It is essential to recognise the psychological impact that this can have. Our Young Women and Girls Project Coordinator reflected that, “Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young women and girls is key to the work I do as part of the Young Women and Girls Project. Wellbeing has to be at the forefront of the project because by supporting young women and girls to build their self-esteem, confidence, and feelings of safety, we help them to dream, achieve, and thrive.

Young women and girls face overwhelming challenges to their mental health, and between the ages of 17-25 years, are twice as likely to experience mental health concerns as their male counterparts. Stresses from social media, societal pressures, and body image expectations all disproportionately affect young women and girls, and can lead to many anxieties, low mood, and social isolation.

The importance of building positive communities in the lives of our young people is vital. So many young women and girls are stuck at home, unable to go to school or see friends because they feel too anxious or defeated to leave the house. The Young Women and Girls Project helps them access their community, engage in education outside of a school environment, and take part in activities and hobbies that they may otherwise not be introduced to.

Showing our young people that they can believe in their dreams and strive for more is a privilege, and it’s our duty as youth workers and professionals to make this a reality and invest in their mental health and wellbeing for their futures.”

If this sounds like something that would benefit young women that you work with, please reach out.

You can find our referral form here!

Please email all referrals securely to ywagcherwell.referrals@oxy.mediasitesvr1.co.uk.

On International Men’s Day (19th November), Tabitha Morton, the CEO of UN Women UK, wrote an opinion piece for The Big Issue about how men must step up in combating violence against women and girls. Her article gives very actionable things that we can all do. Go and check out the full article here.

She carefully explains the importance of being an active bystander. As a bystander (someone who might witness harassment firsthand or who is subsequently informed of the incident), we can move from a passive state to an active state without putting our own personal safety at risk by adopting UN Women’s ‘stop, support, report’ mindset. It is worth highlighting the aspect of personal safety, especially when communicating with young people about becoming active bystanders. 

We all have a duty, from young people to youth work practitioners, to make sure that we stand up against gender-based violence. We agree wholeheartedly with the UN Women’s campaign that states that there is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls. As a sector, we need to continue to work together to ensure gender equity.

It is more important than ever to educate ourselves and others about the importance of active bystander intervention as it is a crucial part of the solution. When we intervene, we signal to the perpetrator that their behaviour is unacceptable.

At Oxfordshire Youth, we remain passionate about standing against gender-based violence. This is why we set up our Young Women and Girls Project.

This supports young women aged 11-25 who are living or are educated in Banbury or Bicester. We are still accepting referrals, so please email us at ywagcherwell.referrals@oxy.mediasitesvr1.co.uk to kickstart the process, express an interest, or find out more.

We understand that the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence can be triggering for so many reasons. If you need any support or help, please reach out to some of these incredible local and national organisations:

Sunrise Multicultural Project

Survivors Space

Oxfordshire Mind

Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Services

Refuge

Respect

Galop

Women’s aid

Surviving Economic Abuse