Young Women Leadership Program
Promotes digital rights, STEM awareness and leadership for marginalized girls and young women between 14 - 25 years of age and intertwines digital literacy with feminist leadership-building training.
Our work on young women’s leadership started on a hot afternoon in 2010 (July 2 to be specific!) with 18 participants at FAT’s Tech Centre in Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi. In 2015, after constant improvements and developing a formal curriculum, we renamed and launched the program as the Young Women's Leadership Program (YWLP).
Level 1
Girls aged 14 to 18 learn basic computer and Internet skills to break the fear of technology while developing their confidence and skills to use technology for their benefit. They understand their rights, learn to connect with others, access information, and develop the skills to negotiate with their family for their rights.
Level 2
After graduating Level 1, girls aged 16 to 19 learn to use tech skills to run a collective action in their own community. So far our girls have used new-media tools - films, radio shows and photo stories, with songs, slogans and community action to influence community members to think about life issues from the girls’ perspective.
In 2013, participants from Delhi filmed, edited, and produced the film “Apna Haq” (Our Rights) which focused on the lack of access to safe toilets in their own community and its impact on girls.
In 2015, participants launched the Todo Bandishein campaign against Early and Forced Marriage, an issue that was prevalent in their communities which many of them had personally faced.
Subsequently, the program was launched in Giridih, Jharkhand and Pune, Maharashtra (2016), and then in Patna, Bihar (2017).
Since its inception, over 500 girls and women have participated in the program.