Join us to observe and engage in the World YWCA–YMCA Week of Prayer and World Fellowship from 7- 13 November 2021 under the theme: “Beauty from Brokenness“.
While the ongoing global pandemic continues to impact our everyday lives and present new changes and challenges, the World Week of Prayer’s theme invites us to reflect on the process of healing and restoration. Inspired by the Japanese concept of Kintsugi, the theme focuses on the beauty in imperfection and sees repair and breakage of an object as a part of its story and transformation. This beautiful idea can apply to our life experiences and how we overcome our challenges and learn from them. This year’s theme also reflects on how God’s light can heal brokenness and burst through, reaching out to those around us.
As we are in the process of healing and restoration from the pandemic, we continue to serve our communities with the spirit of forgiveness and inclusiveness, ensuring dignity for all and celebrating God’s unconditional love for us during this time of renewal.
A statement for the 76th session of the UN General Assembly
In the week that global leaders gather for the opening of the UN General Assembly, along with key partners, we commit to building a coalition with and for all young people and future generations. The Unlock the Future coalition brings together the leaders of the world’s largest and most far-reaching youth-led and youth-focused networks and movements.[1]
The coalition’s initial priorities include:
Advancing shared goals. We will increase commitments to act on priorities for young people and future generations, securing gains that make a difference to their lives and to the planet.
Fostering opportunities. We will help young people to find opportunities for civic engagement and social action, and to develop the skills they need to lead and mobilise in the face of emerging threats and challenges.
Voice and representation.We will ensure that young people from all backgrounds are at the heart of decision-making processes and improve meaningful representation for all young people, including those most impacted by discrimination and inequality.
Resourcing. We will work collectively on increasing funding for child, youth-led, and youth-focused networks and movements, and work with funders to make funding more strategic, inclusive, and accessible.
We are committed to broadening this coalition, welcoming a wide diversity of partners, children, and young people to help shape, develop, and drive the key principles and ambitions of our shared intent.
[1]The coalition commitment includes BRAC, Girl Up, Global Youth Mobilization, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), World Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (The Award), Restless Development and the Youth Collective, the Global Shapers Community at the World Economic Forum, and the UN Foundation.
Women and girls remain most impacted by the manifestation of patriarchy, conflict and oppression of human rights. World YWCA is closely following the situation with grave concern. Afghan women and girls have played a pivotal role throughout the country’s history.
As a movement with 165 years of history of working together for peace and justice, we stand in solidarity and support our partner organisations responding to the current crisis and their efforts during this critical period. We urge our friends and supporters who are keen to take action for women and girls in Afghanistan to donate to the below.:
Our Big 6 Youth Partner, WOSM (World Scouting Movement) has initiated a crowdfunding effort, coordinated through the World Scout Bureau and Afghanistan National Scout Organisation. Here is the link to the fundraiser. Read the full statement by WOSM here.
Our civil society organisation (CSO) and faith partner, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), has been present in Afghanistan for over 20 years. The offices have temporarily closed and the situation remains fragile. IRW has launched an emergency appeal and is formulating plans to provide immediate humanitarian response as soon as possible. Here is a link to donate to IRW Afghanistan Response. Read the full statement by IRW here.
We may add to this list as our other partners with a presence and relevance in Afghanistan develop clear plans of support for women, girls and families.
We know that war, conflicts, natural and man-made disasters impact women, young women and girls the worst. World YWCA is concerned by the on-going crisis in the countries of Afghanistan, Belarus, Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Myanmar and Haiti – to name a few – which impact the human rights of women and girls in a devastating way. We continue to advocate that women and girls be at the centre of all crisis, recovery, and long-term response.
The World YWCA is a grassroots-driven, global movement rooted in the leadership of women, young women, and girls. Truly centred on young women and girls, when #YoungWomenLead, we transform the world for the better:
Our Goal 2035 is bold and transformative: We aim to reach 100 million young women and girls to transform power structures to create justice, gender equality and a world without violence, leading a sustainable YWCA movement, inclusive of all. It is reflected in all we do strategically and day-to-day.
Young women make up 60% of ourboard members at World YWCA – from all over the world, with different backgrounds and knowledge.
An investor: We invest in and prioritise training and programmes that focus on building skills, confidence, and knowledge in young women and girls, providing resources for them to become advocates for their rights and to address the issues they and their communities face.
A networker: We ensure that young women and girls are not just involved in our work; they are vital to processes and milestones at every level of our programming, fundraising, communications, engagement, consultations and community work. With the support and connections fostered through the YWCA— we mobilise young women and allies in other communities, leading to a powerful, growing network.
An incubator:We provide platforms, safe spaces and capacity building to raise young women’s voices and implement their ideas and initiatives, connecting them to a global cohort of young women leaders.
Inclusive: We work with diverse groups from all parts of the world, across many intersections of race, class, sexuality, age, and other forms of discrimination and privilege. Our commitment to prioritise and provide support to young women and girls means that we are inclusive and take care to consider their lived realities in all we do.
Through the Young Women for Awareness, Agency, Advocacy, and Accountability (YW4A) programme, the World YWCA is focusing on multi-sectoral partnerships, especially around faith, in four countries; Palestine, Egypt, South Sudan and Kenya. YW4A aims to strengthen and diversify young women’s participation and amplify their voices, to effectively influence decision-making towards gender-just policies, laws and practices related to their bodily autonomy.
Women in these countries face multiple layers of violence and discrimination, and lack of access to full human rights. The impact of the unpredictable COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges.
The programme, led by the World YWCA, is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, by a consortium of eight core partners and 23 local women’s rights and faith-based organisations in these four countries.
World YWCA and its YW4A partners confirm their commitment to :
Develop the leadership, advocacy and capacity building skills of 17,540 young women to engage in action and decision-making in public, private, and civic spaces in the four countries by 2025.
Uphold safeguarding principles to ensure that no young woman working on this programme comes to harm. YW4A is developing a robust safeguarding policy that focuses on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) issues.
Engage men and boys to practice positive masculinities leading to behaviour change to ensure young women are safe and heard.
And, in line with the World YWCA’s overarching strategy and approach, a commitment to:
Be intentional in how we engage, listen to and collaborate with young women. We offer an approach that is not only centred on young women as participants, but is led and fully owned by young women. Our monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) processes involve and are grounded in young women’s inclusion, participation and leadership.
Recognise shared and intergenerational leadership in the process of building feminist movements. We commit to create safe spaces for respectful and empowering dialogue at local, national and global levels about issues affecting the young women, including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
Create platforms and networks that amplify their voices and leadership on issues they choose by connecting them to national, regional, and international accountability platforms.
The hope is that YW4A will inform the creation of a model that can be adapted to other regional and country contexts, to reach and positively engage young women within and beyond the YWCA.
Let’s meet our first partner! YWCA Egypt
Through the YW4A programme, YWCA Egypt is working towards the inclusion and participation of young women in decision making spaces at local, regional and international levels, as well as ensuring the implementation of existing articles in the Family Status Law and tackling gaps that exist in the Anti-Sexual Harassment law in Egypt. YWCA Egypt’s experience and connectedness with a diversity of young women and local communities in the country, facilitates a deeper understanding of the unique challenges that young women face and the environment in which they live. YWCA Egypt, through its Cairo office is managing and implementing the YW4A Egypt programme in partnership with Ibrahimia Media Centre, a faith-based organisation affiliated with the Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt.
Founded in 1896 as a women’s movement, and officially registered with the Ministry of Solidarity in 1967, YWCA Egypt’s mission is to empower women, promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Its mission is to support the development of body, mind and spirit, without discrimination based on religion, colour and other factors. The association provides services to women, young women and girls and other marginalised groups, with the support of the government and other local development actors, thereby fulfilling their human rights.
YWCA Egypt works in cooperation with four branches in Cairo, Alexandria, Minya and Assyut Governorates, under the umbrella of the General Assembly of the national YWCA. YWCA Cairo supports women and youth through leadership capacity building, knowledge of their rights and providing auxiliary social services to communities, such as for the mentally and visually handicapped. The YWCA runs youth camps that offer a character-building experience that helps young people to identify and focus on their goals and potential while promoting positive values, ethics and morals.
Joint country lead and faith-based partner: Ibrahimia Media centre (Alexandria)
Implementing women’s rights partners at country level
Egyptian Foundation for Family Development (Giza)
Liqaa Association for Solidarity and Social Work (Cairo)
Farah Foundation for Development (Alexandria)
Sabaya Al-Khair Association for Development (Alexandria)
As 32 religious actors and networks of faith-based organisations, who are working to achieve the Platform for Action, we want to reconfirm our role and share our recommendations. These organisations aim to re-energise religious actors from all faiths to make sure it happens.
In 1995, 189 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a bold and ambitious roadmap for gender equality. Since then, religious actors have been working from the local to the global, to transform gender norms, implement programmes, reform unjust laws and promote gender justice.
As a movement, founded by women from Christian traditions and inspired by core principles of faith that recognise the equal value of all human beings, World YWCA is happy to be part of this network emphasising feminist rights and movements, freedom from gender based violence, right to peace, access to technology and innovation and economic justice for women, young women and girls in all their diversity.
Get inspired by stories of change. Take action by donating to World YWCA
We are the world’s largest women’s rights movement engaging millions of women, young women and girls around the world each year, across cultures and beliefs, to transform lives and world for the better.
World YWCA amplifies the voices of female leaders where they will be heard on a global stage.
What does that look like when it happens?
It looks like our 15 incredible young leaders #YWCAleaders on-the-ground, around the globe: Faith, Isabelle, Lidya, Maureen, Mayowa, Kosalina, Maria, Namrata, Nanako, Roni, Alyona, Gohar, Renata, Sasha and Tana.
Read each of their accounts of action and inspiration of driving change in their communities through initiatives around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and mental health.
The stories spotlight how these women have become influencers within their communities by fostering a cadre of young women champions to carry forward the mantle. You will read about their engagement and experiences with girls, young women and women; the challenges that they overcome and celebratory successes; and the individual journeys that they have made as leaders.
Isabelle, 25, Cameroon, “Thirteen year olds aspire to become a leader like her. Young mothers acknowledge her tireless efforts towards women empowerment, and the local mayor believes, “She is a young woman who’s blooming. And once she’s bloomed, she’ll be known all over the world”.”
Kosalina, 25, Sri Lanka, “With the support from Kosalina’s offline and online awareness sessions and trainings on SRHR and mental health, a lot of young women have been able to collectivise power to bring up their challenges and rights.”
Renata, 24, Belarus, “In her leadership role, Renata organises training marathons for gender equality and has even participated in sex education festivals to help drive change. Considering the popularity of social media in Belarus, she leverages it to connect with young people, teachers, parents, influencers and youth experts, and widen online safe spaces.”
From Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe, they have, through the YWCA space and movement, through the power of World YWCA’s resources, training, capacity buildings, engagement platforms and other real and tangible ways, showcased the power of investing in leadership.
host Safe Spaces where women come for the advice, support, information and opportunities they need.
give young women the chance to take part in voluntary and paid work that gives them the independence, growth and opportunities they want and need.
connect young women with opportunities to learn and train in the things they want to, and care about.
provide real and tangible ways for women to change the world through local, regional, national & international leadership roles.
Despite the advances made on gender equality and women’s rights since Beijing Platform, the funding ecosystem for for feminist movements in general, is still bleak. Let’s change that. To direct more funding towards activists and feminists, there is a need to continue to call for a more just, feminist and reimagined funding ecosystem.
As the World YWCA, we will continue to share more evidence from the ground about the power of investing in feminist movements and leaders who embrace the challenges and make real impact on-the-ground.
We know you believe in the power of young women, as we do. Will you invest to make this a reality?
World YWCA announces the five grantees of the Global Youth Mobilization’s National Project Funding
Driving change through the activation of youth by funding Big 6 national organisations and networks is at the heart of the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM). By critically supporting and sustaining investments in youth and taking action for response and recovery of COVID-19, the Global Youth Mobilization initiative is not just reducing the post pandemic impact on youth and communities, but investing in youth-led innovative solutions on-the-ground.
As a part of the WHO supported USD 1.2 million support through national projects, the Global Youth Mobilization initiative is investing in these types of projects with the Big 6 Youth Organisations.
We received an overwhelming response in response to the Call for Proposals made to the national and local YWCAs applying for the funding.
Following feminist funding principles and focusing on initiatives with youth-led elements, a panel of young women selected five projects for national funding. These grants aim to provide young people with the skills, resources and knowledge to make change in their local communities and develop innovative solutions to the impact of COVID-19.
Join us in congratulating these YWCAs, read a little abouttheir projects below. Over the coming months, watch out for World YWCA social media for more updates. Feel free to follow the websites and social media of the YWCAs for more direct updates.
YWCA Albania: ‘Girls’ Clubs as a promoter of leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic’
The project aims to promote the leadership of girls, part of various socio-economic groups, by creating up to 12 Girls’ Clubs across Albania (Berat, Shkoder and Durrës), to address and respond effectively to sensitive issues heightened by Covid-19, such as mental health, reproductive health, self-image, gender-based violence, gender-based stereotypes, the impact of lockdown, etc.
The purpose is to give a strong voice and a safe space to young girls to increase their resilience, advocate for leadership and create strategies to overcome challenges and address different forms of violence, with a special focus on cyber and gender violence.’
Through the project, young women’s leadership skills will be promoted, nurtured and grown to create a significant impact on development and inclusion in light of COVID-19. The improved self-image and confidence will be key to challenge gender-based and online violence, reduce impact on mental health and also have them access health services based on their unique needs.
Reaching 100 young women directly and more than 1000 within 6 months – the project will focus on long term engagement and impact on young women and girls.
YWCA Ethiopia: ‘Strengthening Young People’s Initiative towards COVID-19 Response and Recovery’
With the goal to amplify young people’s efforts towards reducing the impact of COVID-19, the project aims to facilitate girls’ equitable access to education in 6 primary and secondary schools, and the university, in the Debre Birhan area, by the end of 2021. They aim to reach more than 3500 young women and girls.
Marginalised girls and young women are highly vulnerable to socio-economic exclusion, particularly in education, despite progress made to narrow the gender gap, exacerbating permanent school drop-outs due to child marriage, economic burden, and other factors.
The project will help solve COVID-19 related issues including reduced girls’ access to equitable learning, re-enrolment & catching-up. In addition, it strives to empower young women to advocate and influence local authorities and community gate-keepers.
Focusing on education and a stay-in-school approach, the project will reduce the negative impacts by having vulnerable girls continue their education as a result of the actions of engaged young people.
Follow Ethiopia on their website and social media.
YWCA Malawi: ‘Youth united against COVID-19’
By effectively mobilising more than 1000 young women and indigenous community members in rural and peri-urban Malawi, the project aims to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and address the impacts it has had on young women in 2 YWCA centres in Likhubula and Mulanje.
The project will include young girls who dropped out of school to marry or become mothers due the pandemic, as well as young women (and women) who have experienced GBV, especially rape or defilement. It seeks to address the mental health concerns of these young people through the provision and innovation of psycho-social services, led by young people on the ground, building the capacity and resilience skills of this particularly vulnerable group.
By engaging local governance structures and organisations using multiple community outreach techniques, young people will work with local duty bearers and effectively demand essential hygiene & sanitation materials for schools and markets, with the aim that at least 65 percent of community members adhere to COVID-19 prevention measures (i.e. wearing masks and social distancing) in public areas.
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, USA: ‘Be the Change: Advocacy in Action’
By leveraging the community voices of young parents (18-30 years) in Chicago’s south side the project will address a priority community need of reducing the economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chicago, specifically communities of colour.
Targeting more than 250 young adult Black/African-American women, aged 18-30, engaged as current and prior members of the Young Parents Programme, they will be trained in how to develop proactive advocacy initiatives including campaigns, storytelling, best practices for communicating with elected officials and securing public support for ideas.
The project will empower participants to recognise their potential power and influence, to increase engagement in their local neighbourhood, and to leverage their voices to address a pressing issue important to them.
Togo/UCF YWCA ‘Empowerment and resilience building of young people in the face of the negative impacts of COVID-19’
With the aim to strengthen the resilience of over 250 young people to the negative impact of COVID-19, especially on an economic level, this project will support young people towards financial independence, especially vulnerable 18-30 year olds.
Through non-formal education and learning activities namely photography, customisation, culinary art, gender-based violence (GBV), early pregnancy, marginalisation of young people living with physical or mental health issues, and school dropouts, the project will be implemented in areas of Adidogome, Tsévié, Kpalimé Tové Ahoundjo and the University of Lomé.
Follow Togo/UCF YWCA on their website and social media.
World YWCA joined YWCA Palestine in calling for an end to the forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah, and related violations of human rights and violence, by taking one of four actions listed in the full YWCA Palestine statement. The YWCA further expressed its concern regarding the military attacks and excessive force used by the Israeli forces on innocent civilians in Jerusalem, as well as the attacks on Gaza, leading to countless numbers of injuries and deaths, the majority of whom are children and women.
For decades, the YWCA global movement has consistently adopted unequivocal resolutions supporting women’s right to resist and to end the Israeli illegal occupation and the right of return for Palestinian refugees, adherence to international human rights laws by Israel, and the right of women, young women and girls to live in dignity and freedom. As long as the Israeli Occupation exists, there can be no justice, and there will be no sustainable future for the generations to come. Power structures must be transformed in order for justice to prevail.
World YWCA asks you to take part in such a transformation and contact your government and State, demanding that action be taken to end the Israeli Occupation and related human rights violations, which continue to threaten peace in the whole Middle East Region.
The Global Youth Summit (GYS) was the first virtual event of its kind, bringing together millions of young people from over 150 countries, the world’s six largest youth organisations*, policy makers and change makers to discuss challenges and provide solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our YWCA movement reported that it was the most youth representative event they have ever attended!
Young people, including 100s of young women from the YWCA and its partners, called on governments and businesses to prioritise youth in response to the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. The Summit had support from 15 Governments, UN agencies and Royal Families from around the world. We will be working to follow-up the messages of support to turn these into concrete outcomes for young people.
Even if you couldn’t join the Summit or listen to all the sessions, there’s still a chance for all of you to get involved. Take these actions:
· Apply for funding for local solutions to the impact of COVID-19. See how below**
· Advocate for change in your local communities
· Make the most of the Summit content to help others. You can watch over 45 engaging sessions here
· Share your feedback and keep an eye on @worldywca movement posts across all main social media networks. Comment, share and post using ##YWCAleaders and #youthmobilize as hashtags and tag @worldywca and @gymobilization.
**Local solutions funding. A key aspect of the Summit was to provide ideas and incentivise young people to find their own solutions to the pandemic. To spark ideas, the themes of the Summit were education, inclusion, well-being and work. Applications for funding to support innovative Local Solutions across the globe are now being received and applied for via / on this portal. You can apply, no matter how big or small your idea, no matter if you are an individual or working with others. Don’t hesitate – the deadline is rolling. It’s a simple process. If you would like help to think through your idea, please contact us: getinvolved@worldywca.org
An initial $2 million of funding will be available in four tiers, from $500 through to $5,000 – all of which will be decided on by panels of young people. An accelerator programme will scale and replicate the most promising solutions, with further funding lined up over the coming months.
Key Themes
From education disruption, employment and skills, vaccine equity, financial literacy, human-trafficking, the rise in domestic and gender-based violence, the Sustainable Development Goals, digital citizenship, role of non-formal education and learning, climate change and more – the Summit covered it all!
YWCA Present at Every Level
Listen to the leaders of the Big Six, including our General Secretary, Casey Harden, explain the significance of the Summit. If you enjoy this inspirational video, please share through your social media channels to inspire other young women to take action (please use #YWCAleaders and #youthmobilize as hashtags and tag @worldywca).
Our women from the YWCA movement were fully engaged!
· YWCA walked its walk and talked its talk. The World YWCA organised sessions on gender equity, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and menstrual health.
We played a key role in the plenaries with Namrata Sharma from @YWCAIndia and our YWCA friend Dr. Shakira Choonara, India @ChoonaraShakira.
We brought together wonderful YWCA leaders Meti Gemechu – Ethiopia, Maureen Magak – Kenya, Nanako Tojo – Japan, Anjum Sultana – Canada and Roni Shakya – Nepal to lead our sessions. We also partnered with young female facilitators beyond the YWCA, including those from YouAct in Europe and AFRIpads in Uganda;
· Over 100 of you registered as participants,showcasing the power of the movement by actively engaging across all sessions;
· Over 80 YWCA leaders joined pre-summit calls;
· Over 74 joined our vibrant WhatsApp discussion group that is still ongoing;
· Our social media posts created engagement, with multiple shares – please see highlights below;
· We supported a number of you with funds to access the internet to participate in the Summit.
Top Benefits of the Summit for YWCA Leaders:
· Inspiration from young women ensuring we have a strong voice;
· Building back better with solutions to gender-based violence, menstrual and sexual health, mental health, work and childcare;
· Contributing to Goal 2035 for the World YWCA movement: By 2035, 100 million young women and girls transform power structures to create justice, gender equality and a world without violence and war, leading a sustainable YWCA movement, inclusive of all!
Outcomes:
The Summit called for investment and prioritisation in mental health support, community and leadership development, digital activism, vaccine equity and support for education systems to adapt to the new normal for all young people, especially the excluded or underrepresented.
Next Steps
In the coming weeks, the Global Youth Mobilization will be working with us and our partners across the Big 6 youth organisations and beyond to build on the initial outcomes and develop a comprehensive set of policy recommendations from the Summit. These will form the basis of an advocacy campaign and support for young people to call for change at a local, national and international level.
The Summit is just a start: a series of national and regional events will follow, where the concept will be contextualised to the national and regional needs of young people. Learn more here about the Global Youth Mobilization movement.
Engagement on social media was the highest for World YWCA out of all the Big Six Organisations! We promoted the Summit before, during and after, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. We featured our young YWCA leaders in the posts, who shared their insights and action tips, as well as information on applying for funding. (Remember to follow us, if you don’t already, and encourage others in your networks to do so).
