UN Women Australia hosted a side event at the Commission on the Status of Women last week.  I had the opportunity to speak about the importance of, and how to, engage young women in the work of non-governmental organisations.  In this article, I outline some of the key points of my talk.

The point of this article is to give some good, general advice on how to engage young women meaningfully in the work of an NGO.  I speak from my experience as a leader in a youth-run NGO and from being involved in non-youth-run NGOs that still work extensively with young people.  In this article, I want to discuss three key themes: the importance of engaging young women, the key issues faced by NGOs in doing so, and some strategies for overcoming these difficulties.  

Firstly, it is essential for NGOs to ask themselves why it is important to engage young women.  Organisations should have a clear idea of the 'why' so that they can be truly effective in carrying out the 'how'.  For me, there is one overarching reason that is widely given for wanting more young people involved: the common notion that young women bring energy, a fresh perspective, ideas and enthusiasm to an organisation.  I will say more on this later.  However, I think it is equally important to recognise just what your organisation can give to a young woman who gets involved.  I have gained some of my most useful skills and experience, not to mention increased self-confidence and leadership skills, from being involved in NGOs. View the engagement of young women as a synergy: by giving young women meaningful opportunities to get involved in your NGO, they will grow and be able to give back.  

So, we come now to the major issues that NGOs face in engaging young women.  These can be summed up as the common complaints of 'we can't get young women interested' and 'we can't hang onto interested young women - they come to one meeting and then leave!'  Sound familiar?  If so, some of my advice below could be of help.  

The idea underlying all of the advice below is that NGOs should give young women spaces to meaningfully participate.  Keep in mind that my advice is not meant to be exhaustive.  Different contexts will call for different solutions  However, I hope that it is a good starting point from which your NGO can begin a discussion about how best to engage young women. 

1.  Show confidence in young women.  It is absolutely essential that your NGO shows faith in young women.  Many organisations are scared that young people will make mistakes.  This is a legitimate concern; however, we should remember that everyone, regardless of age, makes mistakes, and it is rare that these mistakes are truly catastrophic!  Furthermore, we learn best by doing, so it follows that we learn best from our successes and failures.  If young women don't feel like they have the trust and support of the organisations, then I can guarantee they will seek more fulfilling opportunities elsewhere.  Worse still, if no one shows faith in a person, then they will not show faith in themselves.  One of the best things that older and/or more experienced members of an organisation can do is to tap a younger woman on the shoulder and ask her directly to take on responsibility for a particular task or project.  Many young women lack the self-confidence to put their hands up to take on jobs, although they are probably more than competent.  

2.  Give young women ownership.  Meaningful participation means giving responsibility to young women.  If young women can feel like they are truly part of a project or task, that they have been entrusted with a responsibility, then they will become much more engaged, rather than just hanging around on the sidelines.  Giving young women ownership for things such as running events, coming up with ideas for new initiatives, etc., also gives them the chance to gain new skills or improve new ones.  This is good for young women and good for your organisation.  

3.  Consultation.  If your organisation wants to carry out a project targeted at young women, then ask young women themselves about what would be most effective!  Unfortunately, consultation is often done very poorly.  Consultation should be carried out with a group of an appropriate size and it should be as representative as possible, with regard to the context.  Facilitation should be about getting the young women themselves to speak, rather than asking participants to sit and listen.  Above all, respect people's intelligence and avoid tokenism at all costs.  Make sure that participants know what the outcomes of the consultation will be and give them the chance to be involved with the delivery of the project.  

4.  Peer-to-peer education.  One of the most effective techniques for engaging young women that I have seen and used countless times is peer-to-peer education.  This means equipping young women with the skills and knowledge to teach and inspire other young women about the work of your NGO.  Get them to write materials such as presentations and workshops, and help them develop skills in public speaking and facilitating group discussions.  This is a great way of showing faith in young women and it gives them the chance to exercise and improve their leadership skills.  Peer-to-peer education is so effective because peers know best how to communicate with each other.  It eliminates the barriers presented by age, different communication skills or status that often prevent young women from getting really engaged in and excited about a topic.  It also gives young women positive role models in their own peer group.  

5.  Mentoring.  As I've mentioned, being involved in an NGO can be hugely beneficial for a young woman.  Mentoring takes this one step further and helps to create intergenerational dialogue and solidarity that will strengthen your organisation.  Consider 'buddying up' a young women with an older and/or more experienced member who can guide them through your NGO's structure and culture, encourage them to take on new opportunities as they arise and give them advice when they need it.  

To wrap up, here are some final points that are important to keep in mind:

1.  Young people are not endless fountains of energy and enthusiasm.  This common belief can lead to young women being tasked with more than they can cope with (especially as we are not yet good at saying 'no'!).  Please take care of young women in your organisation and stress quality, not quantity, of involvement as being the most important in order to avoid burn out and the loss of interest.  

2.  Allow young women to speak for themselves as much as possible.  As Kofi Annan said, 'If you want to know about young people, ask them'.  

3.  Young women often get told, 'youth are the leaders of tomorrow'.  This is just plain wrong. Young women lead today, in their communities, nationally, regionally and globally.  Don't let young women think that they have to 'grow up' before they can be 'real leaders'.  Encourage them to recognise the various ways in which they are already showing leadership and help them to develop further.  

Today – was a truly incredible day. 

This morning, I accompanied Minister Ellis to meet with Michelle Bachelet which was both a privilege and an honour.  Ms Bachelet has a close affinity to Australia, having spent many months in Sydney after being exiled from Chile.  Congratulating Minister Ellis on the announcement of the National Action Plan on violence against women, Ms Bachelet urged the Australian Government to continue to support initiatives throughout our region aimed and reducing violence and violence supporting attitudes.  Ms Bachelet’s vision for UN Women, belief that change is possible and genuine commitment to working with Member States of the UN to make significant inroads was very evident from this meeting.

We spent the afternoon at the National Committee’s meeting – where 16 out of the 18 National Committees were present  for the first meeting under the name of UN Women.  We were excited that Ms Bachelet attended the meeting, and seemed committed to attending the next meeting in Australia in September.  National Committees remain a central part of UN Women’s strategy to engage Member States and civil society groups.  We were excited about the potential for growth and development and are looking forward to working with the staff at UN Women to progress some of the ideas raised.  We also look forward to being significant contributors to the formation of UN Women’s strategic plan over the coming months.

Tonight was the global launch of UN Women.  With the Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, HRH Princess of Spain, Geena Davis, Nicole Kidman and even Shakira on the speaking list – it is not hard to imagine what an amazing event this was.  Sitting in the General Assembly was an incredible experience.

One of the many quotes which resonated with me most strongly was “equal opportunity is not a gift, it is a right we have long since earned”.  The clear message from tonight – from the UN, the Member States, the Private Sector and the NGOs – was the time is now.  From tonight, the world unites behind UN Women for gender equality.

For the very first time, UN Women Australia has included a youth delegate on their delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.  I have had the honour of filling this role, which has been a great learning experience so far.  The purpose of this post is to update you on what I have been up to here at the CSW and, in particular, how young women are making a great contribution to the conference.  

The CSW has a Young Women's Caucus.  This caucus, made up of about 30 young women from around the world, has been working on suggestions that we can add to the final agreement of the conference.  The purpose of this is to make sure that the final agreement (also called 'agreed conclusions' in UN jargon), is working in the favour of young women and girls everywhere.  We have been focused on including points about the importance of involving young women in the creation and delivery of policies that affect us, as well as urging countries to create or expand comprehensive education programmes on sexuality and reproductive health.  These two points came up a lot throughout my consultations with young Australian women, so it is great to see that there is a real push here to get these points into the agreement.  The youth caucus has also come up with an oral statement to deliver to the CSW plenary - this is the main meeting where countries sit and debate the priority theme.  I was lucky enough to have the chance to deliver this statement on behalf of the caucus, so as I write this, I'm waiting in the plenary for my turn to speak and listening to what the country delegations have to say!

Of course, one of the best things about being at this conference so far has been the amazing other young women here!  I have been really impressed by how professional they have been in delivering talks and workshops, and in negotiating amendments to the final agreement.  Many of them have also been brave enough to share their stories about what it is like to be a young women in their own countries.  Something that has struck me is how, although there are cultural differences, many of the issues affecting young women around the world are very similar.  These are physical and sexual violence, negative depiction of women in the media and gender stereotyping, and the difficulties in attaining full-time, decent work and the challenges posed by having and raising children. It is my hope that the strong representation and participation of young women here at the conference will lead to action on the ground.  

As you may know, I have also been doing a video blog (click here) and have been using Twitter (click here) and facebook (click here) regularly to update you all on what's happening here.  I have also set up an online discussion where you can ask me questions about what is going here at the conference and I encourage everyone to get in touch!  Click here to get involved in the discussion!  
I shall be bloggin again very soon!

Catriona 

UN Women Australia Youth Delegate to the CSW 

On Tuesday afternoon, UN Women Australia hosted a fabulous panel discussion on engaging young women. Chaired brilliantly by Leonie-Ruth Acland, the event was a huge success with all participants engaged and excited about the ideas and advice given by the panellists.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Liz Broderick kicked off proceedings, speaking about barriers to young women transitioning from education to employment.  She reported on some of her consultations with young women across Australia and their consistent experiences of sexual harassment and workplace harassment.  Sadly, the audience was not shocked by these stories and statistics, and representatives from Asia, America and Africa noted that the situation in their country was the same.  Liz also spoke about technology as an opportunity for educating young women and giving them access to information which they may not otherwise have access to.

Catriona spoke next, providing the audience with some very tangible strategies on how to engage young women in a meaningful way.  She also reported on her consultations with Australian Young Women, noting that the issues of violence, gender steryotupes in the media and transition from education to employment were concerns common to many young women.  Her speech was received very well and we received a huge amount of support for the concept of having a Youth Delegate to CSW!!

Jessica Notwell from the YWCA closed the panel, speaking about the YWCA’s quota system for young women on their boards.  She spoke about the importance of intergenerational leadership and shared some insights into the journey which the YWCA globally had taken to reach agreement on a quota system.  Jessica was convincing and passionate – and a testament to the wonderful women of the YWCA!

The event was action oriented and we hope that all participants walked away confident of at least one step which they could take to advance their organisation’s ability to engage young women.

As I am sure you can tell from the number of emails circulating in the sector – the Commission is now in full swing.  We are very lucky to have four people on our delegation , as this has allowed us to ensure we have coverage across the different sessions and meetings.  I will do my best to provide an overview of what everyone has been doing – but please make sure you are also checking out Catriona’s blog as well.

Yesterday was the first formal day of the Commission.  Catriona and Donelle headed in to the main session, which for the first time was held in the General Assembly room.  It was a special occasion, with Ms Bachelet giving her second major address for the Commission and once again inspiring and encouraging those present.  She emphasised the need for us to accelerate our efforts to educate girls, and to focus on women’s development working strategically and peacefully.  Ms Bachelet also called on Member States to help UN Women become fully operational and maximise its mandate.

Leonie-Ruth and I braved the freezing cold Church Centre to attend some of the NGO side-events and were inspired by the women we heard speaking and those we met.  Leonie-Ruth attended a session on the priority theme and the ‘psychosocial barriers limiting girls and women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)’.  She reported that the event focused around successful models of mentoring and sponsorship, where champions share their  networks and actively support the mentee.  In keeping with the priority theme, there was significant discussion about how technology could be used to facilitate this type of mentoring program.

Close to home, I went to an event focusing on breaking the cycle of poverty in our region and highlighting some innovative strategies which the UN and NGOs are using to challenge traditional development models.  We heard from UNHCR about the situation of refugees in Malaysia, a country which has not signed the refugee convention and where people living as refugees can be arrested if found.  There are 92,000 registered refugees and an estimated 10,000 un-registered.  Given their illegal status, refugee children are not able to access government schools in Malaysia – and now, UNHCR reports that more than 67 schools have opened throughout Malaysia run by and for refugees.  This passion for education and commitment to providing education to children who are already facing so much disadvantage was inspiring.  These children are slowly overcoming not only challenges with their education, but also with their physical development – having never had the opportunity to run around or play in the playground as children.  As ever, it bought home to me the importance and centrality of education to all aspects of development.

I will be sure to provide more information about the mid-morning and early-afternoon sessions in my full report.

Hundreds of women gave Michelle Bachelet, the new head of UN Women,  a standing ovation after her keynote address at the NGO Consultation Day today.  Ms Bachelet spoke passionately about her job and her determination to engage with civil society.  She noted that she will be appointing an NGO advisory group and has instructed all regional and sub-regional offices to do the same.  Ms Bachelet noted that she plans to visit all regions and lend her voice to others in pursuing women’s empowerment.

We have invited her to Australia to attend the National Committees Meetings in September – watch this space!

The NGO consultation day disspointingly did not involve much interaction.  Michelle Bachelet took two questions:

Q:           Do you support the 5^th World Conference on Women
A:            Yes

Q:           How will UN Women be using technology to link in to grass roots women?
A:            In answering this question, Ms Bachelet demonstrated her skill and understanding of development in her complex and sympathetic reply – saying, essentially that when a woman has no water, nor electricity and is subject to violence, technology is not the answer.

A very well crafted endorsement of UN Women came from Eleanor Nwadinobi, Medical Women’s International Association – Nigeria.  She relayed an African proverb: “When you see a dog barking at a lion, do not be fooled – there will be a hunter with a gun hiding nearby”.  She encouraged more barking now we have UN Women – hiding in the bushes.

Charlotte Bunch, Centre for Women’s Global Leadership, who led the GEAR campaign asked “How can we access UN Women and what strategically needs to be done?”.  We need people to support their National Committees – first and foremost.  In doing that, we need to build a critical mass of people who are focused on the centrality of gender equality in achieving development outcomes – including the MDGs.

As the finishing touches are placed on the Australian Government statement which is expected to be delivered tomorrow morning, I remain confident that our Government will do more than most to ensure NGOs are included as a vital parft of the process.

Donelle Wheeler, Board Member

I can hardly believe that it is that time of year again - the time of year where more than 3000 women representing over 1500 NGOs converge on New York to attend the Commission on the Status of Women.

With the Commission kicking off formally tomorrow, I thought it would be a good time to post some insights into what we can expect of the week ahead.

With the formation of UN Women, there are going to be lots of events about what this new entity means for the NGO sector and how NGOs will be able to play a role in establishing its mandate and programs.  I am very much looking forward to meeting the new Under Secretary General of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet who will be opening tomorrow's NGO training day and also attending the National Committees' meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Within the UN Women Australia delegation, I am going to be focusing on violence against women, women and peace-building and leadership.  I am attending a workshop on Tuesday with 8 Haitan women telling their stories and speaking about strategies to end violence in Haiti.  I will look forward to reporting back to you about this, as I know many of you have supported our fundraising efforts in Haiti.

We are thrilled this year to have our first 'Youth Delegate' - Catriona Stanfield.  Catriona has been running consultations across South Australia prior to attending the Commission and will be blogging and posting videos about her time at the Commission.  She will be attending the Youth Caucus and is hoping to play a leadership role in the advocacy around the agreed conclusions.

I will be updating this blog each day - please don't hesitate to send me questions which you would like to answer, or like me to ask of UN Women while I am here.

Reminder - Don't forget to buy your International Women's Day tickets - they are selling out fast!

Red signs saying “Pazi Mine” dot the country side between Sarajevo and Tuzla – another stark reminder of a recent war.  While much of the capital city has been de-mined, once outside the main residential areas, the mines remain.

Today, we visited UNIFEM programs in Tuzla, the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The true dedication of the program workers was evident by the fact they had given up their Sundays to brief our delegation.   Some of the programs were based in Tuzla, but others in Banja Luka, 3 hours drive from Tuzla.

Violence prevention is a major focus of many of the NGOs in Tuzla and Banja Luka.  Two things stood out for me straight away.  The first, was that in a country of nearly 4 million people, there are only 9 domestic violence shelters.  Secondly, the State provides no funding for violence services.  A recent study showed that the Government of BiH spends up to $60 million on ‘community organisations’, however more than 90% of that funding is channelled towards the soccer team and pensions for war veterans.  Violence services rely on UNIFEM and international donor funds to operate. 

BiH is now considered a middle income country and many donors are withdrawing funds in favour of countries in ‘greater need’.  Without international donor support, many of the gender equality programs would be forced to close.

One of the other partner programs we were introduced to focused on providing counselling and psychological support to women who were victims of rape during the war.  Focusing on providing women with support networks, health services and future opportunities through education and employment training, this program is one of a kind in BiH. 

In Banja Luka, the focus is on attitudinal change among young people.  A number of programs are being rolled out focusing on healthy relationships.  While there are many community organisations, few focus on the needs of young people and more specifically, young women.   UNIFEM is partnering with a local NGO to support women’s NGOs to engage with young people, and to assist young people in organising for advocacy.

Towards the end of the day, we toured the local community radio station, Vesta, which was established from a UNIFEM grant. 
The radio station started in reaction to community concern about the number of women in Tuzla who were experiencing violence, or who had been raped during the war.  Many of these women were not able to access support services, employment or education and as such, were at home and isolated.  The radio station was a way to communicate health messages and support to those women.  Soon, other NGOs were approaching the station asking to have slots to communicate their messages.  Today, Vesta provides training to NGOs in how to access radio and other media opportunities.  They also provide free slots to NGOs to run programs on their specific interest areas.  It is estimated that more than 100,000 women listen to the station regularly.  These women hear information about violence, family relationships, health, education, human rights and community development which they would otherwise have no access to.  Reflecting on the current debate at home about the National Broadband Network, I am reminded that free and accessible information is something we take for granted.

Leaving Tuzla, I feel a strong sense that we can do more to support the Balkan Region.  I look forward to talking to you all about how we might do that upon my return.

Pulling into the car park of the UNIFEM office in Sarajevo, the bullet holes and grenade craters in the adjoining buildings are a stark reminder of the Bosnian War of 1992 – 1995.

The impact of conflict, post-conflict reconstruction and the peace process on women is the focus of many of UNIFEM’s projects.  I knew that the UNIFEM office in Bosnia was relatively new, but what I did not know was that since it opened in 2007, UNIFEM has developed substantial programs on ending violence against women, young women’s leadership, trauma support for victims of war rape and support for sex workers.  All of this achieved with a budget of less than $200,000 USD, 2 staff, 1 dedicated worker from UN Volunteers and a seconde from the Icelandic Government.  These 4 women work tirelessly to achieve gender equality in the Balkan region and have developed partnerships which reach all corners of this post-conflict state. 

Today, we met with more than 10 women representing 6 NGOs, working on 5 projects with UNIFEM in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).   One of the projects which UNIFEM is trying to support here is the preparation of the NGO Shadow Report and support representatives from the NGO sector to attend the Review process, as the Bosnian Government is due to report to the CEDAW Committee in October.  The NGOs need to raise $10,000 USD to finish their consultations and report and to fund two delegates to attend the Review.  The report will focus on the issues of violence against women, the lack of support for women who were raped during the war, trafficking and the discrimination against the Roma people.  For the women I met today, the opportunity to take their concerns to the UN is the ultimate ‘voice’ for their issues.

Another project is providing sustainable leadership training for 180 young women, representing 12 provinces.  With nearly 40% unemployment in BiH, one of the big challenges for women (many of whom have university education) is a lack of employment opportunities.  The training focuses on supporting young women to advocate for their rights.  Each of the young women participate in 8 leadership modules, ranging from advocacy, gender and human rights, finance and management to public relations.  The goal is to give them practical skills which will assist them in engaging in ‘political’ activities.  One such activity is reviewing the municipal youth strategies and providing advice to local councils about what is needed specifically for young women.  Out of the 180 participants, 12 have been selected to receive more detailed train-the-trainer information so that they can continue to grow the reach of the program.

In July, Bosnia finalised its National Action Plan on Security Council 1325, on women, peace and security.  While there is much to be done to ensure this plan is realised and implemented, it is an important symbol of the importance of women in post-conflict reconstruction.  Scratching below the surface,  it is clear that violence against women (especially the Roma minority) remains one of the major challenges.  Trafficking and protecting the rights of sex workers are also concerns for women’s NGOs here.  One of the main focus areas of resolution 1325 is ending violence against women in conflict.  During the Bosnian War, it is estimated that between 20,000 and 50,000 women were systematically raped.  These women are not recognised formally as victims of the war and have received no compensation or support from the state.  UNIFEM is working with women’s NGOs to provide counselling, support, childcare and educational opportunities for rape victims.

Tomorrow, we travel to Tuzla, one of the regional centres where UNIFEM operates. 

Tonight we were welcomed to Austria at a reception at the Kreisky Forum.  This Forum for international dialogue is named after former Chancellor of Australia, Bruno Kreisky and was his family home until his death in 1990.

After being welcomed by the Minister for Women’s Affairs and the Director of the Directorate for Security Policy, Deputy Executive Director of UNIFEM, Moez Doraitz gave the keynote address. 

Focusing on women in conflict and Security Council Resolution 1325, Moez noted that the Austrian Government has led the way on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 and on gender responsive budgeting.

Before commencing his presentation, Moez spoke about the rape of more than 500 women in Congo in recent weeks, and reminded us that despite these terrible stories, hope must prevail.

UNIFEM’s research has found that women make up less than 8% of negotiating teams in post conflict situations, and Moez noted that this figure has hardly changed since the resolution was established.  He noted that the 10th Anniversary of SC1325 gives us the opportunity to address the major gaps that remain for women’s involvement in peace processes.  UNIFEM has been working on developing a joint mediation strategy with UN Peacekeeping to enhance women’s roles.  Moez has also been promoting the Secretary General’s report on women’s participation in peace building in his meetings with the Austrian Government.

The video of Moez’s address will be uploaded to our website in the coming weeks.

Following the keynote address, there was a panel discussion of speakers from Serbia, Israel and the Lakes District of Africa (encompassing countries including Congo, Rwanda & Tanzania).  The panel reminded me that despite the conflicts being discussed being very different in history, scale and scope, women’s disempowerment is a key factor in all of the examples.

The representative from the International Women’s Committee (IWC) noted that women do not just want to participate as women.  We want our ideas to be considered, to sit at the table and promote a political agenda and enhance the peace process.

The evening was a truly inspiring way to start our meetings and frame the discussions for the next 3 days.
For more information about the 10th Anniversary of SC1325, please contact Meghan Cooper, Policy and Research Manager - meghan.cooper@unifem.org.au