Young Women

Stand up. Lead. Change.

A simple question can sometimes reveal the reality of girls’ and young women’s participation: where and how do we see and support young women’s participation in our communities?

In Canada, Equitas and its partners invite young women to participate in workshops on self-esteem, identity, barriers, and together initiate Action Projects to create spaces for their voices in their communities.

We know that empowering young women and girls can lead to a positive change in their own lives and that of their peers.

What we do

Equitas creates spaces for meaningful dialogue between young women, female role models, civil society organizations, and decision-makers to address the barriers to their participation in community life.

A particular focus is put on building the leadership of :

• newcomer and young refugee women
• young indigenous women
• young women who face socio-economic barriers
• women in care

“Girls learned a lot about different issues, like hypersexualization, sexism, egalitarian relationships, sexual exploitation, women’s rights. They developed critical thinking and analysis skills regarding these phenomena and then they became agents of change”
– Youth worker, Montreal

“A project can have an impact only if it has the support of the community”
– Samantha, 18 y.o., Young Women Young Leaders.

Thanks to the generous support of RBC, TELUS Vancouver’s Community Board, the BC Ministry of Justice, Coast Capital Saving, Winnipeg Community Foundation, City of Montreal, Quebec’s Ministère de l’Imigration, Diversité et Inclusion, and Hamber Foundation, new projects for young women and girls focusing on gender equality were initiated in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.