Emerging Leaders
for Change
Youth advocates are key to creating a more equitable future. Young people are already changing the world, bringing their unique perspectives, expertise, and lived experiences to drive impact in their communities, countries, regions, and globally. As stakeholders in the future of our planet, they deserve to be in the driver’s seat on policies and programs that impact them, their communities, and the world.
For over 10 years, Women Deliver has supported their advocacy by providing tools and resources for young leaders to advocate for the necessary changes they want to see related to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).
We aim to shift power into the hands of those closest to and living the challenges that girls face.
Our Emerging Leaders for Change Program is our newest initiative that builds on our 10-plus years partnering with young advocates and leaders. It is grounded in the belief that investing in Emerging Leaders, who are closest to their communities and the needs of adolescent girls, is critical to ensuring that solutions to the challenges in girls’ and women’s SRHR are youth-centered and address the specific needs and nuances of their local contexts. This program is also built on our 10 years of experience working with youth advocates, especially through the Young Leaders Program.
Who are Emerging Leaders?
Emerging Leaders are advocates for SRHR, aged 15-29, who are at the beginning stages of their advocacy journey. The program creates a vast movement of Emerging Leaders, Young Leader Alumni, and youth advocates dedicated to advancing and sustaining the fight for bodily autonomy. Working at national, regional, and global levels, these youth leaders will hold their governments accountable for including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services and reproductive rights, particularly for adolescent girls, within universal health coverage frameworks. They will also ensure a gender-just approach in climate adaptation measures and work alongside partners to counter anti-rights actors in global spaces.
Emerging Leaders — while unfortunately too often ignored by decision-makers and power holders — have expertise and lived experiences that are vital to achieving bodily autonomy for adolescent girls. This program aims to bring forward their voices and solutions by building their profiles so that they are recognized as experts and leaders in SRHR and are able to access decision-making roles and spaces.
How?
We believe that investing in youth advocates creates solutions for bodily autonomy that work and last. Women Deliver invests in Emerging Leaders through grantmaking, collective action, political engagement, learning and knowledge-sharing, technical assistance, access to global spaces, and speaker, media, and leadership opportunities. We also have a proven track record advocating for youth leadership and equitable partnerships within SRHR and climate justice decision-making and influencing spaces.
Building on more than a decade of work with young advocates through the Young Leaders Program, we support feminist movements, activists, and advocates working to protect and advance the health and rights of adolescent girls. Our goal is to create a vibrant community of advocacy organizations that will continue to push for social change for many years to come.
How We Work
We advance the health and rights of adolescent girls by creating spaces for collective action, championing and supporting youth advocacy, and convening likeminded organizations. In everything we do, we aim to shift power into the hands of those closest to and living the challenges that girls face.
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