Since 1904, the World YWCA and the World YMCA have collaborated to deliver the World Week of Prayer and World Fellowship.
From 9-15 November 2025, under the theme “Jubilee – 150 Years of Prayer in Action,” join us as we come together to give thanks and reflect on the needs of those living through times of insecurity and around the world.
This year’s Week of Prayer is taking place amid an ever-growing climate crisis, global conflicts, and political instability that threaten the peace and safety of all people, particularly that of women and girls. This year for the Week of Prayer, we encourage communities to come together to celebrate their faith, foster community solidarity, and pray for peace and justice for all.
With deep sorrow and gratitude, we honour the life and legacy of Joyce Mims, who passed away in September 2025 at the age of 88. An extraordinary leader, mentor, and steadfast supporter of the YWCA family, Joyce leaves behind decades of leadership, generosity, and unwavering commitment to women’s empowerment, peace and justice.
For more than two decades, Joyce was at the heart of the World Service Council, serving as its Chair from 1989 to 2011. She will be remembered as a leader of conviction, a connector of people, and a woman whose vision strengthened the bonds between local, national, and global YWCA communities.
World YWCA CEO/General Secretary, Casey Harden, shares: “I recall stepping away from a Christmas Eve family gathering, because Joyce and I had found a time to catch up, as we would now and again. As women from two different generations, that time we debated strategies for the World YWCA. I was sitting on the steps to my basement, with twinkle lights shining down below, and time flew by. By the close, we were both practically shouting in agreement and enthusiasm about the importance of women’s leadership…still!”
Joyce’s leadership extended beyond governance. She played a pivotal role in supporting the World YWCA’s Power to Change campaign (1999–2007), standing alongside then CEO/General Secretary, Musimbi Kanyoro, and mobilising resources with determination. She was known not only for her ability to nurture individual supporters but also for her personal generosity — from helping cover the costs that enabled young leaders to participate in advocacy and governance spaces, to encouraging her personal community to support national YWCA associations around the world.
Her presence was felt not only in her leadership but also in her ability to keep members connected. Joyce’s eloquent letters, remembered for their warmth and clarity, reminded every reader that they belonged to something larger than themselves: a global sisterhood carrying forward the YWCA’s mission of advancing women’s leadership, justice, peace, and dignity for all. Her colleagues recall her personal touch — she stayed closely connected, reaching out with care to ensure the movement’s priorities were always advanced.
Joyce often described World Service Council gatherings as times for reaffirming the YWCA as “a place where women’s voices are respected and heard; a place where truths can be told about violence and anti-neighbourliness; and a place where imagination is nurtured to challenge hate with hope and positive change.” She loved to remind members of the Tibetan saying: “Wherever you have friends, that is your country, and wherever you receive love, that is your home.” For thousands of women across the globe, she knew that place was the YWCA.
Ms. Harden likes to say that Joyce embodied a balance of determination, strong opinion, and love – “a unique and rare combination.”
Her legacy is one of connection, dignity, honesty and steadfast presence for the global YWCA movement. Joyce’s influence helped shape the World Service Council for more than two decades and strengthened the World YWCA’s ability to mobilise resources, communities and people in support of young women’s leadership.
We give thanks for the life of Joyce Mims. Her vision, generosity, and unwavering belief in the YWCA’s mission will continue to inspire generations to come to honour women’s leaders.
Rising Together for Peace: Ending Violence Across Every Border
“Peace is not something we inherit. It is something we build together – choice by choice, voice by voice, across every border.”
This week, 20-24 October 2025, the World YWCA and YWCA Canada are partnering together, joining dozens of countries in global solidarity in marking Week Without Violence, a decades-long campaign focused on ending all violence, particularly violence against women and girls. Each year, the global YWCA movement unites to demand a world where safety, dignity, and justice are not privileges for some but rights for all.
Right now, more than 123 million people are displaced by conflict and persecution. In Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and countless other crisis zones, the truth remains: women and children do not start wars, yet they often suffer the worst consequences.
These are not distant tragedies. Violence reverberates across borders and generations, tearing communities apart and eroding safety everywhere. Poverty, hunger, displacement and fear follow in its wake. In Canada, a woman or girl is killed every two days by gender-based violence. Indigenous women face rates of violence nearly double those of non-Indigenous women. This crisis is real, relentless, and unacceptable. In Canada, and across every continent.
Our struggles are deeply interconnected, and so is our strength. That’s why the theme of this year’s Week Without Violence of rising for peace demands urgent collective action. This year’s theme is particularly significant as we look back 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration, looking at what setbacks and progress were gained in cementing the equity and safety of women and girls worldwide.
“Even in the face of unimaginable challenges, we see people choosing courage and care every single day,” says Aline Nizigama, National CEO of YWCA Canada. “That is what gives me hope – knowing that when we come together, we have the power to build a future where safety and dignity are not exceptions, but realities for everyone.”
YWCA Canada, the World YWCA, and YWCA associations globally share a bold vision: a world where everyone can live free from violence, fear, and oppression. Whether it’s providing life-saving shelter for survivors in Canada, empowering youth leadership in Ethiopia, or delivering humanitarian relief and amplifying women’s voices in conflict zones like Gaza, YWCAs rise to the challenge every day. These concrete actions show what is possible when local efforts are connected to a global movement.
“It can be easy to feel discouraged when we see so much harm and injustice around us,” says Casey Harden, General Secretary of World YWCA. “But change is possible. We see it when survivors reclaim their power, when people, countries, and communities mobilize to protect one another, and when movements refuse to back down from the belief that a better world is possible.”
We invite you to do something about it. Speak out against injustice. Hold leaders accountable. Push for survivor-centered national action plans on gender-based violence that prioritize prevention, support, and equity. Take action in your community. Center the voices of those most impacted in every solution.
This Week Without Violence, we invite you to rise for peace with us. When we rise together, we rise stronger!
Peace cannot wait, and neither can we.
YWCA’s Week Without Violence is an annual global campaign held during the third week of October every year. Commencing in 1995, this campaign has been dedicated to raising awareness, promoting change, and enabling positive action to end violence against women, young women, and girls in all their diversity.
For the 2025 Week Without Violence, place from October 20 to 24, the World YWCA will partner with YWCA Canada on the theme RiseUp! for Peace, centring the ever-growing need for global solidarity amid deepening conflict, social division, suffering and inequity. This aligns with the World YWCA’s Strategic Framework work, which focuses on peace and justice across our movement.
2025 is a critical year as it marks 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration calling for the equality of women and girls worldwide. Now, 30 years later, it is of the utmost importance that we reassess our progress and address the setbacks we have faced as a movement, particularly in the case of violence against women.
This campaign aims to call for global solidarity and collective action and amplify the voices within our movement that are pushing back to advocate for human rights for all, safety and dignity for all, and peace, security and justice in the face of ongoing human rights violations and limitations.
Join the campaign by downloading our Week Without Violence 2025 Toolkit to use the social media templates to tell us about the great work you are doing in your communities. Be part of the conversation and tag World YWCA and YWCA Canada in your posts, using the hashtags #WeekWithoutViolence2025, #YWCALeaders, #BulletandDove, and #RiseUpForPeace.
The United Nations Youth Office and the ‘Big Six’ Youth Organizations have announced a new strategic partnership to accelerate youth leadership and action toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The partnership, built on a shared commitment to invest in and further the Global Youth Mobilization, will be publicly launched during the High-Level Week of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Big Six – World YWCA, World YMCA, World Scouting, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) – collectively reach over 250 million young people across more than 190 countries. Through their joint initiative, the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM), they equip young people with funds and training to deliver youth-led solutions to global challenges.
The newly established UN Youth Office, led by Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs Dr. Felipe Paullier, is committed to strengthening youth engagement across the UN system and beyond. This partnership sets the stage for a greater connection between young people and global decision-making, building on the UN Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda and the Pact for the Future, which call for inclusive multilateralism, as well as dialogue and solidarity across generations.
“This partnership reflects our shared belief that meaningful progress on today’s global challenges can only be achieved with young people at the center. Through the Global Youth Mobilization, we are not just investing in youth-led initiatives—we are investing in the future of our societies,” said Dr. Paullier. “The UN Youth Office is proud to join forces with the Big Six to expand opportunities for young people to lead, to shape solutions, and to have their voices heard at the heart of global decision-making.”
The partnership will involve a shared action plan, which will focus on:
Collaboration. The UN Youth Office will become the main (but not exclusive) UN partner for Global Youth Mobilization.
Advocacy. We’ll speak up together for youth priorities and rights in UN spaces and global forums and share each other’s campaigns.
Resource mobilisation. We’ll work together to channel more resources through the GYM in support of youth-led projects around the world.
Representation. We’ll make sure young people’s voices will be heard in global decision-making spaces, and that the UN Youth Office is a key part of conversations about scaling up and elevating the Global Youth Mobilization.
“Young people have demonstrated, repeatedly and convincingly, that when they are given trust, space, and resources, they deliver transformative change,” said Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General of the World YMCA and Chair of the Global Youth Mobilisation board. “We remain deeply committed to advancing their agency, and we welcome this bold partnership with the UN Youth Office which elevates their voices and their impact to the highest levels of decision-making.”
Michelle Chew, a Youth Board Representative said: “We are excited about this partnership to amplify advocacy for youth-led decision-making processes, mobilise greater resources for grassroots solutions, and ensure that young people can represent ourselves on the issues we care most about in key global spaces.”
This strategic alliance sets a new precedent for youth engagement in global decision-making and reaffirms the commitment of all parties to co-create a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable future.
The new strategic alliance builds on an established partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate for International Partnerships, through the Youth Empowerment Fund, which is currently powering the Global Youth Mobilization. The Global Youth Mobilization was first launched during the Covid-19 pandemic, with generous support from the World Health Organization and UN Foundation.
WE ARE HIRING!
The World YWCA is looking for a feminist, creative, and solutions-driven Digital Campaigns and Graphics Intern (DCGI) to develop content to amplify the voices of young women and women across our movement. This paid opportunity is essential to ensuring that our advocacy, upcoming campaigns, and strategic engagements align with YWCA’s values, branding guidance, and initiatives.
The intern will use creative storytelling through graphics and imagery, aligned with the World YWCA branding guide, for social media management to increase the external visibility of the global YWCA movement and the World YWCA Secretariat.
This internship is remote, with the person working directly with the Marketing and Communications Senior Specialist (MCSS). The duo will work closely to develop content, campaigns, and key messaging as outlined in the World YWCA’s Strategic Framework 2024 -2027.
Location: Remote
Closing date for expression of interest: September 24, 2025
Starting date: October 15, 2025
Type of agreement: Consultant mandate (six-month, starting October 15, 2025), deliverables-based, renewable based on performance and funding.
Compensation Range: USD 1000 per month (inclusive of tax and dependent on location)
Are you a young person involved with a local/national/regional YWCA advocating for women’s rights? Then this call is for you!
Women’s and young women’s leadership is at the centre of everything we do, which is why the World YWCA is pleased to announce an open call for the Leadership Cohort 2025!
Through this hands-on six-month paid internship (October 2025 – March 2026), young women from across the World YWCA movement will work closely with our team to contribute directly to our global fundraising and leadership strategies. During the internship, cohort members will learn more about resource mobilisation and gain experience and training in research by using theFeminist Consultation Methodology (FCM).
As we live in a digital age, interns will work remotely from their home countries and collaborate with colleagues across regions. This unique internship will end with Leadership Cohort interns joining the World YWCA team in person at the 70th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York in March 2026!
The Leadership Cohort 2025 is made possible through the generous support of the World Service Council, whose long-standing commitment continues to strengthen young women’s leadership across the YWCA movement.
Criteria for Selection:
Must be between 18 and 30 years of age at the time of application.
Involved in a national/regional/local YWCA (member/volunteer, participant, or staff) with at least two years of active engagement.
Basic working knowledge of English; Spanish and/or French is an asset.
Strong commitment to women’s rights and intergenerational leadership.
Previous experience in advocacy and/or activism on women’s rights and/or fundraising is an asset.
Independent, self-reliant, creative, hard-working, and flexible.
Able to commit 25–30 hours per week (October 2025 – March 2026), including travel to New York for CSW70 (the time commitment is flexible, to be specified in the application).
Deadline for applications: Sunday, 28 September 2025, 11:59 PM (CET)
Join us for our next listening session, as part of the #BulletandDove Listening Sessions series spotlighting the conflict in Gaza. Following our last session, where we focused on the challenges faced by young people, particularly young women and girls, our conversation continues as we centre the voices of community leaders and their lived experiences through the occupation and peacebuilding work.
Languages: Live interpretation in Arabic, French, and Spanish
Speakers:
Moderator: Amara Killen, World YWCA Board Member.
Speaker: Amara Killen (Moderator) – Board Member, World YWCA
Speaker: Haneen AlFar – Case Manager, Save Youth Future Society
Speaker: Karim Ali – Co-founder & International Coordinator, Gaza Sunbirds
Speaker: Dr. Sanah Ali – Paediatrician & Deputy Clinical MDT Lead, Children Not Numbers
Based on safe space principles, this session is open to all but is especially relevant for youth and activists, women’s rights advocates, human rights organisations, policymakers, and anyone interested in advancing peace and justice.
Please share this invitation with your colleagues, member organisations, and networks. We hope to see you there as we seek to create a space for and amplify Palestinian youth voices.
Speaker recommendations: this session is being delivered as part of a series focusing on Voices from Palestine. If you would like to make a speaker recommendation for one of the remaining sessions, please reach out to shanzaalia@gmail.com or melissa.elfeghali@worldywca.org
Join us for this critical conversation. Register now!
Subissmion of Expression of Interest for Network Solutions Grants
YEF- GYM 2.0 Round 2
The World YWCA is excited to announce a “Call for Interest” for the Network Solutions arm of the partnership with the European Commission and the Big Six youth organisations, supporting youth-led solutions that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the EU Youth Empowerment Fund. The fund aims to empower young people to tackle community challenges and contribute to the SDGs. In Round 1 of this funding, seven (7) YWCA National Associations were awarded funding in a pool of 604 entities being funded globally across Big Six Youth Organisations. You can read more about these ongoing projects on our social media and website.
You are invited to submit an Expression of Interest outlining your plans to engage young women in this groundbreaking initiative. After you are selected, World YWCA will invite you to co-create your application, budget, and work plan.
This is an opportunity to centre young women’s engagement through leadership, advocacy, and innovation, contributing to not just the SDGs but also the broader goal of the World YWCA, Goal 2035. This is aligned to our Strategic Framework 2024-27.
What is the EU Youth Empowerment Fund?
The EU Youth Empowerment Fund provides grants to young people for projects that address local challenges and contribute to the SDGs. This is powered by the Big Six’s Global Youth Mobilization initiative, initiated in 2020. The World YWCA, as part of the Big Six network, offers an exciting opportunity for YWCAs to play a key role in supporting young women in leading the change they want to see in the world.
Eligible countries:
Albania, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Thailand, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Who can apply?
This Call for Interest is open to all YWCA entities, including World YWCA-affiliated National Member Associations, Local Member Associations, and YWCA youth Alumni Leaders from eligible countries. We encourage YWCAs with a strong track record of youth engagement and experience working on issues aligned with the SDGs to apply.
Closing date for Expression of Interest: 26 September 2025
Reference: #YEFRound2Proposal <Name of Association/Name of Individual+Country>
Funding Tiers:
€500 – €2,000
Under 30 years – Young Women YWCA Leaders member of the Alumnae of a YWCA
€5,000 – €10,000
Local Member Associations
€15,000 – €30,000
National Member Associations
Please note this funding is only available to applicants in the eligible countries mentioned above.
To read the full Call for Interest click on the links below:
The World YWCA seeks proposals from interested individuals or groups to conduct research focused on understanding and unpacking the gendered dimensions of language including but not limited to, where language holds masculine and feminine articles; where language is an ongoing tool of colonization, particularly English and European languages; conveying meaning and transformative feminist values through translation and interpretation where there are no equivalent words; conveying meaning and feminist values through translation and interpretation where concepts and words hold negative or culturally controversial connotations, other meanings, or double meanings; codeswitching in hierarchical and patriarchal contexts, particularly amongst young women.
Through its flagship program RiseUp! Young Women’s Leadership and Advocacy Initiative in Asia and the Pacific, the World YWCA is seeking consultant/s to explore the nexus of language, power, and feminist values using the World YWCA’s Feminist Consultation Methodology (FCM). The consultant/s will explore language and power by coaching and facilitating young women and women to conduct their own research in their local communities using FCM.
Before applying, this methodology should be read carefully and the proposal must be clear about the roles consultants will play and the approaches they will take.
Location: Remote
Closing date for Expression of Interest: 19 September, 2025
Starting date: September 2025
Type of agreement: Consultancy – estimated working days maximum 60 days over 6-8 months
