“Step by step, young people will be helped and systems will be changed”
Abianda’s vision is that young women and girls are free from oppression and harm caused by criminal exploitation and violence.
Our mission is to support young women harmed by criminal exploitation and violence to develop independence and agency. We do this through:
The provision of specialist one-to-one and contextual safeguarding services, which increase safety, skills, self-advocacy and agency;
Working with national and local services to challenge and change their approaches, through the delivery of our training and systems change programmes;
Building a network of young women and girls who can disrupt and re-design policy and practice to create lasting impact.
After a year of reflection and strategy development work (facilitated by the brilliant Charlie Weinberg and kindly supported by The Considered Ask), we start this next strategic period with a clear vision for our organisation and the work we will do to support young women's independence and agency.
Our practice framework is defined by ecological and contextual principles and the belief that we cannot just do work with an individual to bring about the systemic lasting change we want to see.
Abianda’s Practice Framework 2024
Our one-to-one work with young women will move away from a complex casework model, and get back to our origins in delivering a structured programme for young women that is delivered using participatory and solution-focused tools, and with a focus on mastering relationships and skills development for increased independence and agency.
Wrapped around our work with individuals is a newly articulated approach to making spaces and places safe for girls and young women, capacity building and influencing within services and systems, and transferring our expertise and learning from practice to support change on behalf of young women.
We have been very lucky to work with Selinger Consultants, who have supported us in creating a revised and fit-for-purpose theory of change, with our whole team knowing where they fit within the organisational effort, and the role they play in us having the impact we hope to achieve.
Across all of our efforts is the importance of growing a network of young women and girls who are embedded in our organisation and influence decisions and developments, as well as supporting them to amplify their voices externally so they can bring about the broader systems change that they want to see.
Most recently, we brought our team together to work on our annual plan, ensuring a collaborative and shared approach across all layers of the organisation. Members of Abianda’s Young Women’s Advisory Group were present, which marks our revised focus on young women ‘being in the room’ and their voices being amplified. They said of the day:
M (aged 22):
“The 22nd of May was a bubbling build up of excitement that ended with the release of tears of joy & relief.
To start, the bemusement was hot & the satisfaction of understanding felt difficult to quench. But I soon cooled. Relaxed. The thirst for knowledge kept being satisfied and my motive for attendance was rewarded.
The experience was long, filled with questions & attainable goals for an even longer year. This is comforting. We have time to figure it all out. We can all do it, with each other and ourselves and most importantly: the young women.
We got to see every domain of the organisation from a new pair of prescription glasses at every seat sat at. The future is clearer with them on and I feel ready to walk towards it: hydrated and motivated. With the same bubbling excitement of the morning, along with the beautiful, important ability to reflect & appreciate every moment of it, at the end of it.
I am so grateful for the time I got to spend with the whole team and very appreciative that I got to be in the room!”
Jacqs (aged 22):
“The reason I attended is because I enjoy being involved with Abianda and seeing how the organisation works.
I feel like I experienced a day where I was able to see what goes on behind an organisation and how they prioritise work and visualise the future.
I learnt different terminology, like monitoring and evaluation, and I got more of a sense of unity and a little bit more confidence talking to staff members and vocalising what I’d be interested in doing in the YWAG in the future. I can’t think of anything that would improve the day!
I felt like I was getting a bit more used to being in a setting with Abianda staff and also hearing the way people talk. It can be a bit confusing sometimes but like Abi said you get used to it the more you hear it. It was also interesting to see how the YWAG is very valued, and because I wrote a poem about what was going on through the day I was able to share a skill and passion of mine with everyone”.
Dami (aged 21):
“I attended the meeting because I wanted to learn more about what happens throughout the organisation and be able to meet more of the team and become familiar with everyone's roles. I found the day to be very fun and informative as I learnt about what Abianda had achieved in the previous years and what their goals are for the coming years. I also realised throughout the meeting how interconnected everyone's roles were which really highlighted how well everyone works together as a team. It was also really nice to see how the YWAG was involved in each aspect of the organisation and how important the advisory group is to Abianda. By the end of the meeting I left feeling more confident about what my role is and excited to see how Abianda makes a difference in the lives of young women and girls in the future”.
Our day ended perfectly with a poem written by Young Women's Advisory Group member Jacqueline. With their permission, we end this blog, and more significantly, start the next phase of Abianda’s journey with their words in mind.
We have been tasked with developing on our plans to support young women and women aligned people
We started small and have kept building
With Venn diagrams and manifestos, our plan has grown
But the goal is to condense things
Pick it all apart and piece it back together
Critique it and fortify it
Step by step, young people will be helped and systems will be changed
Encouraging people with experiences of womanhood to feel a sense of agency
Delegating tasks
Restructuring the organisation
It’s all part of the plan
Abianda has been strengthened today
And time will show us our creating come to life
Written by Jacqueline.
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