Shifting the Narrative
On this International Day of the Girl (IDG) 2024, I want to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate the invaluable contributions of youth, especially girls and young women. Over the years, we have learned so much about their contexts, unique experiences, needs, and diverse identities—across gender, sexuality, caste, religion, age, community, and economic background. Girls and young people’s insights have not only strengthened their self-confidence, leadership, and agency, but also helped us better understand their communities and compelling us to develop interventions centred and led by them, with and for them, as decision-makers. Paying attention to what young people have to say has taught us many lessons that I believe can be instrumental in our work with young people, specifically girls, allowing us to shape our efforts more meaningfully.
My journey with girls and young people began over a decade ago while developing, designing, and implementing programmes focused on gender equality, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and feminist leadership using participatory approaches to ensure that girls’ voices were involved in every aspect of our engagement with them. Working with girls and young women from marginalised communities in the Bundelkhand region, as well as the states of Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi NCR, I gained insights into the layered aspects that impact and shape their lives. Through various field visits, residential and non-residential training sessions, monitoring visits, resource material development, and facilitating participatory activities and processes with girls and programme staff, I expanded my knowledge and expertise in developing strong, youth-centric and youth-led programmes.
My EMpower Journey
My understanding grew exponentially when my role shifted from direct programme implementation to grantmaking as I started working with EMpower in 2021. First, in my role as a consultant, I collaborated on and led the facilitation of one of EMpower’s key initiatives, Leaders Lab, which involved conducting a girl-led Participatory Action Research. I then developed the updated programme model of EMpower’s flagship programme, the Learning Community (LC), using a participatory process for my second key task. Through active listening, engaging in conversations with girl leaders, and working alongside them, I developed the revised Learning Community Programme Guide model. As I transitioned into the position of a programme officer, these efforts were essential in meaningfully integrating the insights of girls and young people into every aspect of our work, from grantmaking to programme design. I collaborate closely with 15 grantee partner organisations across Delhi, Mumbai, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. My role involves providing strategic support and handholding to these organisations, ensuring that youth-led and youth-centric perspectives are effectively woven into their unique contexts.
Trusting in Girls’ Wisdom and Leadership
Girl- and youth-led interventions like the Girls Advisory Council (GAC) and the Youth Governing Council, and efforts for alumni engagement have yielded crucial insights for all of us who work with girls and young people from marginalised backgrounds, for developing their leadership, and recognising their agency and role in decision-making.
Working with young people has prompted me to contemplate several critical questions in greater depth: How can we effectively collaborate to shift power in decision-making? How can we become more accepting and trusting while avoiding the urge to control decisions for them? How can we adopt an equity-based approach when working with girls and young leaders?
These reflections help me clear the cloud, evolve, and inspire me to align with their vision for change. It guides me in creating spaces and opportunities relevant to young people rather than just convenient for us as adults.
Working with young people brought many valuable insights:
Active Listening and engaging in conversations to critically analyse the systemic and cultural barriers that stymie their potential and deepen understanding of their lived realities and experiences and how these shape their opportunities for growth.
Collaborating for change and working alongside them to understand their viewpoints, opinions, vision for change, and co-creating ideas for effecting change.
Strengthening capacity to develop the agency of girls and young people to ensure their meaningful role in decision-making. Young people represent diverse contexts and face multiple forms of marginalisation across age, gender, economic background and caste. These factors act as barriers to their role in decision-making. Therefore, a commitment must be made for their growth by providing the necessary training and support for them to exercise their agency, enabling them to demonstrate leadership skills, break gender barriers and stereotypes, envision change, and take charge of making that change a relevant and long-term reality.
Strategically investing resources—time, personnel, and budget—into creating and facilitating girl and youth-led initiatives is crucial. We cannot achieve gender-transformative change without commitment, intentionality, and concerted effort. We know now that there are no shortcuts to developing leadership of girls and young people to bring about meaningful systemic change and transformation.
Believing in girls' agency and the willingness to let go is essential. Girls are ready to lead, and we must be prepared to accept their leadership. Often, young people have been seen from a stereotypical lens as "impulsive", "risk-takers", and "distracted” but working with them has taught us not only the value of patience but the true meaning of resilience. Working with them has highlighted the significance of conceding power, knowing when to step back, and preparing the stage for girls and young people to take on decision-making roles. It is crucial to recognise the aspects of our expertise and knowledge that can be relevant to girls and young people on their leadership and change journeys, bearing in mind their unique contexts and experiences. Grounding our interventions in the specific vision of girls and young people, trusting their agency, and acting as allies in their decision-making journeys can be integral in strengthening their leadership.
The Path Forward
Aligning with this year's IDG theme, Girls' Vision for the Future, I foresee a future where girls and young people are empowered and equipped to be at the forefront of change they envision for themselves and their communities. To turn this vision into a reality, we—organisations, donors, and practitioners—must adopt a lens of accountability by committing to act on the advice of girls and young people. We must purposefully dedicate resources and time to act on their solutions. We must shift the old ways of engaging with young people and instead redefine and relearn what it means to embrace their leadership and agency. By fostering leadership, critical thinking, and agency, we can ensure they are at the helm of shaping inclusive and equitable futures.
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