The Importance of Involving Young Women in All Aspects of Our Work
Overlooked in research, policy and practice, girls and young women facing the greatest forms of inequality and disadvantage are often misunderstood, ignored and disbelieved.
‘Girls Speak’ was a project focused on girls and young women with multiple unmet needs and their experiences of services.
Every girl should be able to live her life free from inequality, poverty and violence. But too often youth policies, strategies and services fail to recognise that girls and boys have different needs and experiences.
They are missing from the public debate about the issues young people face and services and policies are designed without them in mind. Black and minoritised girls and young women, those who have been in care, LBTQ+ and disabled girls and young women face even further inequalities in accessing support.
This is why Agenda Alliance launched ‘Girls Speak’, a project to empower girls and young women at risk. Over two years, we worked directly with girls to ensure their needs and experiences are taken into account in policy and practice – creating real, lasting change for girls across the country.
Our final report, 'Pushed Out, Left Out', discovered that girls and young women with multiple unmet needs felt ‘pushed out and left out’ from appropriate help across services statutory and public services.
Key takeaways include:
- Girls and young women face distinct risks from boys and young men and “gender-neutral” policy fails to consider these distinct risks and needs
- Statutory services are often inaccessible for girls and young women with multiple unmet needs due to the barriers limiting access
- When access to statutory services is granted, young women often confront issues which marginalise them further, such as overstretched frontline professionals or inappropriate and/or discriminatory responses
- Every missed opportunity to help a young woman with multiple unmet needs causes harm and pushes her further away from getting the support that she deserves
- Policy and practice must be developed in a way that is gender-, age-, trauma-, and culturally- responsive to support young women with multiple unmet needs
Agenda Alliance members are doing amazing work with girls and young women
- Young Women’s Trust creates change through influencing and campaigning, supporting young women and, crucially, involving more young women in debating the issues that affect them.
- Getaway Girls empower girls and young women aged 11 – 25 to build up confidence, develop new skills and take positive risks in an environment that offers cooperation and support.
- Oasis Project’s Young Women’s Therapy provision, which delivers free, confidential, individual arts-based therapy for young women (aged between 18 – 25) who have experienced violence, abuse, neglect or disadvantage in their early lives.
- Basis, who work with young people experiencing sexual exploitation, those at medium or high risk thereof, as well as an ex-service user group called “the Lionesses” for girls that are no longer or at low risk of CSE who meet regularly.
- Kairos, who work with young women affected by or at risk of exploitation, through emotional and practical support, advocacy and awareness-raising.
- Redthread, who work to empower girls and young women who are at risk of harm and may be affected by gangs. Among other services, Redthread runs a specialist Young Women’s Service based at King’s College Hospital and St George’s Hospital.
- Together Women’s VIBE (Voice, Influence, Be Empowered) project for and led by young women and girls aged 12-19 to have a say on issues affecting them and make changes locally, regionally and nationally.
- YWHP Sexual Abuse Support Service, who offer supported accommodation and therapeutic provision to young women aged 16-25 years and their children, who have been affected by sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and intimate partner abuse.
