Young Women Parliament

A Platform for Politics from another Perspective

YWP The framework of Young Women’s Parliament was established in 2010 by SHIN and the Women Parliament, with the purpose of promoting gender equality in society at large and young women’s situation in society in particular. Since its establishment 15 gatherings of high-school girls from various places around the country (including 2 in the Knesset) and 2 seminars of leadership training and socializing activities took place. The activity of the YWP is focused at educating and encouraging young girls to become involved, in the near future, in the struggle for gender equality and especially for women’s equal participation in leading society.

The YWP contributes to raising girls’ and young women’s awareness to social inequality at large and to gender inequality in particular; it offers advice and support for local initiatives of girls who strive to change their social environments; it provides leadership skills. Thus, the girls involved in the program can acquire knowledge and understanding of gender power relations in society and gain leadership skills that are required for their involvement in both the personal and public contexts. The girls involved in this framework will, so it is hoped, become committed to social and gender equality; social agents and role models for other young girls; initiate local activities which aim at social justice and gender change; develop friendship with girls from other groups and communities, challenging their stereotypes and miss-conceptions.

Young Women’s Parliament aims at:

Constructing a bridge over divergent backgrounds:

Develop tolerance and compassion among groups of young women from divergent backgrounds (ethnic, cultural, religious, national, educational, socio-economic etc.) through common activities.
Encourage friendship between distanced groups of girls (especially among Jewish and Arab girls), challenging the stereotypes and hostility among them.
Encourage ongoing interactive discussions among young Jewish and Arab young women, on both the local and the national levels.

Sharing gender issues:

Raise gender awareness among young women.
Expand the circles of women involved in feminist thinking and activism in Israel.
Inspire critical thinking of young women with regard to social reality in general and gender-related issues in particular.
Encourage young women’s involvement in initiatives aimed at social and gender justice;

Encouraging young women’s Leadership:

Establish an active social-feminist movement of girls from divergent backgrounds.
Empower young women in terms of standing for their rights.
Encourage the emergence of young women’s committed leadership.