Young women energise our movement, challenge us to be more creative in our problem solving and ensure our sustainability. Experience has shown that when young women are provided with educational resources, guided by capable mentors, and exposed to new experiences, they are more likely to make personal and educational choices that will help them develop critical skills. They are also more likely to pursue careers that are not traditional for women: in technology, science and math, manufacturing, and other high-wage fields dominated by men in most societies. As they mature, these young women will be poised to offer their families, their communities, and their employers’ greater productivity and a better quality of life.

After more than a decade , the YWCA has effectively established a culture that values and upholds young women’s right to participate in decision making.

Over 600,000 young women have been trained for leadership over the past four years, which makes up nearly 40% of all YWCA training opportunities worldwide.

In addition, at the World YWCA Council meeting in 2003, 50% of all those elected to the international governing body of the World YWCA were under the age of 30, and already they are representing the YWCA at the World Bank, United Nations and other international forums and networks.