Young women and non-binary people in Renfrewshire could have the chance to make changes in their communities as part of a innovative programme.
The Young Women Lead project is looking for 30 people from across the local authority to sign up to share their experiences of living in the area and help make meaningful changes on important local issues.
The six-month free programme is launching in Renfrewshire later this year, making it one of just nine local authorities to take part across the country.
The successful programme has featured in national news as well as the well-known Guilty Feminist podcast hosted by Deborah Frances-White.
Those who take part will meet up in person and take part in virtual workshops throughout the course of the programme from March until August.
As well as helping make your voice heard on important issues, the project’s national coordinator for YWCA Scotland, Laurie Duffy said it has also helped people connect and form life-changing friendships.
Laurie told the Express: “This project has changed people’s lives.
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“Because of it, for so many that have taken part, they now have a great community of young people around them and it has helped them form life-long friendships.
“It has helped people come together and be advocates for people and issues that they feel passionate about and make real changes in their own communities which is fantastic.
“We hope that the people taking part in Young Women Lead will gain and develop skills to go on to become influencers and citizen advocates in their communities and act as role models for others.”
Some of the issues tackled in previous projects includes women in sport and physical activity, sexual harassment in schools, transition from education to employment for ethnic minority women and study into Glasgow’s urban infrastructure and whether it reflects and supports the diverse needs of women and non-binary people living in the city.
Using dozens of resources, speaking with experts and speaking first hand with those who are impacted by the issues being researched, the groups spent months compiling in depth reports, some of which led to real changes being made.
Because of the sexual harassment in schools report which made recommendations to the Scottish Government on how to tackle sexism in schools, teachers across the country were given advice and training on how to identify healthy and unhealthy relationships.
The Renfrewshire and Inverclyde team will spend the first few months of the programme coming up with an idea for their own project and researching issues relating to women and non-binary people which they feel need to be addressed.
Laurie added: “There are some brilliant examples from previous projects which show just how much of an impact this project can have.
“Participation is at the heart of this project.
“What you put into it is what you will get out of it and so we are looking for people who are ready for the challenge.”
The programme is open to all self-identifying women and non binary people who are comfortable in women only spaces who are aged 16 to 30 who are living in the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Council areas.
Those who would like to take part should complete the application form and monitoring form by 9am on February 21, 2022.
If you support/work with a young person who would benefit from being part of Young Women Lead, but might not have confidence to apply, please nominate them for the programme.
For further information or to nominate someone for the programme, please email Laurie at Laurie@ywcascotland.org
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