Thirty young activists aspiring to promote and protect gender equality joined the first training cycle of the Equality. Leadership. Future initiative
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Photo: Courtesy of NGO Girls
“UN Women's new strategy on youth and gender equality aims to empower young people to partner in achieving gender equality. UN Women is collaborating with the NGO Girls and our government partners on this important initiative to mobilize young women and men, including representatives of youth organizations, and help them become agents of change. We hope it inspires you and your organizations to become more visible and active advocates for gender equality,” noted Julia Broussard, Deputy Representative of UN Women in Ukraine.
Participants representing various civil society organizations attended a three-day training in Kyiv. The training program was dedicated to analyzing and countering gender stereotypes, planning advocacy campaigns, storytelling, interacting with various media formats, promoting strategies, ethical issues and standards, etc.
“This initiative aligns with our values and vision. We are directing our support and funding to highlight the leadership of women, particularly those representing youth organizations, and the work of youth organization representatives in this direction,” said Maria Krisch, Programme Coordinator for Latin America, Asia and Europe.
In the future, participants will continue learning in an open-space format, generating ideas to develop advocacy campaigns for promoting gender equality.
The three most prominent advocacy campaigns will receive funding for their implementation.
“Gender stereotypes continue to exist in our society, significantly impacting everyone. They restrict economic opportunities, and political involvement, and hinder the development of human potential. The Equality. Leadership. Future initiative is primarily aimed at overcoming gender stereotypes and is a unique opportunity for young people to make an important contribution to overcoming gender stereotypes in Ukraine,” mentioned Nataliia Bohdanova, Head of the expert group on combating human trafficking, domestic violence, and gender equality of the Directorate for the Development of Social Services of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.
The Equality. Leadership. Future initiative is implemented by NGO Girls within the framework of the UN Women’s project "Women's Increased Leadership for Resilient and Peaceful Societies" funded by the Government of Denmark, as well as the project “Transformational Approaches to Achieving Gender Equality in Ukraine" implemented with financial support from the Government of Sweden and in cooperation with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and in partnerships with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine. Financial support for the initiative is also provided by the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).