Women Deliver Young Leaders Program

Application Deadline: October 13th 2017

Started in 2010, the award-winning Women Deliver Young Leaders Program counts 400 youth advocates from more than 100 countries who are advancing the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women.

The Women Deliver Young Leaders Program trains, elevates, and empowers youth advocates to catalyze action for gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women — with particular emphasis on sexual and reproductive health and rights and meaningful youth engagement. The program provides youth advocates with the training and resources necessary to extend their influence and actively shape the programs and policies that affect their lives. Started in 2010, the award-winning Women Deliver Young Leaders Program is comprised of 400 youth advocates from more than 100 countries, with 300 more scheduled to join in early 2018.

Requirements:

• Individuals between the ages of 15 and 28 can apply.
• Applicants must have been born between December 31, 1989 and December 31, 2002; this is to ensure Women Deliver Young Leaders are under the age of 30 for the duration of the program.
• All young people, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or national origin are encouraged and welcome to apply.

Please note that applicants must speak, write, and read English with proficiency and have regular access to the internet.

Completion of the Women Deliver Young Leaders Program requires submission of regular online status updates to Women Deliver and completion of the Digital University courses, a rigorous online capacity building and strengthening curriculum that will require reading of academic texts, writing short responses to assessment questions, and actively participating in discussion groups. All communications and Digital University content are in English.

The Young Leaders Program provides youth advocates with opportunities to build and strengthen their advocacy capacity and skills, through:

• Digital University: Structured course work led by a faculty of experts provides a solid foundation that enables each Young Leader to enact change and deliver for girls and women. The in-depth online curriculum, comprised of two 10-week intensive e-courses, focuses on gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, advocacy and communications, project design, and proposal development. Young Leaders also engage directly with faculty and each other through one-on-ones and peer-to-peer learning.
• Speakers Bureau: Women Deliver elevates the voices of Young Leaders and supports their participation in the global conversation on the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women. The Women Deliver Speakers Bureau identifies national and global speaking opportunities for Young Leaders while elevating them to positions of influence and power, including on panels, on commissions, and on boards.
• Seed Grants: Women Deliver provides seed grants to select Young Leaders to implement short term advocacy and communications projects that they create in order to advance the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women in their communities and across the globe. To date, 46 Young Leaders have been provided seed grants, and the impact of those projects can already be felt. Learn about the World Contraception Day Ambassadors Project here, explore the 2014 seed grant recipients’ project here, and meet the newest group of seed grant recipients here.
• Women Deliver Global Conference: All Young Leaders receive a full scholarship to attend a Women Deliver Global Conference. Young Leaders attend at two-day Youth Pre-Conference, participate in sessions at the Youth Zone, and receive numerous media and speaking opportunities. At the Women Deliver 2016 Conference in Copenhagen, Young Leaders spoke at 65 plenary and concurrent sessions.
• Media Opportunities & Training: The program provides in-depth media messaging and engagement training, designed to provide Young Leaders with a strong foundation to work with the media as a successful advocacy tool. Women Deliver Young Leaders are connected with local and global journalists, as well, elevating their work and their voices to even broader audiences. Young Leaders have been featured at high-level publications like The Guardian, BBC, Teen Vogue, Washington Post, NPR, Refinery29, Marie Claire, Forbes, Reuters, and many more.
• Direct In-Country Advocacy: As an established global advocate for meaningful youth engagement, Women Deliver is well-positioned to integrate youth engagement with on-the-ground advocacy and action. In their respective countries, Women Deliver Young Leaders Young Leaders work on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the grassroots and national levels through partnerships with civil society organizations and other key stakeholders. Young Leaders also support and advance the Deliver for Good campaign, a movement to fuel  investment in girls and women and concrete action and implementation of the SDGs to power progress for all.
• Alumni Network & Mentorship Opportunities: Current Women Deliver Young Leaders not only benefit from the knowledge and experience of the faculty and each other, but from previous Women Deliver Young Leaders, as well. Issue and country-based connections between 2010, 2013, and 2016 Young Leaders provide an opportunity for peer engagement and often, partnerships on advocacy work.

Benefits:

The Women Deliver Young Leaders Program provides youth advocates with opportunities to build and strengthen their advocacy capacity and skills. Click here to learn more about these opportunities—including Women Deliver’s Young Leaders Program Digital University, Speakers Bureau, small grants, sponsorship to the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, and more. Women Deliver Young Leaders also gain:

• Global visibility as champions for the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women.
• Networking opportunities with high-level decision-makers, stakeholders, media, private sector representatives, and other change-makers, including other youth advocates and activists working around the world.
• Upon successful completion of the program, membership in the Women Deliver Young Leaders global alumni network for continued learning, networking, and support.

Responsibility of a Women Deliver Young Leader
Women Deliver Young Leaders have access to a number of opportunities to strengthen their skills and participate meaningfully in advocacy and policy work. As such, it is important that Women Deliver Young Leaders commit to:

• Upholding the mission and vision of Women Deliver.
• Adhering to the Women Deliver Young Leaders Program shared principles and code of conduct; committing to representing the Women Deliver Young Leaders Program with dignity.
• Consistent bi-weekly communications with Women Deliver, providing regular updates on advocacy efforts through Women Deliver’s preferred channels in order to include updates on the Women Deliver Young Leaders Program Advocacy in Action timeline.
• Regular communication with fellow Women Deliver Young Leaders through email and social platforms.
• Active participation in Digital University courses, which require two-to-four hours a week over a period of nine months in 2018.
• Attendance and participation at the Women Deliver 2019 Conference and Young Leaders Pre-Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from June 2-6, 2019. Women Deliver Young Leaders will receive sponsorship to participate in the conference (further information about this will be shared with selected Young Leaders), but travel to the conference requires a valid passport.
• All costs and efforts related to acquiring, obtaining, and maintaining a valid passport is the responsibility of the Young Leader.
• Full participation in select sponsored Speakers Bureau activities (for example, national and global speaking opportunities and engagement on taskforces and commissions) that range from 1-10 days depending on the opportunity, in addition to time required for the Young Leader to acquire the appropriate and necessary travel documentation and visa as needed.
• Dedication to designing and implementing a small grant advocacy project (if selected to receive one of the limited six-month long small grants).

Application Procedure:

The application for the Women Deliver Young Leaders Program consists of several sections and asks each applicant for responses to a variety of topics, including:

• Basic demographic information about the applicant
• Areas of experience and interest in gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, meaningful youth engagement, and advocacy
• Issue-related essay questions

Applicants must also provide:

• Two reference letters
• A resume or CV
• Links to websites, videos, blogs, or other relevant items the applicant thinks would strengthen their application
• Confirmation of ability to attain a valid passport and visa to Canada to participate in the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, and complete international travel

Timeline

• Applications Open: 12th August 2017
• Application Deadline: 13th October 2017
• Winners Notified : December 2017
• Program Begins: January 2018

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Women Deliver Young Leaders Program 2018