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Location: Home  »  Safety, Leadership and Consultation  » Women's Leadership and Development Programme

Young Women's Leadership and Mentoring Programme

The Office for Women, as part of its commitment to developing the leadership skills of young women in rural and regional Australia, funded and administered the Young Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Programme (YWLMP) Pilots in 2007.

The YWLMP pilots aimed to provide role model and mentoring opportunities to inspire, motivate and educate young women in order to increase their involvement in leadership roles within the community.

During the pilot phase in 2007, the Office for Women contracted three different delivery agencies in rural and regional areas to implement the YWLMP in their communities.  The trials were conducted in:

• the Wheatbelt area in Western Australia
• the Wide Bay Burnett Region in Queensland, and
• the Baw Baw Shire in Victoria

All three pilot programs were formally evaluated in late 2007 and a longitudinal study will extend through to 2009/10. A copy of the evaluation report - [PDF 674kB] is available.

Evaluation - Key Findings

• The pilots attracted 122 young women and 100 mentors
• The mix of mentors and mentees was diverse.  Young women participating included school leavers, students, small business owners, women working in rural industries, teachers, lawyers and people working in natural resource management.
• The three pronged approach of training, mentoring and networking proved to be vital to its success.
• The YWLMP delivered some immediate benefits and outcomes

Key Outcomes of the YWLMP pilots

• The majority of the young women achieved learning and motivational outcomes such as:
  • increased self confidence, self belief and self esteem to set and pursue goals
  • improved self understanding and self awarenessgreater clarity in relation to personal and professional goals
  • improved organisational and communication skills
  • increased knowledge and awareness of community networks and how to access them
  • a new-found awareness of their communities and talent and opportunities that exist
  • greater clarity in relation to specific ways in which they might make a community contribution
  • enhanced social support networks

Several young women have already furthered their journey in leadership and community based activities such as gaining positions on an Area Consultative Committee Board, taken steps to start their own business, taken steps to run for local government, organised a community event and started a mentoring program for school children.