Young Women's Advisory Group (YWAG) - ABIANDA

Abianda is a social enterprise that works with young women and girls affected by criminal exploitation and violence and provides training for the professionals who work with them.

We provide direct services for young women and girls aged up to 25 and training for professionals who work with them. We set up Abianda to address the gap in services for young women affected by 'gangs' and to change the way services are delivered to them, so we can more effectively respond to their needs. We do this through our unique model of practice – we address the barriers that stop young women from seeking help & work alongside them to design & deliver our services.

Our Guiding Principles -We believe that:

• Young women are experts on their own lives.
• Young women have innate resources, competence and resilience.
• People affected by a problem are best placed to find the solutions.

We must shift traditional power hierarchies in service delivery in order to enable young women's participation in solution-building.

We must support young women to have their voices heard in order that they can influence the design and delivery of services.

Abianda welcomes all women to our services and to work with us. For the avoidance of all doubt, this includes trans women. We also welcome non-binary people if they feel that they have lived experience that aligns with that of women and girls.

We are looking for young women* to bring their expertise and their voice to Abianda, by joining our Young Women’s Advisory Group (YWAG). Our YWAG will learn about and influence Abianda’s work with young women and girls to ensure they are always at the heart of the organisation.

• Are you aged 18 to 25 years old and based in London?
• Do you want to get paid for sharing your views about issues affecting young women and girs?
• Can you work in a group setting and commit to one year of monthly meetings?

Over the year, we can provide you with: 

• the chance to meet other young women who are also passionate about making a difference
• workshops and training
• support from our Participation team who will shape projects and opportunites to suit your and your interests

We would love for you to share this opportunity with young women who you think will be interested and/or with partners who can share it with young women. 

All the information about the YWAG is available:

• On our website: www.abianda.com/ywag
• In a poster (above)
• In a video (which is also on the website)

You can contact Alex, Participation Lead, at participation@abianda.com should you have any questions. Thank you!