If we mention the word ‘leader’ in Africa, we most likely picture a man. We picture a ‘boss’. We think of someone authoritative, who others defer to, and that we’re possibly a little scared of. Politicians and Businessmen. This isn’t just an African stereotype. Across the world, we will probably find young women with the […]
Category Archives: Toolkit 4 – Developing Young Women’s Leadership Through Youth Work
If we lead leadership programmes for young African Women, we have to ask ourselves, as youth workers, whether we truly believe that these women can become leaders. Giving African young women the chance to see themselves as leaders Have you ever thought about how often leadership programmes are delivered in ways that prevent young women […]
Volunteering can be an excellent opportunity to practice leadership skills, whether this is taking on a role within your organisation, or externally. However, young women in your context may not easily make the connection between service to others and leadership, and you may need to guide them in understanding this. Use examples to help them […]
Allowing young women to make mistakes is smarter than spoon-feeding them. Experience of making mistakes, talking about it openly with a mentor or project coordinator and understanding that mistakes aren’t the end of the world is truly valuable for young women. We know that many women are scared about trying new things due to a […]
We each need to ask ourselves, as youth workers, whether we see ourselves as leaders. How can we teach leadership if we cannot model it? Youth workers may not see themselves as ‘big bosses’ but we are leaders. We are leading activities for young people and we have an opportunity to show them that women […]
This Mentoring Toolkit has been developed by youth workers in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa with two aims: To inspire you and give you the tools to start or improve mentoring for girls in your own youth clubs To act as a template that you can adapt for mentors in your youth projects This Mentoring […]
“Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.” Chimamanda Adozie Adichie Mentoring is a sustained and trusting relationship where an experienced person (the mentor) helps another person (the mentee) to achieve their […]
The mentoring journey for young women starts with self-awareness and goal setting; these resources are great for when the relationship or the new academic year starts. They facilitate discussions and are good food for thought to understand where the mentee is, where she wants to go, and how to get there. You then carry on […]
A mentoring relationship is based on a mutual understanding between the mentor and mentee. It should be based on mutual respect, trust and openness if it is to be successful. It is best practice to have a written agreement between a mentor and a mentee – this allows you to be clear about what you […]
Building trust with your mentee is important, and this isn’t something that happens immediately. Many of the young women we work with struggle to trust adults – they have had experiences of adults abusing and neglecting them, or been taught to be cautious about sharing information with strangers. These questions are suggestions for you to […]