Young Women Lead - Part 1

A young woman with far away thoughts of leading...

In a professional capacity as a Youth Worker, I have developed and delivered a variety of girl’s groups such as the Granite Guardian Gals, a city-wide girls youth democracy group, who were one of the 100 groups to work in partnership with an Artichoke Trust artist to create a banner and march in Processions 2018 in Edinburgh. I am currently also studying my MSc in Community Education and my research is exploring the extent to which young girl’s participation in gender-conscious youth work influences their thinking on gender inequality. So it's safe to say that girls’ empowerment has become a massive and exciting part of my life academic and professional life. 

The Granite Guardian Gals Banner for Processions 2018 in Edinburgh

However, my own development of ideas around gender-inequality and around politics in general is still a very recent revelation in my life. Politics was not a subject that was overly discussed around my family dinner table as a child and even in my undergraduate degree (MA French Studies) I avoided the course choices which appeared political and didn’t volunteer for any extra-curricular political or activist societies. It was an uncomfortable and unknown territory that I had no experience in and felt hugely overwhelmed by it all, there were too many barriers. 

It was only when I got a part-time job in youth work and became surrounded by politically active and passionate people that I started to become more knowledgeable and aware. My PGDip in Community Learning and Development furthered this knowledge and encouraged me to pursue a career in this field whilst also continuing my studies at an academic level. 

With a kickass fellow feminist at Processions 2018

At Grampian Pride in May 2018

Despite my increased knowledge and awareness, a lack of confidence and experience was still a huge barrier to my involvement in politics. I continually had to remind myself , and still do have to remind myself, that I am good enough and that I can be a part of that world that seems so far away from everything that I am used to and know.  

So, with this self-awareness in mind, I decided to go out my comfort zone and attended the 100 for 100^th event in Edinburgh in 2018 where I met a young women lead participant, from the 2017-2018 cohort. She said that she’d once shared the same fears and insecurities as I was feeling but the Young Women Lead Programme had been transformational for her and that she thoroughly recommended me to apply for this year.

I left the 100 for 100^th event feeling completely inspired, motivated and full of confidence, mainly due to all of the amazing women who were in the room with me that day and I made a promise to myself that I would take the next step in my political journey by applying for the Young Women Lead Programme. I was therefore very much excited and overwhelmed to find out that I had been offered a place on the 2018-2019 cohort. However, amongst all the excitement there was also a lot of self doubt, trepidation and anxiety about the journey that was to come... I was very nervous about what doors I had opened and how I would manage the new world I was delving into.