The Young Women's Movement

Emily Mann from this year's 30 Under 30 list writes about her experiences as a late-diagnosed autistic person, and being a volunteer at SWAN, in a new article. 💬 "Autistic women and non-binary people are far more likely to be overlooked or misdiagnosed than their male counterparts. There is a lack of agreement as to why: medical misogyny, gender bias, coexisting conditions - or we’re supposedly better at masking (we strategically adapt to fit in better). But this last reason in particular puts the onus on autistic people - rather than societal expectations that are gendered. The National Autistic Society's "Now I Know" campaign shares how other autistic women and non-binary people feel about their late diagnosis. "Knowing what I do now, I did not mask particularly well. Yet nobody thought to ask the question - despite the men in my family receiving a diagnosis very young. Asking my GP and university for help was unsuccessful. So, I reached out to my favourite clown: the hilarious comedian and author Fern Brady. She too had expressed having no idea what to do or who to ask and has shared sacred knowledge about (what can be) an arduous journey to get external confirmation." 🔗Keep reading on our website: https://lnkd.in/ejkwtueB

We have a limited supply of lambswool scarves created in The Young Women’s Movement tartan, designed by a young woman to commemorate our 100th anniversary in 2024. If you donate £50 or more to our Christmas appeal, we’ll gift you your very own scarf as a thank you. The scarves are 100% lamsbswool and made in Scotland, and perfect to leave under the tree (or gift to yourself) – but you'll have to order by the end of the day tomorrow to get it in time for the big day 🎄 https://lnkd.in/eXh5aM8Z

Looking for a last minute Secret Santa gift or stocking filler? You can get a personalised gift certificate for a donation of any amount to our Christmas fundraising appeal. Your gift will help ensure our fight for young women and girls' rights in Scotland can keep going, in a time where our work is sorely needed. The charity fundraising landscape is incredibly tough just now, and with a global rise in misogyny, an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and poor access to public services, young women and girls’ rights are at risk. Our movement supports young women and girls to lead change on issues that matter to them, and amplifies their voices and experiences in decision-making spaces. Donate £10 to help us continue this work. Head to youngwomenscot.org/donate to give today 💚

🚨 Final call to join our Advisory Panel in Glasgow! ⏳ Applications close tomorrow, Friday 13 December. ➡️ Find out more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/er8g4vih

Whether or not our rights are realised affects our lives on a day-to-day basis. We all have the right to be treated equally, live safely, take part in politics, access education, and have a decent standard of living including food, clothing, housing, medical care and social services. This #HumanRightsDay, learn more about young women and girls' access to their rights in Scotland through articles, research reports and resources on our website. https://lnkd.in/ev-9XRTv

📢 Do you know a young woman who's interested in activism? We’re looking for 12 young women aged 16–18 living in Scotland, to join our Young Women Changemakers group. They will work together to create a resource and workshop about activism and making change. Can you help us spread the word? Application Deadline: 8th January 2025 Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eUycWZuM

Well, I was both thrilled and incredibly nervous when The Young Women's Movement asked me to chair a round table on the launch of their new campaign 'Young Women's Work,' yesterday... Completely out my comfort zone, chairing a discussion! But, I was at an event recently which was insightful and discussed reframing Imposter Syndrome to see everything as a privilege... 'How cool that they want ME to chair their event!' is the perception we should have and that chairing a round table representing young women and girls stands by 'you can't be, what you can't see,' so be something they can see! 💪🏼 So with that in mind, I agreed to chair the discussion and I am I DELIGHTED I did as what a conversation it was... 💭 We had representation from Young Scot, COSLA, Smart Works Scotland, The Melting Pot Edinburgh, Close The Gap, Equate Scotland, Pregnant Then Screwed, Flexibility Works and Women's Enterprise Scotland at the discussion and it was brilliant to have a room full of passionate contributors, who want to take action. The The Young Women's Movement report focuses on making workplace policies more inclusive for young women, introducing support schemes for young women and removing barriers and inequalities and this was the thesis for the discussion. We looked at the report findings and recommendations and then came up with some of our own recommendations which will be implemented into the campaign.... and for me, it was great to hear the ambitions of some of the organisations around the room to make things more accessible for Young Women - a real passion of mine! A sneak peak of some of the recommendations can hopefully be shared in due course but do check out the The Young Women's Movement (An organisation supporting and advocating for women's rights and the organisation is led by young women with the amazing Jenni Snell at the helm.) This campaign 'Young Women's Work' will formally launch in February but absolutely honoured to be involved in the ideation stage alongside the amazing group who came together yesterday round the table. Huge thanks to Young Women's Movement and to Elena Soper, Anya Stewart and Wiktoria Orlicka in particular for all their efforts and to those who attended the event yesterday... Here's to making change! ✨ https://lnkd.in/euisw3zz ✨

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking about the work The Young Women's Movement are doing around the campaign called "Young Women Work". I was one of the 9 participants within the group, and I've share my own experience and insight into the discussion. As someone on the hunt for employment myself, I've understood the struggle from that aspect. Yesterday I spoke at the round table event with few other organisations and gave an overview of the campaign, what the sessions involved and key recommendations that came out of them. I can't wait for everyone to see this campaign when it launches, and thank you to Anya Stewart and Sarah Johnston for running the sessions, and for being there yesterday and sharing the campaign alongside me. A huge thank you also goes to Rachel K. for doing an absolute fabulous job chairing the meeting and engaging everyone in some meaningful discussions.

🚨 This is your final chance to share your experiences on young women's rights in Scotland! 🗣️ Have your voice heard in our national research and respond today: https://lnkd.in/eE9Pkdhu ⏳ The survey closes tomorrow, at 11:59pm on Friday 6th December 2024

Tomorrow, as part of 16 Days of Activism, Scottish Government will be holding a debate on the topic ‘Empowering young people’s voices in tackling violence against women and girls'. We're asking them to: 📢 do more to make sure that girls and young women from all backgrounds and identities are listened to and taken seriously when decisions are made, particularly in relation to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) 🤝 ensure participation with young people when crafting policies and strategies that seek to tackle VAWG 💷 invest in youth work and recognise the importance of this work at a local and national level 💚 protect youth work from budget cuts and ensure young women and girls are adequately supported and protected when dealing with issues surrounding VAWG. Read our full parliamentary briefing for this debate on our website: https://lnkd.in/e8aqMbsz