Why This Project Matters

Access to healthcare is not just about appointments or policies, it’s about people’s lives. It’s about parents, neighbors, students, friends, and you. It’s about making sure every New Yorker, no matter where they live or who they are, can get the care they need when they need it.

That’s why the League of Women Voters of the City of New York (LWVNYC) is launching a citywide initiative to strengthen reproductive healthcare access. We’ll map what’s working, uncover the gaps, and push for real solutions to improve equity across the city.

This is a collaborative, nonpartisan effort rooted in research, advocacy, and community partnership. It’s a chance to bring or strengthen skills, to shape meaningful, community-driven change.

And that’s where you come in.

What You’ll Do

As a Healthcare Access Champion, you’ll be at the heart of this work. You’ll:

• Look at policies, programs, and services across NYC and identify where gaps exist
• Connect with communities and partners so real experiences guide our work
• Help transform research into clear recommendations that can influence change
• Collaborate with a team of passionate volunteers and LWVNYC members

No experience? No problem. We’ll train, mentor, and support you. Already have skills? Even better – you’ll shape how we do things. If you speak Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, or Haitian Creole, your voice is especially needed.

The basics

• How long does this run? We’re starting now, and the project runs October 2025 – May 2026 (we will be flexible based on our findings).
• What’s the time commitment? About 1-3 hours/week on average. Some weeks will be lighter, some a bit busier, we’ll keep it flexible.
• Where will we meet? You can contribute from wherever you are. We’ll also get together occasionally in person at our Manhattan office (because face-to-face matters, too).
• When should you sign up? Why wait? Even if you’re just curious, reach out for a conversation. We welcome sign-ups on a rolling basis through October 22, 2025.

What you’ll gain

• A place to use your skills: Bring the talents you already have, whether it’s research, collaboration, writing, making connections, or lived experience, and see them make a real impact.
• Room to grow: Get training, mentorship, and support to stretch into new skills and feel confident doing it.
• A community: Work alongside a passionate, diverse team who cares as much as you do, and probably make some lifelong friends along the way.
• Recognition: Your contributions will be recognized in our final output, an accomplishment you can proudly share to strengthen your professional journey.
• That feeling: The deep satisfaction of knowing you helped move New York closer to reproductive health equity, something that truly matters for people’s lives. And let’s have some fun doing it. 

Our values

We want this team to reflect NYC itself. We strongly encourage people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals, students, youth, and anyone with lived experience navigating reproductive healthcare to join us. Accessibility matters to us, if you need accommodations to participate in meetings or project activities, just let us know. 

Ready to get started?

We can’t wait to meet you. Send a short note (1–2 paragraphs) about why this project speaks to you to [email protected].

Questions? Reach out to our team at [email protected].

This is your chance to be part of something powerful, hopeful, and lasting. Together, we can help shape a city where healthcare truly is for everyone.

About The League of Women Voters New York City

The League of Women Voters of the City of New York is a nonpartisan organization whose purpose is to promote informed and active participation in government. Our mission is to expand our outreach and increase all New Yorkers’ participation in local communities and government through civic engagement, voting and issue advocacy.

• Achieve solutions in the public interest on key community issues at all government levels.
• Build citizen participation in the democratic process.
• Engage communities in promoting positive solutions to public policy issues through education and advocacy.
• Study key community issues at all governmental levels in an unbiased manner.
• Enable people to seek positive solutions to public policy issues through education and conflict management.