelter system and the immigration system. In addition to her lived experience and history with the Brave House, she currently resides in Bronx Community District 3, one of the high-risk community districts listed in the YSCG Reducing Inequality criteria. Funding will go toward leadership training and skills development that will ensure success for the new hire and the organization broadly.