Investing in Young People to be Powerful Champions

Young people are changing the world today by speaking up, challenging norms, building networks, and collaborating to drive change in their own communities, countries, and around the world. Women Deliver’s Youth Engagement program has shifted the global landscape in favor of meaningful youth engagement by increasing the visibility of young people and equipping them to contribute their expertise and experiences equality to the conversations that concern them.

In particular, the Women Deliver’s Young Leader Program has made significant strides by training and preparing young people through a diverse repertoire of resources designed to build capacity for meaningful youth participation in global gender equality efforts across the development sector. The Young Leaders Class of 2018, in addition to being the largest and most diverse cohort to date, is also the first to enroll in Digital University. Digital University is an online educational platform that provides capacity-building and networking opportunities through a self-paced, iterative learning experience and the newest of Women Deliver’s training resources.

Young Leaders are also encouraged to apply what they learn, elevating their voices to a level at which they are seldom heard but can make the most impact. Young Leaders are active on numerous influential and high-level panels, commissions, and boards, and more than 100 Young Leaders in the past year have been directly involved in policy and organizational strategy consultations through the Young Leaders Speakers Bureau. These engagement opportunities range from intimate technical workshops to high-level public events and UN gatherings. In preparation for these events, Women Deliver staff provide rigorous technical assistance to ensure that Young Leaders feel confident and equipped to share their lived experiences, perspectives, expertise, and recommendations with critical stakeholders and decision-makers in powerful ways. Women Deliver Young Leaders are increasingly proactive in reporting their own successes in impact polices and investments in their own countries, and have thus far reported 48 instances where they provided a policy recommendation. Of these, 14 have already been reflected in policy plans, strategies, or agendas.

This June, Women Deliver’s Young Leaders will be joined by hundreds of young people from around the world at the Women Deliver 2019 Conference (WD2019) in Vancouver Canada. WD2019 will feature several youth-only spaces including the Youth Pre-Conference and the Youth Zone. The Youth Pre-Conference looks to provide up to 1,000 delegates 30 years of age and under with the opportunity to gain knowledge, hone skills, build networks, and ultimately generate momentum for gender equality on a larger scale. The Youth Zone lies at the heart of the Fueling Station (WD2019 exhibition hall) and will be a bustling central hub for all young people at WD2019, providing a space for intergenerational dialogue and idea-sharing. Young people will also be speaking across the Conference, from the Plenary Stage to Concurrent Sessions, bringing their unique voice and perspective to the forefront of the conversation.

The Women Deliver Young Leaders Program is an investment in solutions, and aims to produce trained and highly capable advocates who are passionate about driving lasting and positive change. Our team is looking forward to WD2019 as an opportunity to expand the network of young people involved in the fight for equal rights for girls and women, at the Conference, and beyond.