The Young Women’s Project is the youth arm of African Women’s Welfare Group the concept of which was originally conceived in 2004 by a group of young girls of African-origins in response to the needs of young girls and women and the issues they face within the community.

The group spearheaded by 5 young people and supported by African Women’s Welfare Group (AWWG) and other community leaders came together to identify the best way to deal with the social problems facing young people especially girls of African descent. Following a series of consultation with young girls coupled with guidance and direction from AWWG, the project was launched as a support and information sharing network for girls in the community and operates under the umbrella of AWWG. A more recent consultation has highlighted the following key priority areas for the group:

• Lack of a well equipped African girls’ youth centre. Though AWWG premises provides a good facility for girls to meet and network, the centre is not adequately furnished for our purpose
• Lack of opportunities for African girls to contribute to society and have their voices heard on issues that impact their lives
• Lack of peer to peer support on issues such as teenage pregnancy, violence and abuse, peer pressure, sexual & reproductive health, drugs, gang and crime etc
• Inadequate support for career development for young girls from disadvantaged background

This project is unique in nature in that apart of benefiting young people it also addresses key priorities: promoting the participation of young people and the inclusion of young people with few opportunities, combating child poverty and social exclusion as well as promoting stronger and safer communities with active citizens.