The YWCA places special emphasis on young women and their empowerment through transformative leadership. It seeks to strengthen and channel their creativity so that they can become accountable partners in co-creating solutions, programme implementation, decision-making and policy-making. Every project and programme developed at the YWCA seeks to create meaningful roles and responsibilities for young women, enabling them to take initiatives forward, strengthen existing efforts and build them to the next level. By bringing young people’s ideas into the process and supporting them as decision-makers, we envision a generation of young women and men who can grow as catalysts for change.
Y-Deepa
Goal
To empower young women and men and strengthen their leadership capacities, contributing to the broader goal of nation-building.
Objectives
- To work with girls and boys to challenge their thinking and develop a sound understanding of social and environmental concerns.
- To build their capacity to respond positively to social stigma and conflict and to develop healthy self-esteem.
- To help them develop a sound set of values that contributes to safe and inclusive communities and respect for the environment.
- To develop an understanding of tolerance and the importance of living together in an atmosphere of harmony.
- To create safe spaces for people of all genders.
- To engage young people in activities that encourage them to become responsible citizens.
- To support them in becoming independent and understanding and claiming their rights.
Target Audience
Youth are at a stage between childhood and adulthood when they may be particularly vulnerable to risks and pressures within society, including gender inequality, sexual harassment, HIV/AIDS, cyberbullying, peer pressure, substance misuse, academic pressure and difficulty coping with stress.
Keeping these objectives in mind, the Y-Deepa movement encourages young people between the ages of 10 and 18 to participate. They can be divided into age groups according to their needs. Children aged 10–13 can focus on issues such as coping with academic pressure and understanding the opportunities and risks associated with online activity. Girls and boys aged 14–18 can explore topics including equality, mental well-being, and building and maintaining healthy relationships.
Trainers
A key priority is to train trainers who can inspire young women and men to become responsible citizens. Young people who have recently moved into adulthood may have a strong understanding of the challenges of adolescence and may be motivated to help others through what they have learned from their own experiences. Their relative proximity in age to the participants can also support a peer-mentorship model.
Trainers need to learn how to conduct sessions for different age groups, introduce and structure a session, make activities interactive, maintain participants’ attention, and encourage everyone to participate in discussions. Sessions should be activity-based and should not exceed two hours, helping participants understand the topics through practical and engaging activities. The YWCA encourages volunteers between the ages of 18 and 30 to continue inspiring and working with girls and boys.
The Y-Deepa Curriculum: A Guide
To make sessions informative and engaging, trainers can use the Y-Deepa curricula (Volumes 1 and 2). The curricula cover a range of social issues that require attention, including topics with which young people may have limited awareness.
To create a fun and participatory learning environment, trainers can also use the activities and icebreakers included in the curricula and available through the Knowledge Hub.
RISE UP! Phase III
RiseUp! is a young women’s leadership programme guided by the World YWCA and implemented by the YWCA of India. It provides training on human rights issues affecting young women, including violence against women (VAW), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and gender equality. The programme uses a Training of Trainers (ToT) model in which young women are equipped to share knowledge about rights with other young women. This helps create a network of young women who learn about, advocate for and act on their rights. In this sense, it is a programme for young women, led by young women.
What is India’s RiseUp! Story?
According to this account, Phase III of the RiseUp! programme began in India in 2012. The programme reports that more than 5,000 young women were trained across the country during this period. Young women in the YWCA of India focused particularly on SRHR and adolescent health and went on to act as advocates for change through community-based training and locally initiated projects.
India has a large and youthful population, but significant social and economic inequalities remain. Young girls, particularly in marginalized communities, may face barriers to education and increased risks of early marriage. During the RiseUp! programme, participants worked on issues including SRHR, violence against women and the empowerment of women and girls in their communities.
The RiseUp! training focuses on key issues affecting young women and supports them to develop knowledge, leadership skills and advocacy capacity.
In India, RiseUp! has not only provided training to young women but has also supported trainers and participants to take part in advocacy campaigns, workshops, events and other capacity-building opportunities.
RiseUp! Methodology
RiseUp! uses a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) grounded in principles including equality, non-discrimination, participation and accountability, with the aim of ensuring that no one is left behind. The World YWCA’s RiseUp! Guide frames young women’s transformative leadership through a human rights-based approach.
Using this approach, RiseUp! empowers young women to participate in claiming their human rights through education, knowledge-building and advocacy. The approach recognizes young women as rights holders and also emphasizes the responsibilities of rights bearers to respect, protect and fulfil those rights and to remain accountable. The programme’s training resources provide further guidance on applying an HRBA to young women’s leadership and advocacy.
Is There More to the RiseUp! Story?
The original account described the YWCA’s intention to move forward with its donors and the World YWCA towards RiseUp! Phase IV, with a focus on developing a strong network of transformative young women leaders. RiseUp! Phase IV has since been implemented by the YWCA of India in partnership with the World YWCA and other member Associations.
Training of Trainers (ToT)
A key part of the YWCA’s youth initiatives is training young women to become trainers who can then train other young women. The approach emphasizes continuity and the sharing of experience so that learning can continue from one group to another. It is also based on peer-to-peer leadership, which helps develop young trainers as future leaders capable of taking programmes forward in different communities.