Support Young People to Lead Social Change

“Why can we not go out of the house alone? Why do we have to give justifications even if we go out for a little while? Why do you trust the community but not your daughters? Are the boys/men who harass us not a part of the community? Why are they not taught better?”

On the 30th of July 2019, 12 young girls living in a low resource neighbourhood in Sunder Nagar Nursery in New Delhi put up a theater performance to engage their parents and other “adults” from their community in a dialogue on the needs and issues of young girls and other adolescents. The process of getting to this performance involved consistent group work, reflection, fights, fun and a lot of conversation. Their key concerns, were the restrictions put on girls, the limited approach to ensuring safety and their aspiration for freedom. 

These girls, along with some of their other friends, have been part of a leadership journey with The YP Foundation since April 2018. At The YP Foundation,  They have learnt creative theatrical communication to present their ideas, issues and problems to their families and community. They have been part of a human library, conducted safety walks, taken up surveys to understand the needs and aspirations of their friends and are finally ready to raise awareness and engage others in these issues on their terms. The process itself made the girls  open up, share their stories and use these to represent the direct and indirect forms of violence they experience. 

The goal of the workshop and engagement was to enable the girls to express and emphasize their needs, stories and issues to their families and communities. Most of the girls felt that they couldn’t bring up certain issues in front of their families because of backlash and judgement. However through the process and the final presentation, they were able to convey their worries and their problems to their families and the community they live in. These stories included cases of harassment, the restrictions they faced on their mobility especially not being able to leave the house alone or at night, as well as issues of mental health and stress. After the presentation, the girls also put questions to their audience and engaged in a lengthy discussion. The supportive reaction of the community and the parents was also heartening and encouraging for the girls.  For some of the parents this was a self realisation moment when they got to know about the particular concern their daughters face.The girls themselves were of the opinion that the process has helped them become less judgemental and more supportive towards their fellow participants as well.

Kareena, Sandhya, Kehkasha and their friends have been able to sensitize their communities and lead this dialogue thanks to supporters like you. As we continue this leadership journey with adolescent girl leaders in Sunder Nagar Nursery, we invite you to join in on social media. Thank you very much for the support and for your continued interest in our work!