at the Conservative Women’s Organisation's conference

The young women of YWCA Northampton impressed the Conservative Women’s Organisation so much on their recent visit to the centre that one young woman was invited to speak at their annual general meeting. Kayleigh, 23, joined YWCA’s Chief Executive Sarah Payne to talk about the The blight of boozing Britain alongside James Brokenshire, Shadow Minister for crime reduction, Inspector Andy Townsend, the Nottingham city neighbourhood policing team and Helen Alcock-Towse, alcohol liaison nurse at Lincoln Hospital.

Kayleigh said: “I talked about how peer education tools such as The handbag-friendly guide to the risks and the origami game that I helped create allow young women to consider the risks and consequences of binge drinking. It was really great to know that my views were being taken seriously. I felt very appreciated and welcomed by the Conservative Women’s Organisation.”

YWCA money management course for young mums

Personal budgeting and money management is an accredited course that allows young women to take an active role in managing their finances. It covers budgets, benefits and bank accounts and staff from local financial advice services will be on hand to help those pounds stretch further. The young women will learn how to manage their cash flow during and after the transition from supported accommodation into their own homes.

Gill Court, YWCA Nottingham’s participation worker, said: “Managing your family’s budget is extremely important in these lean times. This course gives young mums the skills they need and is accredited by the National Open College Network.

YWCA produced a Credit crunch survival guide to help young women from deprived communities get through these hard times.

Indulge your taste for chocolate and raise funds for YWCA

Indulge your taste for chocolate! From 10 to 17 April we're asking you to do something chocolatey for YWCA.

There are choc-loads of possibilities for your event - here's a few:

• a chocolate morning: invite friends round for a chinwag and a cup of hot choc in return for a small donation
• a chocolate cake sale: wow your colleagues and friends at work or in your community with your chocolatey creations
• a chocolate quiz: offer a prize of a huge bar of chocolate

Download our chocolatey fundraising guide for inspiration, ideas and help. There are lots of useful resources too.

Don’t forget that any sum you raise – no matter how big or small – will go to help the young women we work with.

Young women prepare for groundbreaking conference and manifesto

YWCA Truro is urging young women to get involved in a groundbreaking conference to celebrate achievements and consider challenges that need to be met for girls and women in Cornwall.

The conference, on International Women's Day 8th March, will showcase Cornish young women's talent: song writing and performance, drama, dance, film making and storytelling, but there will also be the opportunity to get involved with workshops and hear speakers address serious issues around YWCA's 4 key areas of work: health and well-being, education, skills, jobs and work, money and debt and crime and violence

Young women aged between 11 to 30 years are invited to come forward and get involved in the preparations. 

Sam Pashley, YWCA's centre manager, says, "This is an amazing opportunity for young women in Cornwall to speak out about what really matters to them and have their voices heard by people who can really influence change in the county and beyond."

Young Women Can Achieve (YWCA's young women's steering group) meets regularly in Truro, but there are plans to take this group out across the county. These young women are already working hard towards the conference and also Cornwall's first Young Women's Manifesto (a first draft for consultation will be presented on the day). Current membership ranges in age from 14 to 23 and hot topics at the last meeting included housing, family, relationships, debt, education and employment

Using film and storytelling, the manifesto will outline national and local priorities for young women and their calls for action regarding services in the area and public attitudes.

If you want to learn more about the conference or you work with young women who you feel could contribute to this event, please get in touch with Jo, Ruth or Wendy on 01872 263112 or email truro@ywca.org.uk

YWCA West Kent gets funding boost

Splashes of colour and DIY will bring in the new year for young women from YWCA West Kent young women's centre after they have been awarded £500 to redecorate part of the centre.

The young women had applied for supplies and materials to refurbish an activity room at the centre which they felt had seen better days. It's Your Community, a funding branch of mobile phone providers O2, accepted their application to spruce up the centre and will even supply volunteers to reach the young women how to paint and redecorate.

Cheryl Large, 17, was one of the young women involved in the application. She said: "I can't believe it, it's wicked! I just want to know when we can start now."

Von Dawson, centre manager of YWCA West Kent said: "We are deeply grateful that we have been awarded this award from It's Your Community. It will make a huge difference to our centre and the young women who will be involved in the refurbishment."

Restaurant opens doors to opportunities for YWCA Northampton

Young women's futures will be hotting up in the New Year, as restaurant Red Hot World Buffet is giving catering work placements to women from YWCA Northampton.

The restaurant, which will also give free desserts to YWCA's Christmas party on 21^st December, is taking on young women for individual work placements next year to gain catering experience.

The initiative aims to get more young women into work, education or training. With Northampton's youth unemployment raised by 3.5 per cent since the recession began in February 2008, the city is listed as one of the country's 'hot spots' for youth unemployment according to a report from Centre for Cities.

Kathryn White, centre manager of YWCA Northampton said: "This is a great chance for the young women to get their foot on the career ladder and learn about an industry that they're interested in. Initiatives like these are essential to get young people motivated into a career they enjoy."

Helen Dhaliwal, joint owner of Red Hot Buffets said: "Giving the young women at YWCA the opportunity to undertake a work placement with us will give them the confidence to enter or re-enter the workplace. It takes one small choice in life to achieve and hopefully we can show them the way."

YWCA's Christmas party is from 12-2pm on 21^st December at the Salvation Army Hall, 8 Tower Street, Northampton, where young mums will achieve awards for various programmes they attended at the centre and Red Hot Buffets will be providing free desserts.

YWCA welcomes the findings of the All Wales Convention Report. We value the acknowledgement of the importance of voluntary organisations in contributing to the legislative process. We believe voluntary organisations have benefited from devolution and from the new ways in which we can influence decision making in Wales.

We welcome any actions which aim to simplify and speed up legislation in Wales and which brings policy development closer to the people it affects. We hope that these actions will help improve the lives of the young women we work with.

YWCA West Kent's film screens in nightclubs

A hard-hitting short film made by young women from YWCA West Kent is to be screened in nightclubs, as the Tunbridge Wells Community Safety Partnership reminds Christmas partygoers to be cautious around people they meet on nights out.  

The film Familiar Faces, funded by The Big Lottery Fund, uses still images to tell the story of a young woman who leaves a party alone to go home, bumps into a man she recognizes and subsequently gets attacked. It will be screened in Davinchi's and El Mono in Kent.

The young filmmakers focused on the risks of trusting somebody familiar because they felt this often leads women into dangerous and potentially fatal situations. Home Office statistics show that most violent attacks against women are committed by people they know, rather than by strangers.

Chantal Samways, 19, was one of the young women who made the film: "We're glad the film will be shown in clubs. We made it in memory of Terry Edmonds, our friend who was murdered at 17 years old. We never expected anything to happen to us then. Making the film made us see the real dangers out there and how to change my actions and behaviour so that we can be safer."

YWCA's Senior Project Worker Fiona Palmer said: "Young women can be powerful educators of their peers; they really do listen to each other and we hope screening this in clubs will remind women to keep safe when they leave and not to put their trust in somebody they might recognize, like someone they see on the bus everyday or a distant acquaintance."

Roz Heaton, Night Time Co-ordinator for the Safe Town Partnership, said 'We are delighted that two local nightclubs, Davinchi's and El Mono will show the film to clubbers over the festive period.  Tunbridge Wells remains a safe place to socialise and licensees and the Community Safety Partnership want everyone to have a safe journey home after a night out so planning this beforehand is always a good idea.'

YWCA urges safety at Christmas for young women

As the Christmas party season approaches, YWCA urges young women to keep safe by drinking within their limits and not using illegal minicabs to get home at night.

Young women from YWCA Northampton worked with YWCA staff to come up with a guide to help other young women understand the risks and consequences of drinking too much alcohol. Alcohol: the handbag-friendly guide to the risks emphasises the dangers of binge drinking and illustrates how this leaves young women vulnerable to dangerous situations, including attack and sexual assault.

One of the young women involved in making the guide said: "Our main message is that if you’re going to drink, do it safely. Girls don’t need to get wasted to have a good time. We want them to be aware of the risks."

Getting home safely is crucial to remember. YWCA supports the campaign from Transport for London and Metropolitan Police to warn Londoners about the dangers of using unbooked minicabs. The Metropolitan Police has reported that eight cab-related sexual offences are committed every month.

If you are using a cab to get home at night, only black cabs can be hailed in the street or picked up at rank without being booked. If you’re looking for a taxi home in London, text ‘CAB’ to 60835 and TfL will text you numbers of your three nearest cabs.

Visit the TFL website for more information.

To find out more about staying safe in the party season, visit the Brook website for information about their 'Have fun, be careful' campaign.

YWCA Wolverhamton's young women don hard hats and get working

Young women from YWCA Wolverhampton tried their hand at building, carpentry and plumbing at the Women in Construction Day with Wolverhampton Homes.

The young women received training, spoke to other women working in construction and applied for employment and further training. Guest speaker Lynda Waltho MP gave a speech promoting the benefits of female representatives in the construction industry

One of the young women Jude Featherstone said: "I found the whole day really informative. I have an interest in plumbing so I was really excited to do the taster session. Today has given me the motivation and belief that I can learn a trade."

Preventing violence in relationships becomes part of curriculum

YWCA welcomes the increased focus on prevention in the Government's Together we can end violence against women and girls strategy published today.

YWCA has long called for the need to include gender equality and violence against women in teaching at school and we are very pleased that this will become part of the curriculum. Age-appropriate teaching in schools is an important part of tackling violence against women through changing attitudes and promoting healthy relationships.

Girls need to know that violence against women is unacceptable in all its forms and that they do not have to accept any form of controlling behaviour. Equally, boys need to learn at a young age that this is unacceptable and such behaviour must be challenged.

We were also pleased to see recognition that peer-mentoring has a role to play. Young women often tell us that support from other young women who have had similar experiences can be invaluable.

We hope that this strategy will be the basis for a stepchange in attitudes towards violence against women and also in provision of services. Only a truly integrated strategy with sustainable funding will deliver this.

YWCA Cwmafan's work from The Big Lottery Fund features on news

YWCA Cwmafan featured on ITV Wales yesterday evening showing their work with young women on the Eve Project.

The project received funding from the Big Lottery which was used to educate and support young women towards having a voice in the community and raising self-esteem. 

This included sessions on drugs and alcohol where the young women wore real beer goggles and went through an 'assault course' carrying out tasks like picking up keys and texting on their mobiles, aimed to show the consequences of binge drinking.

Sian Tones, centre manager of YWCA Cwmafan, said: "All of the girls without exception have had their confidence raised. They have got a voice and we've allowed them to be heard as well. Their aspirations have risen as well. We challenge them about what kind of roles they want to go into in the future."

Young women's winning poster on buses for Anti-Bullying Week

Young women are teaming up with Stagecoach Northampton and Yorkshire to spread anti-bullying messages across the region this month with a poster campaign.

Stagecoach will display anti-bullying posters on its services in Northampton and Yorkshire for YWCA.The young women's poster design was picked out from more than 100 entries in YWCA's national competition.

It will feature positive messages to help prevent bullying and will appear on Stagecoach buses from 16 to 22 November to mark Anti-Bullying Week.

Joyce Foster, YWCA's head of innovation, said: "The young women who use our services developed and led this innovative project to promote the Anti-Bullying Awareness Campaign; they fully understand that bullying happens in many places. We are delighted that Stagecoach buses have partnered with YWCA to display these posters and spread the young women's message far and wide using an environmentally sound approach"

Adam Rideout, Marketing Manger for Stagecoach said: "By providing free advertising space for this campaign we hope to take the YWCA's anti-bullying awareness campaign thousands of miles across the region.

"Community support is a key priority for Stagecoach and we are delighted to be working with the YWCA to promote positive messages to help prevent bullying."

YWCA Doncaster girls' novel enterprise wins at NCVYS conference

A group of women have won a Dragons' Den-style competition with a unique fashion business idea.

Emiilia Dylak, Roxanne Hussain, Manishea Kaur and Moumita Choudry, who all attend YWCA Doncaster Women's Centre's Saheli group, came up with a business idea to recycle and redesign clothes that would otherwise be thrown away. The idea was presented to a Dragon's Den-style panel of judges at the Stormy Weather and Silver Linings conference organised by NCVYS, the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services.

The conference discussed ways to build resilience in young people through times of hardship and saw three groups of young people pitch ideas to the 'dragon' judges Tim Campbell, the first winner of BBC TV's 'The Apprentice' and founder of the Bright Ideas Trust, Bharat Mehta, Chief Executive of City Parochial Foundation and Natalie Grant, a representative from the NCVYS national youth forum ENVOY.

One of the young women said: "It was so exciting and fun, we couldn't believe we won the presentation, we felt like stars. We're hoping this will broaden our network with young women."

Diane Derbyshire, centre manager at YWCA Doncaster, said: "We're thrilled that the young women's achievements have been acknowledged in this way. The Saheli group have worked hard on this project, to make clothes more sustainable and affordable for other young women, and have exciting plans for their enterprise in the future."

Their business, called Re-NouVo, has its own design team, manufacturing team, fashion photographer and models, bringing together girls and women from a range of faiths and cultures.

The team has been rewarded with £100 and is already six weeks into development and production of their enterprise, with plans for a fashion show launch next year.

Government continues commitment to extend pupils' education

YWCA welcomes the Government's continued commitment to statutory PSHE and SRE in schools, confirmed today in a response to a comprehensive review into the subject.

Young women from YWCA have been telling us for a long time that their sex and relationships education was too little too late and too biological. They feel so strongly about the importance of good quality SRE they regularly take their messages out on the streets and into classrooms, urging their peers to get informed about their sexual health and personal relationships.

All young women have the right to information they need to make informed choices about their health, bodies, relationships and sex life.

YWCA campaigns to End Child Poverty

YWCA is part of The Campaign to End Child Poverty, a coalition of more than 150 organisations working for every child in Britain to get the quality of life they deserve.

A staggering two million British children now have no parent in work and the number of children in families having to survive on benefits has jumped by 170,000 in just twelve months according to a new report published by the Campaign to End Child Poverty. Child poverty is growing in affluent areas as well as those traditionally hard hit.

Through Thick and Thin: Tackling Child Poverty in Hard Times, written by leading social policy researcher Donald Hirsch, provides strong evidence for the government to implement End Child Poverty's "Recession Recovery Package".

The report warns that the number of children in families without jobs is rising to its highest level for a decade. It claims that without substantial investment now, 2.3 million children will be living in poverty in 2010, more than half a million above the government's target. Investing £4 billion would take the government close to its aim of halving child poverty.

The report contains some surprises. Affluent Berkshire and Surrey have suffered the highest proportionate rises in unemployment. And there has been an 18% rise in families with both parents out of work. After housing costs, a couple with two small children is left with £225 a week for everything, which puts them £115 below the poverty line.

The report also urges the government to give better financial support to parents who are out of work or in low-paid jobs, to help make work pay during the recovery.

You can help by contacting your local MP, Chancellor or local newspaper to press the government to invest in financial support for families in the Pre-Budget Report and action the Recession Recovery Package.

ACT NOW: Email your MP now at http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/childpovertyPBR

Our response to the Government’s new strategy

YWCA congratulates the Government on their announcement to introduce careers-related learning into primary school education.

Sarah Payne, YWCA’s Chief Executive, said: “Attitudes about work are often set at a young age with opinions formed on the kind of work which should be done by girls and boys. The young women we work with often face the double disadvantage of gender and socio-economic stereotyping. Girls are still too often being steered into traditionally ‘female’ jobs such as hairdressing and childcare. These sectors are low-paid and often have little chance of progression. This contributes to women’s poverty and the persistent gender pay gap which currently stands at over 22 per cent.

“YWCA believes that young women should have the support and guidance to make informed choices about their career paths. Careers advice is an essential tool in tackling this and encouraging young women and young men to consider careers about which they may not otherwise have thought. The strategy’s commitment to raising aspirations and challenging stereotypes is an extremely welcome step forward.”

Mystery shopping in Northampton

A recent survey carried out by YWCA and commissioned by the Teenage Pregnancy Implementation Group, evaluated 32 venues in the Northampton area. Young people from YWCA and other youth organisations assessed venues that provide contraception and sexual health advice to teenagers in Northampton.

The young people were recruited from disadvantaged communities and included four young mothers. 16 per cent found the welcome to be unfriendly and 59 per cent said that the venues were not young people friendly. However 56 per cent rated their overall experience as excellent or very good and 78 per cent found it easy to find the venues.

Kathryn White, centre manager at YWCA Northampton, said: “We were very disappointed that so many young people said they wouldn’t use the service again. And these were young people who had been trained to carry out the assessment and so perhaps were less shy about asking questions. What reaction would a worried or nervous teen have after they have managed to overcome their fears to ask what are probably to them was a very embarrassing question? Even a greater percentage would not come back”

There were huge discrepancies in how the services were provided. The NHS clinics fulfilled the clinical needs of the young people but did not always make them feel comfortable. The Youth Support Agencies were felt to be more friendly and approachable. While pharmacies had a mixed reaction with some deemed better than others.

Jane Waite, the programme lead for the Teenage Pregnancy Trust for NHS Northamptonshire, said: “Reducing the number of under-18 pregnancies is one of our key targets and involving YWCA in assessing the facilities that young people use will prove incredibly helpful. This report will help to improve sexual health services for young people.”

Download the executive summary here.

Join our campaign to include teenagers in the Equality Bill

YWCA is part of Young Equals, a group of charities and children and young people who are campaigning to put an end to age discrimination.

The Equality Bill, which is going through Parliament now, aims to promote equality and fight discrimination and will include protection against age discrimination. However, it will only protect those who are over 18. YWCA and Young Equals believe this is a missed opportunity to shed age discrimination in its many guises.

We think everyone should be protected from unfair age discrimination. This includes:

• finding it difficult to get help from children’s social services
• finding it difficult to get help from children’s mental health services
• not being taken seriously when reporting a crime or medical emergency
• being treated unfairly when in a public place such as a shop or public transport

You can help by telling your MP under-18s should not be excluded from age discrimination protection in the Equality Bill. Make a difference to the lives of young people throughout the UK and email your MP.

If you know a young person who has been treated unfairly because of their age, why not ask them to take part in the Young Equals survey?

Stop sending mixed messages

Young women appealed to the British public to stop sending mixed messages about alcohol at a national conference hosted by YWCA. The conference aimed to find workable solutions to break the binge drinking habit which is having devastating effects on the country's youth and to understand the scale of the problem facing the UK.

The young women, who all attend YWCA centres, spoke of their confusion when they see drinking condoned as a cultural norm, but when they drink find themselves demonised as anti-social nuisances. They highlighted how susceptible young women are to the glamorisation of drinking in the celebrity culture, and called for positive role models who could challenge the distorted views of alcohol they see in the media.

The conference, held in London, is believed to be the first of its kind to consider the causes and consequences of girls' binge drinking. It brought young women together with professionals from the health, policing, charity, drinks industry and retail sectors.

Other recommendations from conference included calls for more financial support from the drinks industry into Government strategies - the industry as a whole, for example, spends around £800m a year on advertising alone. There is a need for more women-focused activities to tackle the boredom which is at the heart of many girls' drinking. Recognising the need to include young women's experiences and opinions in developing public information campaigns was also endorsed by the conference delegates.

The conference opened with presentations from Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians and a specialist in liver disease; Sara Thornton, Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police; Seymour Fortescue, Chairman of the Portman Group; and Don Shenker, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern. All of them painted a stark picture of the scale of the problem in terms of health, policing and society.

This was echoed by YWCA which launched the findings of its own research into young women's binge drinking. Among the findings in 'Young women and binge drinking: breaking the habit', was recognition that despite a startling rise in girls' binge drinking which is leading to serious consequences such as unwanted pregnancies, STIs and rape, there is precious little research into the root causes of the phenomenon. There have been few attempts to find solutions designed specifically for young women.

Sarah Payne, Chief Executive of YWCA said: "Young women from our centres told us that they were shocked to learn the risks and consequences of binge drinking, and many are very committed to not only opting to drink sensibly in the future, but to promote that message among their peers.

"The conference today proved there is a genuine collective will among all those who are confronted with binge drinking to tackle it. If we harness that, along with the richness that young women themselves bring to the table, instead of allowing the debate to become polarised about crime and disorder, then we could really make a difference."

Young women attend the Party conferences

Young women from YWCA centres around the country got the chance to have their say when they attended the Labour and Conservative party conferences this year.

They met ministers at the Labour party conference in Brighton to talk about what needs to be done to tackle youth binge drinking. The young women shared their ideas and experiences throughout a jam-packed programme which included meetings with Ed Miliband, secretary of state for the department of energy and climate change; Gillian Merron MP, minister for public health; and Iain Wright, minister for Apprenticeships. They had tea with senior women on the Labour Party's National Executive Committee and met Dawn Butler MP, the Labour Party's vice-chair for youth.

The young women spoke about the alcohol publications they have been involved in producing and talked about the different causes of teenage alcohol abuse. Gemma from YWCA Northampton said: “It was a brilliant experience and we enjoyed meeting the ministers.”

At the Conservative conference, the young women met Theresa May MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Maria Miller MP Shadow Minister for Families and other ministers at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.

They talked about crime, binge drinking and getting back into education and employment. The women had created a board game which investigated why young people turn to crime.

These experiences helped to give the group an increased understanding of democracy and the importance of the vote.

Sarah Payne, YWCA’s Chief Executive said: “Giving young women a voice is at the core of YWCA’s work. Attending the party conferences gave these young women the chance to influence the influencers and to be directly involved in the political process. This kind of engagement is not only good for young women’s development but good for politics as a whole. An increased awareness of democracy, the political process and the importance of the vote makes for a vibrant democracy.”

Prime Minister plans for young mums to stay in supervised homes

As part of his speech at Labour Party conference, Gordon Brown announced new plans to provide more supported housing for young mums aged 16 and 17.

YWCA welcomes the Prime Minister's recognition that teenage mothers need support, particularly those who are not able to access it from their families. This is something we, and other organisations, have been providing for many years and we have been calling on the Government to increase its support of our efforts.

The Prime Minister's announcements come as part of a wider commitment to provide better housing for young people and teenage parents unable to live with their families. Some progress has already been made, however every year around 700 young mothers aged 16 and 17 are accommodated without a fully-comprehensive package of support.

YWCA was disappointed by the rhetoric that Gordon Brown used to make this announcement. We know that young mothers face considerable prejudice and misconceptions from society and this kind of language can deepen and extend these negative attitudes.

From the work YWCA does with young mothers, at our centres and via outreach, we know they can often experience social exclusion and isolation. Centres likes those run by YWCA offer support that is vital in helping young women develop their skills as mothers and in helping them engage positively in society as well as fulfilling their long term potential.

There are currently seven supported housing pilot projects running around the country which include the development of support packages. YWCA looks forward to seeing the results of these pilots. When supported housing is well-run the young women who live there can benefit greatly from the opportunities with which it provides them.

It is essential that examples of good practice are rolled out around the country so that support is delivered which is appropriate to the needs of all young mothers. Significant levels of funding must remain and be sustained to ensure that the facilities are good, the support can be flexible and tailored to individual needs, and that staff are properly trained.

UK girls drinking more than ever

A new report says that teenage girls in the UK have the highest rate of drunkenness.

This is certainly true of the young women we see at our centres, many of who take serious risks by drinking to their personal safety including unprotected or unwanted sex. Despite this, more and more of them tell us they drink to get drunk and this is borne out by the statistics. The average weekly alcohol consumption for 11-to 15-year-olds increased from five units in 1990 to more than eleven units in 2006. There are many reasons why girls get drunk: violence, abuse, alcohol or drug use in the family, low-self-esteem, failure at school, peer pressure and stress.

Join us at at a conference in London on 21 October 2009 where we will consider the problem of girls binge drinking in more detail and look for answers. This subject has a huge impact on the health service, the police, the criminal justice system, local councils. Our expert speakers and delegates will share their ideas and opinions and, we hope, come up with some workable ways to help alleviate this increasingly serious problem.

This item on the BBC website neatly summarises the report's findings.

Pay increase for lowest paid apprentices

YWCA welcomes the announcement from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) that the lowest paid apprentices will get a pay boost from £80 to £95 a week.

The increase means that from Saturday 1st August 2009, apprentices will be paid at least £95 a week. 

Young women will particularly benefit from the increase as they are most likely to receive the minimum pay rate. According to latest Government figures, the average pay rate for female apprentices in hairdressing and childcare is less than £95 a week. The average weekly pay for apprentices is more than £170 a week.

YWCA's More Than One Rung campaign has called for apprentices to be paid the equivalent of the National Minimum Wage. The campaign also seeks to challenge gender stereotypes whereby young women are being steered into 'traditionally female' apprentices which tend to be lower paid. 

Art group goes on whistlestop tour of London's art sights

Young women from YWCA Cwmafan's Art and Performing Art group have been on a whirlwind tour around London to sample different art mediums.

The two-day trip for the 12- to 16-year-olds included two hours of private tuition at Tate Modern, where they produced their own modern artwork, an evening watching Hairspray at the theatre, seeing the street performers at Covent Garden and an open top bus tour to view London's architecture.

YWCA's centre manager Sian Tones said: "The girls were extremely excited about this trip and it's been a fantastic opportunity for them to really absorb many different art forms and cultures. Without the support of YWCA staff and funding from the Big Lottery Fund this trip would not have been possible.

Fifteen-year-old Charlotte Lowe, who was on the trip, said: "It was just brilliant. We went on the underground and travelled all over London. Hairspray and the Tate Modern were amazing. We learned so much, it was brill!"

YWCA Cwmafan's Art and Performing Arts group provides opportunities for young women aged 11 to 18 to explore the issues that affect them through different art mediums. They have so far produced graffiti boards and DVDs and have choreographed various dances.

Women & Work Commission report includes YWCA evidence

YWCA welcomes the Women & Work Commission's final report into tackling the gender pay gap, published today.

YWCA was one of the organizations involved in giving evidence to the Commission for their recommendations on the gender pay gap.

The recommendations include producing a national strategy for tackling gender inequality in the education system by March 2010 and for quick and effective implementation of a minimum wage for apprentices, as recommended by The Low Pay Commission.

YWCA Doncaster launches education and training programme

In a bid to get more young women into employment or training, the Doncaster YWCA Women's Centre has launched a summer programme to build their career and personal skills.

The programme, entitled The Summer Bridging Programme targets young women who have left school and haven't yet formed training or career plans. YWCA will work with the girls over the summer period to build skills and aid personal development, so that they can then make an informed decision about their future.

Aimed at 16- to 19-year-olds, the programme involves courses in Personal Development, Building a Career Portfolio, opportunities to gain accreditation and Community Engagement Research. A separate programme for 14- to 16-year-olds will run alongside, aiming to keep the younger women engaged in education.   

The programme follows recent news that the rate of youth unemployment (18- to 24-year-olds) in Britain has risen from 11.9% to 17.3% over the past year, with Doncaster named one of the top five cities in Britain with highest youth unemployment, according to reseach institute 'Centre for Cities'.

Bev Soakell, YWCA Programme Manager, said: "These are clearly worrying times for young women who are leaving school and finding themselves unable to find work or without the right qualifications for further education. We aim to work with them to scope the opportunities they have and raise their self-confidence in pursuing their chosen training or career paths. This is a very practical, all-encompassing programme which we hope will give them tangible skills to develop their working future."

Board game aims to get teens talking to parents

A group of young women from YWCA Truro have created a board game as part of a project to support parents of teens.

The board game, called 'The Generation Gap', involves squares with varying activities, designed to get families communicating.

The young women presented the board game at the Eden Project in Cornwall and as a result they received £200 from The Cornwall Children's Trust for future activities.

Abi Skews, one of the young women who took part, said: "We often hear of support for teenagers and children but we thought there could be more out there to support parents. We've all enjoyed the experience so far and it's given me confidence in myself and my skills."

A spokesperson from The Cornwall Children's Trust said: "The young women have impressed us so much with their dedication, enthusiasm and innovation to this project."

As part of the project, the young women are now planning to make an advice DVD for parents.

Conference on teen drinking to be held in autumn

In a bid to tackle the reasons for teenage binge drinking, YWCA is hosting a unique conference this autumn to which young women and industry professionals will be invited.

YWCA is concerned that teenagers who drink excessively are exposing themselves to risky situations. which may lead to unwanted pregnancies, anti-social behaviour, injury, assault and death.

"No single person or organisation has the solution to this problem, so we hope that by bringing together so many interested parties, including concerned members of the public, we will be able to come up with  effective solutions which we will then take to Ministers." says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive of YWCA.

"We have been planning this conference for some time now. But the recent tragic death in Newquay have made us all realise the urgency of the problem. Young people will always want to experiment with alcohol so what we need to do is to find a safe way for them to do so. And they need to know that drinking to excess is not necessary for having a good time."

A unique feature of the conference will be that about 10 per cent of the delegates will be young women. They will be there to voice their opinions and share their experiences.

YWCA is currently carrying out research into why young women binge drink and how well they understand the risks. The results of this research, which has never been carried out before, will be presented at the conference.

The conference will be held at Central Hall, Westminster, London on Wednesday 21 October 2009.

More information and online booking here.

Dr. Brian Gibbons visits YWCA Cwmafan

Dr. Brian Gibbons, Assembly Government Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, visited young women from YWCA Cwmafan on Friday 10 July to discuss issues affecting them in the community.

The Minister met girls and women from YWCA, many of whom were young mums, along with YWCA's Chief Executive, Sarah Payne. They specifically discussed funding and employment opportunities for young women in the area, including apprenticeships in construction. 

Helen Williams said: "It was a really interesting opportunity for the young women to meet Dr. Brian Gibbons. They discussed issues that are important to them, such as employment, and there is potential to take this meeting further."

YWCA Plymouth scoops film award

Three young women from YWCA Plymouth have won an accolade at the Positive Images Awards, after making a film about the dangers of drink spiking.

The film, which has won the Best Broadcast Created by Young People award, was made by Hayley Glover, Jade Ives and Jennie Smith together with ITV Fixers, a television production company set up by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust.

The girls used the film to focus on the widespread problem of drink spiking in clubs and bars and its potentially fatal consequences.

As a way of tackling the problem, the girls and ITV Fixers distributed specially designed posters and coasters entitled 'Who's mixing your drink?' in bars and clubs and they produced a television advert warning against the dangerous consequences of drink spiking.

The awards ceremony, hosted by Children and Young People Now magazine in Westminster, London, aimed to celebrate positive portrayal of young people in the media and to combat the frequently negative press they receive.

Hayley said: "It was a fantastic day, coming to London and getting this award. It's great that young people are getting recognised for their achievements because it makes us want to do even more."

Awards judge Louise Taylor said: "This is a positive campaign that has enormous potential to be rolled out further. It covers an area that is not supported enough."

YWCA pop out for lunch with the Queen

It was a day of glamorous hats, tea and cucumber sandwiches for a young woman from YWCA Wolverhampton who attended the Queen's Garden Party yesterday. 

Jude Featherstone, accompanied by YWCA worker Becky Matthews, got the chance to stroll through the famous Garden of Buckingham Palace and to see members of the Royal Family at the party held annually by The Queen.

The Queen is patron of YWCA England & Wales, the charity working with young women from disadvantaged backgrounds. YWCA receives invitations every year for the Queen's Garden Party, which is distributed to its projects around England and Wales.

Jude said: "Even though it was a rainy day I had a great time anyway!"

Multi-cultural awards day for women

YWCA Women's Centre is celebrating achievements of women from different cultural backgrounds at their annual Diversity and Achievements Awards Ceremony to be held at YWCA, 21 Cleveland Street, Doncaster on Tuesday 7^th July.

The women, from black and minority ethnic backgrounds, will receive accredited certificates in courses including ESOL English, Citizenship, Parenting & Caring for Your Child, Introduction to Volunteering, Community Leadership, Me & My Health and Counselling skills.

Many women accessing this programme have overcome difficult barriers such as lack of confidence or education opportunities. As a result of the courses, some women have advanced into further education and employment.

Ninda Randhawa, YWCA's BME Programme Manager, said: "After the work and commitment these women have put into these courses, along with the personal challenges they may have faced, we wanted them to recognise their achievements and to feel good and celebrate."

A multi-cultural culinary feast will be served after the awards, followed by global dancing celebrations.

James Brokenshire, Shadow Conservative Home Affairs and Crime Reduction Minister will visit YWCA Doncaster Women's Centre on Thursday 9^th July at 11.30am.

Along with other programmes at the centre, the Crime Reduction minister will be viewing the Together Women Programme (TWP) which works with women who are ex-offenders or at risk of offending.

TWP supports women to tackle the reasons they commit crimes and break the cycle of offending behaviour, forming partnerships with many organisations that impact the lives of the women including housing, healthcare, the judiciary and child welfare.

YWCA Doncaster also offers support and services to women of black and minority ethnic backgrounds, young mums and women with learning disabilities.

Diane Derbyshire, YWCA's centre manager said: "We welcome James Brokenshire MP to meet the women at our centre, and particularly to show him the important work being done with women transforming their lives on the Together Women Programme."

MPs to sign poverty pledge

Over sixty charities and community organisations have come together to challenge MPs across the country to act now and protect the poorest in society who are hardest hit by the recession.

After weeks of the expenses scandal and having elected a new Speaker for the House of Commons to clean up their own act, MPs returning to their constituencies at the weekend face calls to sign a Poverty Pledge (26-27 June). Local groups will meet with over 100 MPs in their constituencies, raising local issues and pressing the case for change nationally. Many more MPs are being lobbied across the UK.

Vanessa Stanislas, chair of Get Fair and Chief Executive of Disability Alliance said: "With the economy in recession and rapidly rising unemployment, it's time to get fair - that's why we are calling on MPs to sign the Get Fair poverty pledge. Once people find themselves living below the breadline, it is virtually impossible for them to pull themselves out of poverty. Things will only get worse, not better unless action is taken. All politicians and political parties should commit to make the UK a fairer place and help bring an end to poverty."

Get Fair is calling for immediate action to:

·     Put planned changes to welfare benefits on hold: with a rapid rise in unemployment, current government plans will result in severe hardship for many families

·     Increase the number of social rented homes by 45,000: house building has almost stopped and repossession rates are rising as people lose their jobs

·     Protect local services: additional funding focused on quality public services that reach those most in need

Poverty Pledge for MPs: "I undertake to use, or support the use, of all policy powers available to parliament to meet poverty targets and include concrete measures in my party manifesto to achieve a lasting reduction in poverty in the UK." 

Get Fair members include: Oxfam; Shelter; Age Concern/Help The Aged; Disability Alliance; Refugee Council; Church Action on Poverty; YWCA; Church Urban Fund www.getfair.org.uk 

MP for Aberavon, Wales meets young mums at YWCA Cwmafan

Hywel Francis MP visited YWCA Cwmafan on Friday 26^th June to meet young mums accessing the centre's services.

The MP for Aberavon met the young mums to discuss issues that affect them in the community and the range of support and information available to them.

It was the minister's first visit to the centre although he had met young women from YWCA Cwmafan on their previous visits to parliament.

Helen Williams, YWCA's centre manager said: "We were pleased to have Dr. Hywel Francis MP at our centre, his visit showed the young mums that their voices and contributions are being heard despite the barriers and prejudices they might face."

New learning and creativity programme for YWCA Northampton

YWCA Northampton is launching a programme for young women to develop their own agenda of learning and creativity entitled 'Twilight', starting on Wednesday 24 June.

The ten-week programme is aimed at young women aged 13-19 years. The young women will get the opportunity to socialise in an all-female environment and choose activities including healthy cooking, art, life skills and exercise, with occasional guest speakers.

The goal of the programme is to encourage young women to develop their social and personal skills, choose what they want to learn, raise higher self-confidence and have fun.

Kathryn White, YWCA Northampton's centre manager said: 'We're pleased to open the Twilight programme and encourage young women in the community to take part. In giving them a safe space where ideas and thoughts can flow freely, they find developing and learning is interesting and accessible to them."

YWCA has taken part in UNISON's National Delegate Conference at their Equalities Fringe Panel meeting held in Brighton on Wednesday 17^th June 2009.

The discussion entitled 'Equality on hold? How the recession impacts on our equalities agenda' was chaired by Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee.

Angela Deavall, YWCA's Director of Policy, Research & Campaigns was joined by co-panelists Rob Berkeley of the Runnymede Trust, Zamila Bunglawala of Fellow of the Young Foundation and Roger McKenzie, newly appointed UNISON Regional Secretary for the West Midlands.

The fringe meeting attracted around 150 delegates and was a key part of the conference activity, also serving to inform attending policy makers on important issues to be debated the next day at the conference.

Our concerns about teenagers' rebellious reaction

Whilst broadly welcoming the importance placed on early intervention measures as part of Ed Balls' plan to tackle alcohol related antisocial behaviour, YWCA is concerned that a 'get tough' approach could produce a rebellious reaction among teenagers, and leave young women dangerously exposed to risk.

We know through our research that the current dispersal orders can lead to vulnerable young women ending up in unlit areas, such as parks, and expose them to risky situations. Until the wider issue of tackling the risible lack of facilities and root causes of young women's drinking is addressed , there will be an over-reliance on punitive measures that label young people and won't act as a deterrent.

Low Pay Commission to consider minimum wage for apprentices

YWCA welcomes the announcement that the Low Pay Commission will be considering a national minimum wage for apprentices.

We have been campaigning on this for some years as part of our More than one rung campaign. The introduction of a minimum wage will make a huge difference to young women who currently dominate the lowest paid apprenticeships such as hairdressing and early years care.

Apprenticeships offer disadvantaged young women real opportunities to train and move up the career ladder. However, research has shown that not getting enough money is a significant contributing factor to young people dropping out. Young women from YWCA centres have told us that they could not manage on the low rates of pay they were receiving. 

We congratulate the Government on this important step and we will be happy to work with the Low Pay Commission as it looks at this in more detail.

Have your say on why women are under-represented in parliament

Have your say on why women are under-represented in parliament on a new online forum.

The Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representation has been asked to look in to why women, disabled people and people from ethnic minorities are under-represented in the House of Commons and to suggest ways in which the situation can be improved.

The forum was set up to allow comments on this, particularly from members of these under-represented communities. It will run until 23 June 2009 so be sure to visit soon to have your say. Comments will be used to shape the recommendations the Speaker's Conference makes to Parliament so your opinion really could make a difference.

You can visit the forum here: http://forums.parliament.uk/speakers-conference/index.php?index,1

The single biggest employee volunteering event ever held in the Black Country took place today, with seven businesses using their talents to develop reading gardens, outdoor classrooms and promoting enterprise. Young women from YWCA Wolverhampton took part.

Sponsored nationally by law firm Eversheds LLP, Business in the Community's Give & Gain Day helped more than 2,500 people in the region learn new skills and break down barriers to learning and employment.

Businesses in the Black Country and surrounding areas, including AF Blakemore & Son, Birmingham Midshires, Royal Mail, The Midcounties Co-operative Ltd and the University of Wolverhampton, let more 120 employee volunteers swap their day jobs to take part in the groundbreaking initiative.

David Darlaston, Regional Director at Business in the Community Business in the Community, picked up the story:

"Even though we are in the midst of a major recession, we still managed to pull together a huge event and this goes to show the willingness of local businesses to maintain their CSR agenda and give something back to the communities in which they operate.

"It also highlights how important these volunteering programmes are to the companies involved, as it has been proven that taking part helps improve communication, teamwork, strengthens partnerships and creates a real pride in the organisation you work for."

He continued: "In the Black Country there is a real need to support schools to boost the literacy skills of young people and to help them understand what is needed to get jobs and be 'enterprising'.

Volunteers completed 8 Black Country projects on Give & Gain Day, including literacy fun at Hawbush Primary School and training in life and employability skills at YMCA/YWCA in Wolverhampton.

There were also outdoor reading and normal classrooms created (Croft Primary and Woden Primary), a major push on enterprise and financial literacy.

Paul Cowley, Corporate Affairs Manager, AF Blakemore & Son said: 

"Employee volunteering is a great way for employees to interact with colleagues they wouldn't normally work with, learn new skills they can use in their day job and develop an understanding of how their work influences the area around them.

"We are delighted to take part in a day that provides benefits for everyone involved". 

'Give & Gain Day' is taking place during Volunteers' Week', which is celebrating its 25the year. In total more than 4300 volunteers from 200 businesses participated in activities across 47 locations.

YWCA Northampton to hold mock election

In preparation for the upcoming elections, girls and women at YWCA Northampton will be experiencing democracy firsthand in their own version of an election on 3^rd June.

The women, many of whom are young mums accessing YWCA's services, will choose a political party and create their manifesto showing how they would spend the council's money if they won the election. The mini campaign, lasting for two hours, will culminate in a ballot vote when the winning political party will be announced.  

The event aims to raise awareness of the importance of local elections and get the young women interested in how voting works.

Kathryn White, centre manager at YWCA said: "Creating their party's political manifesto and debating which issues are important to them is a great means for the young women to see politics as a real and essential part of daily life, rather than some far-away concept. This mock election gives them the chance to discuss what needs to change in their community and shows the importance of voting."

The support workers at YWCA used Y Vote Mock Elections materials developed by the Hansard Society, The Electoral Commission and the Department of Education and Skills.

Wolverhampton Homes hold women in construction event

Wolverhampton Homes has hosted a Women In Construction event day to encourage more women into a trade.

The organisation and its Decent Homes partners - Bullock, Frank Haslam Milan and Thomas Vale - organised taster sessions in painting and decorating, plumbing and carpentry.

Women from YWCA and local schools and colleges attended to try out a trade, talk to other women working in construction and to apply for apprentice opportunities.

Pat McFadden MP was also the guest speaker who gave his support to the day.

Shazad Ahmed, project skills co-ordinator from Wolverhampton Homes, said: "Many women came along to the event which was really successful, it was all about breaking down the stereotypes that construction is only for men.

"I know many people who attended also found it really useful to talk to women already in a trade and get their first hand knowledge and experience."

Rachel Symons, YWCA centre manager, said: "The young women really got involved in the day, getting stuck into tasks they never thought they would be doing and getting an insight into a job sector unfamiliar to most of them. It proves that career advice shouldn't always be steering young women into traditionally 'female' jobs, but should be showing the full spectrum of options available to them."

Low pay commission releases 2009 report

The Low Pay Commission is calling for apprentices to receive a national minimum wage in its 2009 report, published last week. However this will be at a lower rate than for other workers.

They have recommended the Government ask them to look into an appropriate minimum wage rate for apprentices in next year's report. The Government will respond to their recommendations in the summer.

YWCA's Parliamentary officer Helen Berresford said: "If the Government does accept the recommendation it really is great progress and a fantastic step for the More than one rung campaign and us.

The Commission's report also asked for small increases to the current national minimum wage for all workers and for the age at which people receive the adult rate to be lowered from 22-years-old to 21. Both of these recommendations have been accepted. The national minimum wage will rise by 7 pence per hour in October 2009. However the age at which employees receive the adult rate will not change until October 2010.

Helen Berresford said: "We campaigned to get rid of youth rates altogether however, this small change is still a win and welcomed."

James Anthony, UNISON national executive council member said on behalf of national minimum wage campaigners: "Against the backdrop of recession, when we need to be putting more money into the pockets of the low-paid, it is a surprisingly low increase.

"We are pleased that the government has responded positively to the LPC call for the adult rate to start from age 21. However, this small move actually highlights the continuing discrimination by age, preserved in the national minimum wage, which is again exempted from the provisions of the Equality Bill.

"Our message to the government is: we want and need more bold action to raise the level and end the injustices in the national minimum wage. We believe our campaign has played an important role in challenging the proposed zero increase, in winning the change in start of the adult age band, and the proposed inclusion of apprentices. Our campaign continues."

YWCA is part of the campaign to end age discrimination in the national minimum wage.

Young mums teach healthy relationships and safe sex

A group of six young mothers from YWCA Bristol Young Women's Centre have been teaching sex and relationships classes to schools in Bristol.

The young mums developed a peer education project called 'DUK', which stands for 'did you know?' They looked at different types of healthy and unhealthy relationships, peer pressure and staying safe. They also taught the 15-year-old students about STIs and the different methods of contraception available.

The programme was funded by HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust's Young Leaders project. This award-winning peer-led sex and relationships education (SRE) project sees boards of young people in seven Government regions of England manage a grant-giving scheme enabling young people to develop and deliver their own sexual health projects.

Lauren Eves, one of the young mums involved, said: "The students really listened and got involved. We managed to teach them and inform them about STIs and contraception."

The sessions were delivered to Year 10 pupils at Henbury School in Bristol and Broadlands School in Keynsham, reaching over 60 young people. There was a favourable response from pupils, one of whom said: "I've learnt not to worry about saying 'no' in a relationship and not feel pressure to do anything you don't want to do."

YWCA Project Worker Rosie Webb supported the young mums delivering their sessions: "I observed how much the pupils enjoyed the space to talk freely and express their feelings without any judgement, knowing that the young mothers understood. Having the opportunity to explore issues around peer pressure had a real impact and enabled positive discussion."

Gareth Davies, project manager for Terrence Higgins Trust's (THT) young leaders project, says: "We were delighted to provide funding for this project, which has been a great success. THT is currently launching a new round of young leaders grants, so groups of young people with good ideas for teaching people their age about sex and relationships should visit www.tht.org.uk/youknowyou for more information."

Compulsory sex and relationships education a positive step

YWCA England & Wales welcomes the announcement of compulsory personal, social and health education (PSHE) in schools. Making PSHE, and within it sex and relationships education (SRE), compulsory is a positive step in ensuring young people are better informed when making choices about their lives.

"Those who have questioned the starting age of five should bear in mind that programmes will be age appropriate." says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive YWCA. "This programme is about informing children and young people about safe and healthy relationships and reducing ignorance around sex. The programmes are designed with parents to give children high quality education. This allows them to make informed choices later in their lives that are right for them."

The young women who YWCA works with, including hundreds of teenage mums, tell us that their sex and relationships education was too little, too late and too biological. They feel so strongly about the importance of good quality SRE they regularly take their messages out on the streets and in classrooms, urging their peers to get informed about their sexual health and personal relationships.

The Government should be congratulated for listening to the voices of young people seeking guidance in today's complicated world.

You can read our briefings and information sheets on sex education here.

YWCA launches credit crunch survival guide

Living on a low income, keeping loans under control and financial abuse are just three of the subjects covered by a recession-busting leaflet launched today by YWCA. The guide is aimed at young women and features tips on saving money, low budget shopping and cutting costs.

The charity is concerned that women living on low incomes are currently finding it even more difficult to balance their limited weekly income. It believes they are getting into even greater financial difficulties.

"The women we work with have very limited incomes" says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive YWCA. "Within this leaflet we provide key pieces of financial information which, we hope, will help these women manage their very limited resources better."

"In the current economic climate everyone is worried about money. But young women in some of the poorest communities are particularly vulnerable. They tend to be on low incomes and sometimes lack the skills to manage their limited funds" Sarah continues: "Young mothers and teenage girls, who have had to leave unhappy homes, can find themselves suddenly living independently with little or no support. They find themselves in charge of household bills, with responsibilities that they've never had to think about before. We hope this leaflet will help them and demonstrate that YWCA is here to support them".

Women often do jobs that pay so badly they experience 'in-work poverty'. Nearly two-thirds of low paid workers are women. Sectors with the highest proportions of minimum-wage jobs are female-dominated; for example retail, hospitality, social care, hairdressing and cleaning.

According to the Trade Union Conference (TUC) it is likely that women's jobs will be affected more than in past recessions. More women have been made redundant since the beginning of 2008 than men. [TUC (2009) Women and Recession: How will this recession affect women at work?]

In times when money is scarce women on low incomes are more vulnerable to credit and store card offers, especially if they have young children. Often they do not realise the expensive interest charges they will incur if they do not pay off their account each month.

Linda Jack, Youth Policy Adviser at the Financial Service Authority (FSA) says: "I welcome this excellent and timely initiative from YWCA. The young women they work with are likely to be disproportionally affected by the credit crunch and will need as much support as possible to be able to effectively manage their money. This leaflet, alongside the outstanding support YWCA centres already offer to so many young women, will be a lifeline for those struggling to make ends meet and make the most of their money."

Some women attending YWCA centres have talked about boyfriends, having lost their jobs, taking money from them without asking and not paying them back or using their credit cards without permission - in some cases a form of financial abuse which is putting them in debt. The leaflet therefore looks at this issue and suggests ways to avoid falling into this trap.

You can download the credit crunch survival guide here.

YWCA welcomes the Alcohol Arrest Referral programme which is to be tested in six local authorities as a step in the right direction.

Under the scheme those aged between 10 and 17, who have come into contact with police or arrested while under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be interviewed and assessed by a youth worker.

"YWCA has been calling for this form of intervention for some time now and we are pleased that the Government is finally taking notice." says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive, YWCA. "We still believe that the first point of contact for the young person should be a youth worker and not the Police and we hope that this trial period will recognise the value of investing more in outreach youth workers and alternative activities.

In our work with young women we know that young people drink for a variety of reasons. Some just to experiment, some to rebel and make a statement and some to block out deeper rooted problems in their lives. These young people, particularly the latter group need support and not a criminal record.

When referred the youth worker will assess why the young person drinks, their drinking patterns and discuss not only the effects of alcohol but also advise how to stop or reduce their intake. Some young people may be referred on for appropriate treatments.

The six local authorities taking part are East Sussex, Lincolnshire, Blackpool, Staffordshire, Liverpool and Newcastle.

YWCA will watch this trial with interest and will be happy to get involved if asked to.

You can read our policy statements and briefings on young women and alcohol here.

Focus on ending inequality welcome

YWCA welcomes the Government's commitment to introducing the Equality Bill during these difficult economic times. We agree with the Government that equality is vital for the individual, society and the economy.

We welcome their focus on combating gender inequality and the proposals for gender pay audits. This is a positive step towards tackling the gender pay gap which actually rose this year to 17.1%.

It cannot be fair that nearly two thirds of low paid workers in the UK are women and simply working in a female-dominated sector can reduce your pay by as much as 9%. We support the Government's commitment to this and urge them to continue to take bold steps.

"A person's socio-economic background strongly influences their life chances and through our work with young women from deprived areas we know that being female, young and poor causes multiple disadvantages." says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive, YWCA.

 "We therefore welcome the Government's proposed duty on public authorities to consider reducing socio-economic inequalities when making strategic decisions. Whilst we welcome the direction this takes, we are concerned that there appears to be no resources or strategy to show how it would be monitored or enforced."

YWCA is further concerned that young people are not being considered as equal members of society and will not receive the same protection from age discrimination as older people.

The bill will make it illegal to deny people access to goods, facilities and services on the basis of age - unless they are under 18. But we know that young women face discrimination on a daily basis.

They receive lower rates of national minimum wage and mothers receive lower rates of benefits. Girls tell us of times they have been refused entry to public services because of their age. Young mums have told us about being refused access onto buses. And young women aged 16-18 have given examples of falling between the gaps in adult and children's mental health and social care services and receiving unequal access.  

YWCA urges the Government to use to the Equality Bill to stamp out all forms of unfair discrimination and to make sure young women are no longer treated as less equal members of society.

Young woman shows BBC news what life is like on benefits

A young woman from YWCA West Kent has told her story about surviving on £50.95 a week, the minimum Job Seekers Allowance, on BBC News.

Suada Hamidi, 19, has been unemployed for four months and lives alone. She has to manage all her bills, pay her rent arrears and pay for travel to the job centre and for job interviews. For all these costs, she is given just over £50 a week Job Seeker's Allowance. What little money is left goes towards her food.

Using a handicam provided by BBC, Suada recorded a week video journal about her search for a job and her budgeting. The piece shows her carefully planning her week's spending and shockingly after paying for her bills and travel, she has just over £5 for a week's worth of food.

The video also shows her going for a job interview which offers her £4.77, the minimum wage for under 21s, and only 30 hours work a month. Taking the job means she would lose her council tax benefits and some, if not all, of her housing benefits, potentially leaving her out of pocket. After requesting time to think over the job offer, she phones the manager back to find out he's given the job to someone else. 

Suada said: "I decided to make the video diary to let young people know that they're not by themselves, just to let them know that there is help out there. I know there is no money and no jobs, but there are people here to help you."

Suada currently comes to YWCA West Kent Women's Centre where she gets advice and support on job searching, as well as internet access, information on local training opportunities and a range of courses including the Entry to Employment programme.

YWCA believes that young women have the right to employment and training that meets their needs. Many young women like Suada may have fallen through the gaps in the training and education system and find themselves without qualifications for their chosen job or forced into low paid work which leaves them out of pocket. We offer them basic skills courses and learning for work, for example, preparing CVs. Our Entry to Employment (E2E) course offers young women the chance to get skilled and ready for work from a very basic level of skills and low confidence.

You can see the film here.

Sarah Payne, the Chief Executive of YWCA, is to chair the new Reducing Re-offending Third Sector Advisory Group at the Ministry of Justice.

Before joining YWCA Sarah was previously the Regional Offender Manager for the South East in the National Offender Management Service. In this position she was responsible for commissioning prison and probation services in 27 prisons and 5 probation areas. She therefore brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in relation to reducing re-offending.

"I am honoured to be selected as Chair of this working group. Although relatively new to the Third Sector, I have always worked with charities in my previous roles" she said. "This group will provide advice to Ministers and senior officials on reducing re-offending and will be an important part of the Government's focus on developing strategies to keep people out of prison."

Tina Jenkins, Head of the Third Sector team within the Ministry's Partnership Strategy Unit, commented: "We had a number of strong applicants from across the Third Sector on the group, and the selection panel had to make some very difficult decisions on appointments. The individuals selected as members, and Sarah in her role as Chair, will help make the group an effective and influential Third Sector voice on reducing re-offending and the role of a diverse third sector."

Fundraising event for Black and Minority Ethnic women

Girls and women from YWCA Doncaster's programme for Black and Minority Ethnic women will get together for dance, food, beauty treatments and the screening of a Bollywood film to raise money for the centre.

The women will pay a £1 entrance fee and a further 50p for drinks and refreshments. They will also get the opportunity to have hand painting, threading and other beauty therapies before and after the screening of the film.

The money raised will go towards YWCA's programme for Black and Minority Ethnic women, which includes counselling, the Saheli group for young women and the Voice group, which encourages women to influence in the community, and accessible education in ESOL English, money management, health and computing.

Ninda Randhawa, YWCA Black and Minority Ethnic women programme manager said: "The women accessing our programme have moved miles forward through education, confidence-building and interaction with others at the centre.

"It's fantastic that they want to give back and help us maintain the  services and provide women from diverse communities the opportunities to develop communication skills, personal development, confidence and self esteem which support them to overcome barriers of language, discrimination or isolation and fulfill their potential."

Young women mark ten years of National Minimum Wage

Four young women from YWCA centres had the opportunity to voice their opinions to influential decision makers at two events in Parliament last week.

The introduction of the national minimum wage in 1999 had a profound impact on female workers. It brought the basic wages of those in industries traditionally associated with women, such as retail, hospitality and hairdressing, in line with other industries.

YWCA teamed up with UNISON and the British Youth Council to celebrate the tenth birthday of the national minimum wage and discuss how it can be made more effective.

Kayleigh Devlin and Belinda Moreton from YWCA Northampton (pictured left with Sally Keeble MP) and Sheri Dobbs from YWCA Cwmafan attended the reception and mingled with MPs such as Harriet Harman, Judy Mallaber and Hywel Francis. The young women also enjoyed a short tour of Parliament.

During her speech, Sheri explained how she supported the minimum wage but that it still needed to improve. She spoke about her experiences of working on the much lower level of the youth rate of minimum wage which YWCA believes is discriminatory and unfair.

Sheri was involved in YWCA’s More than one rung campaign and told the audience how she thought apprentices should be paid the equivalent of the minimum wage. Helen Berresford, YWCA’s Parliamentary officer, said: “There were many nods of agreement in the room as she spoke!”

At the same time, Charlotte Lowe of YWCA Cwmafan was speaking at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Children in Wales. Charlotte spoke to a group of Welsh MPs about the different types of discrimination that young women faced.

The meeting was discussing the forthcoming Equality Bill which will exclude young people under 18 from one of the definitions of age discrimination. YWCA believes this is unfair as we know that young women face multiple forms of discrimination.

Charlotte’s direct evidence will form part of our lobbying activity around the Equality Bill and shows once again that our campaigning is built on the real experiences of young women.

Young women speak at 'Right on the money' conference

Young women from YWCA Women's Centre in Tonbridge visited Westminster yesterday to talk about money matters affecting young people at the Right on the Money: helping young people achieve economic wellbeing conference.

Lucy Vermussche, 19, and Kaylie Coombs, 21, sat on a youth panel with their peers discussing how to get better informed about money management and avoiding huge debts.

The conference, sponsored by Barclays, was attended by influential figures in the financial and public sectors including Tom Wylie, chair of FSA young adults policy advisory group, Linda Jack, youth policy advisor of FSA Financial Capability Division and Viv McKee, Director of Policy and Research at The National Youth Agency.

Lucy said: "We wanted to talk about this with people our age and find out about they manage with money and debt. I've had to learn how to handle my money the hard way so I want others to realise how important it is to have a budget and avoid temptations like store cards."

Kayley said: "I never had the opportunity to learn money skills and I have made a few mistakes. I think that schools should do more to teach money management, to stop young people getting into debt like I have. It shouldn't just be about maths - it should be more about life outside school, part of PSHE and life skills- to prepare us for when we leave school."

Von Dawson, Project Manager at YWCA West Kent said: "This was a great opportunity for them to meet a wide, influential audience discussing how money matters to young people.

"Money management is a huge priority for us at YWCA; particularly right now when money is tight and young people are more vulnerable to supposed 'quick fixes' like loan sharks and store card offers.

"The young women feel so strongly about this that they recently made a DVD advising others on the dangers of falling into debt."

YWCA's criticises risky implications of job ads

Young women at YWCA St Helens win funding bid

Young women from YWCA St Helen's Women's Centre have secured over £3,600 from the Youth Opportunity Fund to help teenage girls and women in the area.

The total amount of £3,666.86 will provide YWCA St Helen's centre with three new computers for use at the centre, a chill out zone seating area, redecorating the toilet area and a selection of reading and learning materials.

The young women asked other girls for ideas of what they wanted at the centre, developed the application and pitched their idea to a panel of young people representing the Youth Opportunity Fund. Their idea is aimed to encourage more young women to get involved with the centre which offers support and youth-orientated activities for teenage girls and women, including girls at risk of exclusion at school.

Lauren, 16, was involved in the successful bid: "We're ecstatic that we won this money for the centre- it feels like an amazing achievement. This has been our project from the beginning so we're really proud. We can't wait to get started on it and encourage other girls to come here and find a place where they feel comfortable."

Cath Rusk, YWCA Support Worker, said: "The young women have been fantastic. It has been a totally new experience for them and while anyone would find it daunting to pitch a funding request to a panel, they delivered it excellently. We're really proud of their achievement and look forward to making the centre a more accessible and supportive space for young women."

YWCA has commented on how the government can help apprentices who have lost their jobs due to the recession in the latest issue of Children and Young People Now magazine.

YWCA said: "Employers must take a long-term approach and retain apprentices. They must pay them at least the minimum wage - the majority of the lowest-paid apprentices are young women and some receive less than this."

For more information read our policy statements and information sheets on apprenticeships.

Girls should have more to do than get drunk, says chief exec

There has been an increase in the number of teenage conceptions

There has been an increase in the number of teenage conceptions in the last year but we feel that this is just a blip in the overall downward trend. We don't feel that there should be any concern that teen pregnancies are on the increase again.

YWCA is pleased that both the Government and members of the public have recognised that that sex education is an important part of the solution. But it is not the complete answer. More will need to be done if we are to see in the number of teenage pregnancies fall further and faster.

It needs to be better recognised and understood that young women who see little hope for their future are most likely to view early motherhood as a positive change to their lives. For young women with low self-esteem, tough lives, low incomes, low educational achievement and low aspirations, motherhood can provide a more prestigious and fulfilling status than the one they currently occupy.

YWCA thinks that as a society, we need to break the cycle of young women's low self-worth, constrained ambitions and trammeled opportunities which combine to blight their futures. The young women we work with face multiple barriers to getting on in life, whether it's in education and at work or in their homes and communities. They often feel that their future holds very little for them to look forward to. Because we believe that every young woman, regardless of her background, has the right to fulfill her potential, YWCA offers intensive support to those young women from disadvantaged backgrounds who need us the most.

We give them a safe place to build their confidence, look at their own skills and build a positive outlook for the future. We help them overcome barriers to education, work and training and help them find a future they can look forward to. In our experience, once a young woman can see positive outcomes in her life, through work and skills, a secure income and community participation, she is less likely to view early motherhood as the only option open to her.

Some of the most vulnerable young women are still getting left behind in the education system. We need to act now as education is changing dramatically. If we do not support those young women who become disengaged from their education we will see no change to the country's teenage pregnancy statistics. By making sure that all young women have access to proper education and support we start to help them move away from the trends that hold them back.

For more information see our resources on young mums and teenage pregnancy.

Fun and games to mark women's achievements

YWCA's Wolverhampton centres held two events to mark International Women's Day 2009 supported by Wolverhampton City Council.

On Tuesday 10th March YWCA Wolverhampton at Bilston asked women to bring along another woman to join them in an evening of celebrations. Team games and vase painting was enjoyed by all.

YWCA's Warstones centre marked the occassion with a day of creative activities and a discussion about inspirational women on Wednesday 11th March. The centre offered games for girls aged 11 to 13 in the evening.

Rachel Symons, YWCA Service Manager said, "This is a chance for young women to socialise, get creative and celebrate International Women's Day, a time where all their achievements, however big or small, should be noted and praised."

A response from YWCA

YWCA warmly welcomes today's launch of the consultation paper 'Together we can end violence against women and girls'.

We are particularly pleased to see the recognition that girls need support and preventative action, for example education and public awareness, to ensure they know that violence against women is wrong.

YWCA will be consulting with young women and running a focus group for the consultation to make sure young women are at the forefront of the strategy.

Sarah Payne, YWCA's Chief Executive said: "It is vital that young women are at the heart of this strategy. By changing their expectations of relationships and enabling them to recognise their own self-worth we can change the outlook for many more women in the future."

YWCA also welcomes the acknowledgment of the role of the voluntary sector.

YWCA provides a safe, women-only space where young women can come for support to overcome the violence and abuse they face.

As Ms Payne added, "We run a range of activities with young women that critically analyse the media and encourage young women to question the sexualized images of young women they are presented with. Young women often tell us that the images they see in the media make them feel bad about themselves. We must do more to build up girls' self esteem and confidence so they know they must never accept violence in a relationship."

Rosie, 16, from Wolverhampton YWCA told us, "The images of girls in the media can make you feel really depressed about yourself because you want to look like that. The really sexual images put pressure on girls to be more like that. It sends out a message to blokes that all girls are like that. This can lead to girls getting into relationships and situations they're not ready to handle."

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on violence and abuse against young women.

Boredom leads girls to binge drinking

Eighty per cent of the public, in a recent YouGov and YWCA survey, agreed that girls binge drinking is a problem in England and Wales. However, according to the survey people don't just want criticism and punishment for young women - they want to see girls offered ways to change their behaviour.

Boredom, peer pressure and lack of parental guidance are perceived to be the main reasons for young girls aged between 13 and 18 to binge drink according to the survey. Sixty three per cent of those who responded felt that boredom is a key issue around drinking in young women.

To help tackle binge drinking YWCA England & Wales, therefore, calls on parents and the Government to urgently look at how young people spend their days and evenings and to provide alternatives to binge drinking. About two thirds (65%) of those interviewed suggest that young women should be given alternatives, such as youth clubs and cafes, to reduce binge drinking.

"I think most of us accept that the teenage years are a time for experimentation. Which means it is not unusual for young people to try out alcoholic drinks. There has been plenty of talk about punishing young people but more and more the public are recognising that it is education, and support that is needed, not criminalisation." says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive of YWCA.

"Although many people drink because they enjoy it, we believe that young women especially drink because of low self-esteem, low self-confidence and nothing to do. Young women who feel bad about themselves drink to boost their confidence, to make them fit in socially, to block out traumatic things from their past and to forget worries about their future. In our day to day work we constantly see how improving self esteem and offering them alternative activities can dramatically change the lives of young women for the better. We help them develop their skills, socialise, gain work and qualifications. In this way we tackle the root causes of alcohol problems."

YouGov and YWCA's poll also revealed that the public don't want to criminalise young women. When asked what should be done about young girls drinking in public places, such as on the streets or in parks , only one per cent of those surveyed agreed that the police should move young girls on without offering support that would help them. A fifth (20%) suggested that more education and activities on the issue were necessary and nearly a fifth (18%) suggested that parents should be prosecuted if their child were caught drinking.

"We must not assume that all young people have safe and supportive homes to go to. For those who do not, and unfortunately there are quite a few, parental education on alcohol will be limited. Hanging out and getting drunk may even be preferable or even safer to going home" says Sarah. "Society needs to find ways to reach out and help these young people. If we don't we will be failing them and our future generations."

YWCA believes that the following steps will help reduce this problem:

• Safe, interesting and secure places to go and things to do, especially in the evenings and at weekends;

• High quality education as part of PHSE (Personal Health and Social Education). This should help young people to understand that alcohol can be addictive and alcohol misuse can damage their health and in the case of pregnant women their unborn babies. Discussions should also look at how alcohol abuse can have an impact on friends and family;

• Education should help young women gain an understanding that heavy consumption can often lead them into unsafe situations like dangerous driving, walking home alone at night, unsafe sex, the possibility of unplanned pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted infection;

• Education should extend to settings outside the classroom and be available for young people not in mainstream education;

• Local authorities need to make commitments in their Children and Young People's Plans to provide constructive out of hours activities for young women.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2015 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 10- 12 February 2009. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on young women and alcohol.

Mayor and Mayoress of Northampton to join in celebrations

Young women at YWCA Northampton Women's Centre are celebrating International Women's Day by holding an Open Day on Thursday 5^th March where they will exhibit the programmes they access and give presentations on YWCA's parenting programme for young mums.

The young women, who are mostly young mums accessing the centre's education programmes or young-mums-to-be-courses, have arranged an ongoing PowerPoint presentation showing their activities at the centre. Youth workers will give presentations at 12pm, 1pm and 2pm on their important work with young women in the area including education programmes and outreach work in schools on sexual health.

The Mayor of Northampton, Councillor Brian Markham and The Mayoress will attend the event, along with professionals from neighbouring youth organisations, Connexions and local midwives. The event is also open to the general public.

Milly Barry, 16, is one the young mums who accesses YWCA's services. She says: "I started coming to YWCA when I was five months pregnant and had no confidence about myself of being a mother. Now my son is 13 weeks old and my confidence is so much higher."

Kathryn White, YWCA's Centre Manager says: "We wanted this day to be for the young women to show how others how much of a difference it has made for them to access a safe space where they can meet other women, increase their education and confidence and get vital support. As its International Women's Day on 8^th March we all want to send out a message to other women to celebrate their accomplishments, whether it's raising a child or completing a maths course, and feel ready to tackle future challenges."

YWCA produce supplement for The Telegraph

To celebrate International Women's Day, YWCA agreed to write a piece for a specially-commissioned Sunday Telegraph supplement.

The piece, called 'Bridging the Gap', is the first feature in the supplement and in it we pay tribute to the thousands of young women who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to get a place on the career ladder. They may not get the plaudits that women executives who make it to the board room receive, but to us their achievement is no less remarkable considering the obstacles they have overcome.

Click here to take a look.

Dancing, henna and quizzes to celebrate women's achievements

YWCA Cwmafan celebrated International Women’s Day on Saturday 7^th March with an action packed open day.

The event was funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and Big Lottery Fund was run in partnership with MENCAP Cymru, Girl guides, CWYVS. The day’s activities included presentations, an Indian dancing workshop, participation games, a quiz on prominent women in politics and history and an open dance session. Representatives from other organisations were on hand all day to provide mehndi, Indian hand painting and crafts.

Young women from YWCA’s participation programme gave a presentation on their recent participation work including trips to parliament to speak to MPs and campaigning for better opportunities for young women from socially deprived backgrounds.  Speeches were made by the chief executive of the Council for Wales of Voluntary Youth Services (CWYVS) Veronica Wilson and two representatives from MENCAP.

Helen Williams, YWCA Programme Manager, said: “International Women’s Day was the perfect opportunity for women in our area to get together, enjoy themselves and also be reminded that there is no limit to the possibilities of what women can achieve. We’re particularly proud of the young women involved in our participation programme, which is so important in giving young women the chance to voice their opinions about what’s going on around them.”

Latest Yougov survey reveals attitudes towards binge drinking

Binge-drinking is seen by Northern England as a bigger problem than in any other part of the country, according to the latest YouGov survey.

Over 41% of people surveyed in Northern England, felt that young women’s binge-drinking was a problem in their area, which is more than London where 30% of people were concerned about it and 32% in the rest of the South, in the survey commissioned by YWCA England and Wales.

A gender gap in peoples’ perceptions was noticeable with 53% of those interviewed in the North surveyed saying girls are more likely to binge-drink with a lesser 34% opting for boys.

Northerners opted for tougher sanctions than other regions to combat binge-drinking with 67% of people calling for more police powers splitting up groups of young people drinking, compared with 53% in London and 57% in Midlands and Wales. 76% of people in the North placed greater responsibility on the parents for their children’s drinking while 65% of people in Midlands and Wales did alike.

Mandy Willis, YWCA’s Regional Development Manager of YWCA’s centre in Doncaster said: “This survey shows that binge-drinking is a real concern in this area. There tends to be a difference between perception and reality when it comes to young women’s alcohol consumption; it isn’t always about girls running amok binge-drinking. The sad truth is that many young women don’t have a safe and supportive home to go to or seek comfort from low self-esteem or stress through alcohol. Parental education about alcohol could be limited for these young women and alcohol is often a means of boosting self-confidence and forgetting their lives for a while.

This is why we need to work, through schools and alternate education, with young people to address why they might need alcohol to feel better, explore real life dilemmas they might face around alcohol consumption and get youth activities thriving in the community.”

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on young women and alcohol.

Public think girls' binge drinking is a big problem

Eighty per cent of the public, in a recent YouGov and YWCA survey, agreed that girls' binge drinking is a problem in England and Wales. However, according to the survey people don't just want criticism and punishment for young women - they want to see girls offered ways to change their behaviour.

Boredom, peer pressure and lack of parental guidance are perceived to be the main reasons for young girls aged between 13 and 18 to binge drink according to the survey. Sixty three per cent of those who responded felt that boredom is a key issue around drinking in young women.

To help tackle binge drinking YWCA England & Wales, therefore, calls on parents and the Government to urgently look at how young people spend their days and evenings and to provide alternatives to binge drinking. About two thirds (65%) of those interviewed suggest that young women should be given alternatives, such as youth clubs and cafes, to reduce binge drinking.

"I think most of us accept that the teenage years are a time for experimentation. Which means it is not unusual for young people to try out alcoholic drinks. There has been plenty of talk about punishing young people but more and more the public are recognising that it is education, and support that is needed, not criminalisation." says Sarah Payne, Chief Executive of YWCA.

"Although many people drink because they enjoy it, we believe that the one of the issues around binge drinking, by young women especially, is linked to them having low self esteem, low self-confidence and nothing to do. Young women who feel bad about themselves drink to boost their confidence, to make them fit in socially, to block out traumatic things from their past and to forget worries about their future.

"In our day to day work we constantly see how improving self esteem and offering them alternative activities can dramatically change the lives of young women for the better. We help them develop their skills, socialise, gain work and qualifications. In this way we tackle the root causes of alcohol problems."

YouGov and YWCA's poll also revealed that the public don't want to criminalise young women. When asked what should be done about young girls drinking in public places, such as on the streets or in parks , only one per cent of those surveyed agreed that the police should move young girls on without offering support that would help them. A fifth (20%) suggested that more education and activities on the issue were necessary and nearly a fifth (18%) suggested that parents should be prosecuted if their child were caught drinking.

"We must not assume that all young people have safe and supportive homes to go to. For those who do not, and unfortunately there are quite a few, parental education on alcohol will be limited. Hanging out and getting drunk may even be preferable or even safer to going home" says Sarah. "Society needs to find ways to reach out and help these young people. If we don't we will be failing them and our future generations."

YWCA believes that the following steps will help reduce this problem:-

• Safe,interesting and secure places to go and things to do, especially in the evenings and at weekends;
• High quality alcohol education as part of PHSE (Personal Health and Social Education). This should help young people to understand that alcohol can be addictive and alcohol misuse can damage their health and in the case of pregnant women their unborn babies. Discussions should also look at how alcohol abuse can have an impact on friends and family;
• Education should help young women gain an understanding that heavy consumption can often lead them into unsafe situations like dangerous driving, walking home alone at night, unsafe sex, the possibility of unplanned pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted infection;
• Education should extend to settings outside the classroom and be available for young people not in mainstream education;
• Local authorities need to make commitments in their Children and Young People's Plans to provide constructive out of hours activities for young women.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.Total sample size was 2015 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 10th - 12th February 2009.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on young women and alcohol.

Survey of young women shows disturbing evidence

Disturbing evidence of young women being deprived of money by controlling partners has come to light in a recent survey on money and debt carried out by YWCA England & Wales. The charity fears this could accelerate if the economic crisis deepens.

YWCA wanted to find out how the current crisis was affecting girls and young women emotionally and practically. They was surprised to discover that one third of young women surveyed admitted that their partners had deployed methods such as forcing young women to hand over cash or credit cards, taking benefits or forcing them to sign financial contracts in their name.

Interestingly, despite these admissions, many young women did not want to acknowledge that this was financial abuse, a recognised form of domestic violence, in which someone deprives a partner of enough money to meet basic needs through manipulation and control.

Gabriella was with her partner for nine months and now recognises those patterns:

"My boyfriend constantly asked me for money, which he spent on booze, and I'd have no money for myself. When I told him I didn't have any money left he called me a liar and checked my bank statements. He insulted me until my self-esteem was at rock bottom. I got help from my local YWCA and have built up my confidence since then but I think loads more women out there should be aware that this kind of behaviour counts as abuse and is unacceptable."

YWCA is already running programmes to help young women understand more about money management. It is working closely with charity Refuge, which this week published its own report on financial abuse, to raise awareness about it. It is concerned that, like many forms of abuse, it is largely misunderstood and hidden.

YWCA wants: tackling financial abuse to become part of the National Action Plan on domestic violence; improved financial assistance to women experiencing domestic violence and economic abuse; improved data collection to better reflect the crime itself, by both the police and through the British Crime Survey plus investment in further research; young women and men to receive education on financial abuse as part of their PSHE education on both money and relationships; and professionals such as youth workers, social workers, teachers and doctors to receive training and information so they can identify and support young women at risk of, and experiencing, financial abuse.

YWCA's director of policy said: "What's particularly concerning is that most young women in this kind of situation don't even realise they are being abused. Financial abuse doesn't necessarily involve violence; it is a damaging form of manipulation and control. Our worry is that when a partner feels weakened or diminished at times when money is tight, it could only lead to an escalation of the problem."

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on financial abuse, money and debt.

We want higher national minimum wage and an end to age bands

Following the success of More than one rung, YWCA continues to campaign on behalf of young women to increase the national minimum wage.

We are part of a group whose goals are: to increase the national minimum wage; extend it to cover apprentices; scrap the age bands that discriminate against young workers and make sure workers know about it and employers pay it.

For more information, see the national minimum wage website.

MP speaks of concerns about young people being moved on

Our concerns about young women being moved on by police but not always to an established place of safety were raised in the committee debate on Policing and Crime Bill by James Brokenshire MP, Conservative Shadow Home Affairs Minister.

He said:
"On the question of 10-year-olds, if there is a risk to their safety-section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 specifically contemplates a risk of crime or disorder-do we think that it is acceptable simply to move the child on and displace them in those circumstances?

"It is important that we hear from the Minister how the power is intended to relate to other police powers as well as to social services and everything that goes with them. Certain agencies have picked up on the issue. YWCA said in its briefing notes to the Committee that it
"has serious concerns about reports from some young women that they have been 'moved on' by the police under existing legislation, but not always to an established place of safety. This has meant in some circumstances that young women have been put at risk by being moved to unsafe places like unlit parks or by having to find their own way home. This can put young women into extremely vulnerable positions.

"We believe that an approach of providing a package of support for young people is the best way to ensure that they do not get locked into a cycle of offending. Any 'Direction to Leave' to young people that does enter legislation must include a requirement for young people to be taken to an agreed place of safety."

Youth and motherhood should not be a reason for discrimination

Teenage pregnancy is a complex issue and one we should approach carefully. Screaming headlines do not help. YWCA does not believe that youth and motherhood should be a reason for discrimination. Although overall rates of teenage pregnancy have gone down over the past decade young mothers tell us they still face prejudice on a daily basis. Young parents need support not condemnation.

YWCA believes that becoming a young mum should not automatically be seen as a problem. Young women, who go ahead with their pregnancy, have told us about their determination to be good mothers and offer the best lives for their children.

YWCA’s experience of working with young women underlines established research that those who see little hope for their future are most likely to view early motherhood as a positive change to their lives. For young women with low self worth, tough lives, low incomes and low educational achievement, motherhood can be a more prestigious status than the one they currently occupy.

Local authorities should focus more on making sure all young mothers can access flexible tailored education and support. They should focus on addressing the low educational achievements, low expectations and low self esteem, of disadvantaged young women, as well as improving sex and relationships education so it deals with more than just biology, for example relationships.

YWCA calls on the Government, politicians, the media and opinion formers to examine their attitudes to young parents. We ask them to act responsibly regarding the images they project and the language they use. We do not feel that the recent media frenzy has either help the young parents currently in the spotlight, nor other young people in similar situations, to come to terms with the huge challenge they now have.

We hope that these young parents and the hundreds of others around the country get the support, respect and guidance for their future they need.

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on teenage pregnancy and young mums.

Young women from YWCA Plymouth make drink spiking adverts

Young women from YWCA centres in Plymouth, Bristol and West Kent have been behind the scenes in making an advert to highlight drink-spiking with ITV Fixers.

Francesca Fraser, a young mum who attends YWCA West Kent, said: "We feel strongly that drink-spiking is a bigger problem than people realise and needs to be tackled. So many young women I meet at YWCA and around Tonbridge have experienced it or know somebody who has but people don't often report it to the police. Of course people should still have fun and party at Christmas but they need to keep an eye on their drink and need to know what to do if it happens to them or someone they know."

Research from the Roofie Foundation (www.roofie.com) shows that drink-spiking has increased by 160% since the smoking ban was introduced. While drinks are often spiked with drugs such as Rohypnol, most cases of spiked drinks involve the addition of alcohol.

Young women meet with Low Pay commissioners

"We want to work" is just one of the messages given to senior commissioners when young women from YWCA visited the Low Pay Commission on Tuesday 11 December.

Joined by YWCA chief executive Sarah Payne and director of policy and participation Sally Copley, young women from centres in London West, Truro, Wolverhampton and West Kent shared their personal experiences of just how difficult life can be for low paid workers and challenged common stereotypes about young people’s attitudes to work.

Commissioners Frances O’Grady and Susan Anderson heard about young mums desperate to get back in to the workplace but finding obstacles in their way, a lack of apprenticeships for young people and even exploitation of apprentices forced to work without pay to gain experience. Hope, from West Kent told how she has to work four days a week as an unpaid apprentice in a barber shop as part of her college course. Despite this, the college is unwilling to pay education maintenance allowance (EMA) as she only spends one day a week in class.

Stacey, a young mum from London West who has a wealth of work experience, spoke of how she is prepared to take any role just to get back to the workplace but is finding obstacles at the job centre. A lack of suitable work or training opportunities and staff who do not listen to her needs were just some of the problems she has encountered.

The young women spoke about how the national minimum wage affects young people. They maintain that bread and butter costs no less for young people so they should not be paid any less. The stories the young women told challenged common assumptions that young people have financial support from parents and that they lack skills.

Following the meeting, the commissioners reported to Sarah that the group was the best they had met so far. Throughout the meeting they seemed to be shocked by the stories they were hearing and were eager to learn more.

As one of the young women attending the meeting, (I am a former Truro volunteer), I can report on behalf of the group that the meeting was a great success.

We all felt that the commissioners listened to what we had to say and enjoyed the opportunity to tell people with real influence exactly what life is like for those living on a low income and the changes which would help us.

We asked for simple and achievable things such as more apprenticeship opportunities, better pay and more support to get back in to work.

We hope that the Low Pay Commission’s report can help make these changes which would make a huge difference for young women like ourselves who want a better future and the chance to escape poverty while doing something we enjoy.

Everybody left feeling inspired to do more, with Jude from Wolverhampton declaring, “Next up is Gordon Brown!”

Girls meet Low Pay commissioners

Young women from YWCA England & Wales, the charity working with England and Wales' most disadvantaged young women, are meeting today with some of the Low Pay Commission's (LPC) most senior figures to discuss the minimum wage and support for young women as part of YWCA's More than One Rung campaign.

Five young women from YWCA centres around the country, YWCA's Chief Executive Sarah Payne and Director of Policy will meet Commissioners Frances O'Grady and Susan Anderson.

The charity is calling for apprentices' pay to be equivalent to the national minimum wage and to be enforced in the same way as the national minimum wage.

YWCA's Chief Executive Sarah Payne said: "Young women dominate the lowest paid apprenticeships such as hairdressing and early years child care and they often aren't being paid enough to see the course through. They really have to be dedicated to finish their apprenticeships and for some the challenges are just too great."

"The pay they receive during an apprenticeship is just too low. Young women can be working but still not have enough money to live on." Sarah continued. "Apprentice pay and the National Minimum Wage youth rate is based on assumptions that are not true. For example, not all young women have support from their families. And just because you are young does not mean that your bills for living are less. Rent, utilities, food and clothing cost the same whether you are 18 or 45."

YWCA welcomes the opportunity to make the Commissioners aware of the challenges that young women face when they are desperately trying to improve their lives.

YWCA welcomes the Equality Bill

YWCA welcomes the Equality Bill and the opportunity to strengthen and streamline existing legislation in this area. We are especially pleased with the focus on reducing the gender pay gap.

However, we are concerned that young women under the age of 18 may not be covered by the changes and may continue to be affected by age discrimination. We would like to see the Bill outlaw lower rates of national minimum wage for young people and lower levels of benefits for young mothers.

Apprenticeships and the new 14-19 agenda, including diplomas, as part of the Children, Skills and Learners Bill provide an exciting opportunity for young women to learn new skills and find work that's right for them. We want them to have high-quality careers advice that gives them the support and inspiration to make non-stereotypical choices and challenge the gender stereotypes and barriers to work that hold them back.

YWCA supports the Welfare Reform Bill's objective to provide help to people to make the most of their chances of being in sustainable employment. We believe that increased skills and the right kind of support can offer a route into work and out of poverty for disadvantaged young women and their children.

However, we remain concerned that sanctions may be imposed on young women without them having been given the right kind of support in the first place. Tailored support to help build self-esteem and confidence and good quality guidance is as essential as new skills to make sure that young women are not simply pushed into low-paid jobs with no chance of progression.

The Government made a promise to end child poverty by 2020. Imposing sanctions on disadvantaged young women who are unable to take a job is not the way to meet this promise.

YWCA welcomes the Chancellor's commitment in today's pre-budget report to give early increases in child benefit and child tax credit and to reduce VAT. This will help the disadvantaged young women we work with, who are struggling with insufficient funds to take care of themselves and their children.

The Government must take this opportunity to ensure that people on low incomes struggling in the current economic turmoil are not preyed upon by loan sharks and irresponsible lenders. It should determine that banks take a lead in lending responsibly and should use this opportunity to promote safe forms of saving and lending, such as credit unions.'

YWCA is a member of the End Child Poverty coalition and will continue to pressure the Government to keep its promise of ending child poverty by 2020.

Survey of young women shows disturbing evidence

Disturbing evidence of young women being deprived of money by controlling partners has come to light in a recent survey on money and debt carried out by YWCA England & Wales. The charity fears this could accelerate if the economic crisis deepens.

YWCA wanted to find out how the current crisis was affecting girls and young women emotionally and practically. They was surprised to discover that one third of young women surveyed admitted that their partners had deployed methods such as forcing young women to hand over cash or credit cards, taking benefits or forcing them to sign financial contracts in their name.

Interestingly, despite these admissions, many young women did not want to acknowledge that this was financial abuse, a recognised form of domestic violence, in which someone deprives a partner of enough money to meet basic needs through manipulation and control.

Gabriella was with her partner for nine months and now recognises those patterns:

"My boyfriend constantly asked me for money, which he spent on booze, and I'd have no money for myself. When I told him I didn't have any money left he called me a liar and checked my bank statements. He insulted me until my self-esteem was at rock bottom. I got help from my local YWCA and have built up my confidence since then but I think loads more women out there should be aware that this kind of behaviour counts as abuse and is unacceptable."

YWCA is already running programmes to help young women understand more about money management. It is working closely with charity Refuge, which this week published its own report on financial abuse, to raise awareness about it. It is concerned that, like many forms of abuse, it is largely misunderstood and hidden.

YWCA wants: tackling financial abuse to become part of the National Action Plan on domestic violence; improved financial assistance to women experiencing domestic violence and economic abuse; improved data collection to better reflect the crime itself, by both the police and through the British Crime Survey plus investment in further research; young women and men to receive education on financial abuse as part of their PSHE education on both money and relationships; and professionals such as youth workers, social workers, teachers and doctors to receive training and information so they can identify and support young women at risk of, and experiencing, financial abuse.

Sally Copley, YWCA's director of policy said: "What's particularly concerning is that most young women in this kind of situation don't even realise they are being abused. Financial abuse doesn't necessarily involve violence; it is a damaging form of manipulation and control. Our worry is that when a partner feels weakened or diminished at times when money is tight, it could only lead to an escalation of the problem."

Big Lottery funding gives 1000s of girls a voice

YWCA's ambition to see thousands of disenfranchised young women given a platform to speak out and have an influence on the local and national stage has been given a major boost with a £2 million grant from the Big Lottery Fund's National Young People's Fund; the charity's biggest ever single donation.

YWCA is strongly committed to its participation programme which has already seen hundreds of young women engaged in shaping the work of the charity as well as become politically engaged on issues that matter to them. Activities so far this year include young women helping with the recruitment of the chief executive, speaking at Westminster, and campaigning in their local communities.

The Big Lottery Fund grant will enable YWCA to considerably increase its capacity in developing this vital work. Over the next three years, the charity plans to have given nearly 2,500 of the most hardest to reach young women the opportunity and the skills to shape the work of YWCA, as well as become involved in local and national campaigning. It also plans to develop a network of peer mentors to help recruit other young women to get involved.

Amanda Warhaftig YWCA's director of fundraising says: "Young women don't engage because of the persistently low expectations society has of them. They are being held back from expressing their opinions and believing in themselves as agents for change. We refuse to accept this, and our work so far in helping young women to genuinely affect change at all levels has been hugely successful. We are thrilled that the Big Lottery Fund shares our vision."

One young woman who spoke this year to MPs at Westminster as part of YWCA's More than one rung campaign about jobs and skills summed up the value of the programme, saying: "I want to tell others how great the experience was. How I had the chance to ask my question, and was actually listened to. I've learnt that there is a voice out there for young women, and I would never have believed this before."

YWCA welcomes new chief executive and chair of trustees

From today YWCA has a new chief executive: Sarah Payne.

Sarah has spent her career working with disadvantaged people and has had a range of senior roles in the civil service. Her most recent post was as regional commissioner for the National Offender Management Service in the south east of England.

She replaces Shan Nicholas, who has held the post in an interim capacity for the last year.

Sarah said she was "absolutely delighted" to be joining the organisation: "This is an exciting time for YWCA as it embarks on an ambitious plan to significantly grow its work with disadvantaged young women. With a recession looming, the number of vulnerable young women in need of real support is only going to increase, and we are in a strong position to meet that challenge."

YWCA can also announce that Helen Wollaston will replace Christine Freshwater as the new chair of the board of trustees. Christine has decided to step down after 11 years on the board. Helen has vast experience in working at the forefront of equality issues after seven years as the Equal Opportunities Commission's Director of Campaigns. She currently runs her own consultancy promoting equality and diversity, and has been a member of YWCA's board for the last four years.

A positive step for all children and young people

YWCA England & Wales welcomes the announcement of compulsory personal health and social education (PHSE) in schools. Making PHSE, and within it sex and relationships education (SRE), compulsory is a positive step in ensuring young people are better informed when making choices about their lives.

Those who have questioned the starting age of five should bear in mind that this programme is about informing children and young people about safe and healthy relationships and reducing ignorance around sex. Programmes will be age appropriate and are designed with parents to give children high quality education. This allows them to make informed choices later in their lives that are right for them.

The young women we work with at YWCA, including hundreds of teenage mums, tell us that their sex and relationships education was too little, too late and too biological. They feel so strongly about the importance of good quality SRE they regularly take their messages out on the streets and in classrooms, urging their peers to get informed about their sexual health and personal relationships. The Government should be congratulated for listening to the voices of young people seeking guidance in today's complicated world.

Young women try out non-traditional jobs at skills day

Young women from Dagenham donned their hard hats and grabbed their wrenches for a Skills Day at Building Craft's College London on 3^rd July.

The event was organised by SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering (BSE) and as part of YWCA's More than One Rung campaign to give young women from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to work their way off the bottom of the career ladder.

Michaela Yeaman, Kelly Forward and Sherelle Samuel-Bissick from YWCA Dagenham, got stuck into gritty jobs like fixing pipes, carpentering and wiring plugs at the event which was supported by British Gas, WISE and Bovis Lend Lease. Lesley Longstone, Director General for Young People at the Government's Department of Children, Schools and Families attended the event and joined in with the practical work.

Sherelle, 16, said: "It's brilliant, this day has totally changed my mind. Before, I wasn't sure what career I could have but now I can wire a plug, I feel I can do anything! You don't see many women in the construction industry, it's unfair because people think these are men's jobs when women can do them equally well."

Sally Copley, YWCA's Director of Policy, Research and Campaigns said: "This is a great opportunity for disadvantaged young women to see new, unthought-of job possibilities and to have a go for themselves! As SEEDA (South East England

Development Agency) has reported skills shortages in the construction and engineering industry in South East England, there is a big need for more women to join this sector."

Kevin Dowd, Operations Manager of Summit Skills said: "One of SummitSkills' goals is to position building services engineering as the sector of aspirational choice for new entrants at all levels and this includes introducing young women to the sector. SummitSkills is pleased to work with YWCA to create opportunities for girls to have a taste of what it is like to work in non-stereotypical roles."

Taking our campaign to Downing Street

YWCA's campaign team visited number 10 Downing Street last week to discuss with one of the Prime Minister's top advisors what could be done to help disadvantaged young women get better jobs.

Sally Copley, YWCA's Director of Policy, Research and Campaigns and Helen Berresford, Parliamentary Officer, spoke with Nick Pearce, Head of Strategic Policy at No. 10, in what was described as an 'extremely constructive' meeting.

YWCA was able to press home the main demands of its current  More than one rung campaign aimed to help disadvantaged young women get off the bottom rung of the career ladder and out of a lifetime of hardship.

The campaign is calling for better careers advice, as well as tailored support to help young women learn more and try out jobs that are not necessarily those traditionally female-dominated like cleaning, catering and caring. These jobs are amongst the lowest paid in the UK today. Yet our research has found that hundreds of thousands of young women are still being channelled into them through poor careers advice and lack of information and support.

After the meeting, Sally Copley said: "The Government is clearly committed to addressing the issue of skills and work for young people. Nick Pearce was receptive to many of our suggestions, and we were extremely pleased to have the opportunity to take our message right to the top."

The new apprenticeship strategy announced by the Government is a huge step forward in providing young people with the path to a decent job. YWCA was pleased to see that many of the things we pointed out to the Government  (as told to us by girls and women) have been considered:

• It has acknowledged how many young women find themselves in poorly-paid apprenticeships and wants to tackle this;
• It has proposed a pilot scheme to help tackle the entrenched problems of gender segregation in certain job sectors;
• In job sectors which have traditionally been dominated by men, YWCA's recommendation is that femal apprentices entering male dominated sectors need support from 'mentors' is reflected.

The strategy also recognises that schoolchildren need information about the different pay rates, working conditions and expectation for different jobs and careers. Once again, this is something we have been calling for.

YWCA welcomes the fact that apprenticeship pay will be looked at in the strategy. However, with many young women still struggling on low apprenticeship wages we are appealing to the Government to set apprenticeship pay at the equivalent of the National Minimum Wage.

The challenge is for this ambitious plan to be fully implemented and YWCA will be following the evolution closely to ensure that it becomes a meaningful option for disadvantaged young women to avoid a lifetime of hardship in poorly paid jobs with no prospects

Sally Copley, director of policy, research and campaigns at YWCA said: "Apprenticeships are clearly an important doorway for young people into a job with future prospects. However there is still an inherent gender injustice that we hope will be genuinely addressed through this plan. The highest paid apprenticeship is in the electro technical field, and is exclusively male. It pays double that of the lowest paid, hairdressing, which is dominated by women. That just cannot be right."

For more information read our briefings and information sheets on jobs and training.