WITHDRAWN Girls’ and Young Women’s Empowerment

• In Event: Evening Extravaganza: Taste of Brussels Reception, Author Meet & Greet, Lifetime Achievement Awardee and Keynote Meet & Greet, & Hosted Poster Session
  In Poster: Youth Leadership Display Posters

Short Description

This poster shares the results of The Young Women’s Leadership Institute, an innovative program to increase leadership of girls and young women in Armenia with vulnerable backgrounds, reducing poverty, and preventing forced trafficking. The program develops knowledge, skills, and other necessary capacities among young women to enable them to take responsibility for their lives.

Detailed Abstract

I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep;
I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.
Alexander the Great

I would like to submit this proposal for presentation a paper Girls’ and Young Women’s Empowerment.
The paper is designed to elaborate relationships between feminist theory and practice. It is based on many years of empirical research and the result used for development of special training program for our target. One of my recent investigations was focused on young women leadership and activism. The research revealed how women can be effective at achieving their goals and why sometime /usually they are ineffective
From my perspective the feminists to be more effective must closely collaborate with the women’s advocate and activists of women’s NGO. The best relationship between feminist theory and practice is the case when theoretical findings serve the base for designing practical activities directed to establishment of real gender equality. I am a researcher and leader of women’s NGO, which allows me to put into practice my theoretical findings

Our research has discovered that a large number of young women of age 17-22, are not engaged in any public life and/or any beneficial social activity. Because of poverty and out of despair many of them have to resort to prostitution. Social, cultural or political organizations available to these girls are virtually non-existent, nor are these girls encouraged to participate in social or cultural activities. Their isolation and the eventual social regression lead to their non-involvement in any kind of civic activity as a result they suffer from loneliness and an uncertain future.
As a solution, we initiated the project, with the purpose to provide girls and young women from vulnerable and low-income families, from orphanages, state boarding schools and refuges with equal access to education. This initiative focused on mobilization of target group to become active citizens, increasing of their self-esteem, to improve their opportunities for successful employment and to reduce prostitution rates in society. The first project called Young Women Support Center then it was improved and expanded to Young Women leadership Institute

The project idea was selected for the 2008 Stockholm Challenge Award nomination, an award launched by the City of Stockholm in order to help counteract social and economic disadvantage and promote gender equality.

After the downfall of the Soviet System the social and economic situation in Armenia has sharply changed due to the change in the political system and moral values. The extreme hardship of transition has brought not only an economic shock, but also a moral shock to Armenian population. The ideal of the Soviet Positive Hero has disappeared and no new ideals have been created! As a consequence of market economy, education has become costly. One of the advantages of socialist system was free and equal education. During the Soviet period everybody knew that two options were available for their children: either get higher education, which guaranteed them a job afterwards, or get a job, which only require vocational training always available. Girls are in the worst situation since, even if family has any money for education, it will certainly go to educating boys.

Thus, girls and young women from vulnerable and low-income families do not have an equal access to education and often drop out of schools due to economic situations. They have limited access in receiving and exchanging the information as well as in culture consumption including internet. In Armenia there are no funds for stipends from private organizations; and international fellowships are mainly for students already enrolled in institutions of higher education.

Thus, the idea of Support Center, then the Institute, with the long-term goals of the project are at improving young women’s opportunities for successful employment and reducing prostitution rates in young women through integrating them in society, arose and implemented.
The Young Women’s Leadership Institute is an educational body. Providing leadership training, debates, job skills, and positive attitudes to the life, will liberate, inspire, and motivated young women to achieve more and maximise its potential. These empowered individuals can then become future leaders and catalysts for change. The most important issue is giving disadvantaged young women a voice and the self-confidence to use that voice for changes in democratic values. A major component of this project is leadership and personal development designed to build capacity among women to enable them to take responsibility for their lives, to succeed in their endeavours, and to guide others to succeed.

The special training program designed to provide young women with specific knowledge and skills. The following subjects were taught: English Language, Computer literacy, Human and Woman’s Rights, Introduction to gender, Healthy Life Styles, Personal Leadership, Work Ethic /Team Building, Civic Education, Basic knowledge of business, NGO management, Handicraft.

As a result the seeds of a new way of thinking have been sown and new attitudes have been formed. Graduates received Certificates in the following fields: Computer Instruction, Office Management, and NGO Management.

The results of the initial project have been outstanding! More than 100 girls applied every year for participation on the project.

To date, over 420 young women have graduated from our Institute and get professional skills, about 70% of them currently got jobs.

The project has had a multiplier effect and has ensured that the trained leaders return to their communities to train additional women.

Conclusion
Providing leadership training, workshops/debates, job skills, and positive civic attitudes to the young people of Armenia will liberate, inspire, and motivate them to achieve more and contribute to their maximum potential. These empowered individuals can then become future leaders and catalysts for change. The most important issue involving civic activism is giving young people, especially disenfranchised young women, a voice and the confidence to use that voice for changes in democratic values.

Participant

• Svetlana A. Aslanyan, Center for the Development of Civil Society