Youth chairladies’ meeting: leaders of today, not tomorrow
Young women aged 16 to 25 explored leadership, advocacy and the barriers that keep women out of leadership roles.
The first youth chairladies’ meeting of 2026 took the theme “Leadership and empowerment for young women (aged 16–25)”. It focused on helping young women become confident leaders who can bring real change to their communities.
Rethinking leadership
- Young people are leaders of today, not tomorrow
- Leadership means action, accountability and resilience
- Good leaders bring others with them: “lift others as you rise”
Building skills
- Advocacy, communication and financial literacy
- Confidence and a strong sense of identity
- Mentoring and learning from peers
Facing the barriers
- The low number of women in leadership
- Lack of funding and social bias
- The combined challenges of being young and female
Interactive sessions encouraged everyone to take part and share ideas, and the chairladies were encouraged to start youth-led initiatives in their communities.
