FemGuide Initiative

The FemGuide Initiative empowers young disadvantaged girls aged 15-21 to become entrepreneurs and innovators through a scalable intensive leadership program. It will comprise of specific skills training, assignment to high-achieving mentors, and a network for young girls to share their stories and inspire and uplift each other.

The groundbreaking initiative is as a result of partnership with the Resolution Project: a

The goal is enable young disadvantaged girls to become innovators, entrepreneurs and gain meaningful skills that will enable them to close the gender gap that exists in society, whilst simultaneously being activists against gender-based violence, sharing their stories of change.

The initiative comes with two leadership development workshops and a summer camp with activities aimed to improve CYCWR students’ self esteem and leadership skills, while introducing them to a breadth of professions they can pursue and a network to tap into whenever they need to.

            Through this program,

1.      Students are made to develop and implement sustainable solutions to community problems.

2.      We will create more awareness and advocacy around gender-based violence which will encourage more people to take action to end GBV globally.

3.      Students will have meaningful volunteer and internship experiences and learn professional behaviors such as efficiency, diligence and punctuality.

4.      By facilitating mentoring relationships between survivors and young women/professionals, students will be encouraged to aspire for higher education and professional opportunities.

We actively close the gender inequality that exists in Nigerian leadership by empowering women.

During the first week of FemGuide, students will be paired with mentors who share their interests.  Selected mentors will young female professionals who can serve as role models to FemGuide students. The goals of the mentorship program are to expose disadvantaged girls to young women who will encourage students to seek higher education and professional advancement and to provide ample opportunities for knowledge sharing, both from mentors to students and vice versa. It is our hope that mentor relationships continue beyond their formal completion date and that FemGuide alumni become mentors once they graduate from the program.

MENTORS

Mentors will provide mentors provide in-depth and professional quality mentorship to help these inspiring young girls to build personal and professional leadership skills.

Mentors are an integral part of our mission with this program, and are the front line of interaction with students. They contribute to enriching the experience of our students, and molding them into prospective self-reliant leaders. It is the duty of the mentor to advise them at every step along the way, without directing them with prescribed instructions or action steps. With training, support from mentors, and a robust network of advisors we provide an ecosystem of support to help our students learn along the way and discover success as socially-responsible leaders who are simultaneously advocates against gender inequality. The position requires no previous “mentorship” experience, just a passion for helping young people improve the world. 

MENTOR CRITERIA
  • Travel (self-funded) to the final day of Summit week in Calabar
  • Attend the entire “Mentor Day” on Friday, January 18th 2018 from 10:00am-5.00pm
  • Commit to at least 12 months of Mentorship following Mentor Day, although relationships may last MUCH longer by choice
  • Communicate regularly during that year with matched FemGuide Fellow. Schedule is up to the Mentor & Fellow but we recommend at least once per month
  • Submit a Post-Summit Survey, participate in check-in calls throughout the year and a year-end debrief

The final component of FemGuide, a six-month long Internship program, happens during the second half of the leadership program. CYCWR will facilitate matching students with appropriate Internship positions. Students will be required to submit monthly documentation of their work signed by their supervisors.

The first class will resume in January 2018

  1. Expose young girls to university age women and young professionals so they have concrete evidence of the benefits of higher education.
  2. Empower students to aspire for higher education and professional and leadership opportunities.
  3. Encourage civic participation and inspire students to develop creative and sustainable solutions to community problems.
  4. Facilitate lifetime mentoring relationships between survivors and young women/professionals that extend CYCWR’s formal program cycle.

The first cycle of the CYCWR Leadership Program has attracted $2000 seed funding from the Resolution Project.

PROGRAM ACTIVITY TIMELINE

DATES

ACTIVITIES

December 1st – 20th 2017

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR FemGuide

December 20th 2017

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION

December 30th  2017

ANNOUNCEMENT OF 1ST CLASS OF FELLOWS

January 15 – 18th  2018

1ST CYCLE BEGINS

January 21st – June 7th 2018

MENTORSHIP, EXCURSIONS, MONTHLY HANG-OUT SESSIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS (CDPS)

June 7th – 8th

SUMMER CAMP FOR FELLOWS

July 1st – Nov 1st

INTERNSHIPS, MONTHLY HANG-OUT SESSIONS AND FINAL PHASE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF CDPs

November 15th 2018

GRADUATION OF 1ST CLASS OF FELLOWS.