After 2 rounds of interviews, we are so delighted to have confirmed the members of our Young Women's Advisory Group (YWAG)! Our Participation Lead Alex is super excited about the group and looking forward to what the YWAG will achieve, both within Abianda and in the wider community.
The YWAG have already started thinking about how they want the group to run and what they think is important for the group to be focusing on; one of the themes that emerged was that as a group, they need to always thinking about the voices that are not in the room. The YWAG have already shown an empathetic, passionate and supportive dynamic and have accommodated each other beautifully to ensure that as many voices can be represented as possible.
Thank you to Arsenal in the Community for providing a room at their Arsenal Hub free of charge for us to host our meetings. As a No More Red charity partner, we're grateful for their support of our work with young women and girls affected by criminal exploitation and violence.
Hear from our new YWAG members about their experience with Abianda so far:
S (20 years old):
Firstly, I’d like to thank the team at Abianda for giving me this opportunity, I’m beyond excited to begin working with my fellow advisors! Being able to guide and empower young women has been a lifelong passion of mine, and I’m honoured to be able to put that passion to work, and impact someone’s life in a positive way. I hope to become the role model I needed when I was younger, and to be able to help even just one young woman’s life, would be a great honour.
J (21 years old):
The process of becoming a part of the YWAG was simple and enjoyable! My favourite part was being able to meet other people that will be a part of the group and actually start to connect with and create a comfortable dynamic amongst us. I’m also happy that expressing creativity is encouraged and was essentially the first part of the application process. I feel like I’ve gotten to express myself quite a bit before the group has even started, and everyone has been really kind and accepting.
F (21 years old):
The interview process for joining Abianda has been so amazing. Abianda thrive at looking out for and taking care of people’s wellbeing. I was actually late to the first interview, but they were so kind understanding and reassuring and I was still given a chance. I was also unable to do the initial application assignment that I wanted to do due to some health concerns and Abianda was extremely accommodating, and I was able to talk through my application over the phone. The last part of the interview was a group session where I was able to meet other young women who had applied for the role. I thoroughly enjoyed that interview; we were able to present to each other and ask each other questions, talk about our goals and aspirations for Abianda and ourselves within the organisation and afterwards. We just sat and talked and got to know each other, and it was very therapeutic. Overall, applying for Abianda has been a stress-free fun and therapeutic process and I look forward to all the incredible work that we are going to do.
J (20 years old)
It’s so great to be involved in something which truly values the voice of young women and gives them the space to share their experiences and thoughts. I’m so excited for what’s to come and am so grateful for this process.
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