The Olympism365 Innovation Hub – a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Beyond Sport and Women Win – has gathered another cohort of Grassroots365 innovators reimagining how sport can be leveraged for social impact, this time as part of its Innovation Incubation model. 

This is the first time that the Olympism365 Innovation Hub will utilise the Innovation Incubation model, leveraging the diversified knowledge and skill sets of the full consortia. Innovators will learn about and share knowledge on design thinking, theory of change creation, impact measurement, storytelling and resource mobilisation. 

Fifteen grassroots groups and individuals have joined this 6-month journey to further develop their innovations. Participants will engage with experts and peers to refine their ideas into concrete proposals and innovations ready to create impact. At the end of the incubation, they will have an opportunity to apply for a USD 15,000 grant to pilot their innovations, with five being selected for funding.

Responding to Grassroots Learnings: The Innovation Incubation Model 

That initial Grassroots365 open call highlighted both the energy and the challenges of reaching grassroots innovators: an overwhelming number of applications relative to available funding, ongoing debates about how innovation should be defined in diverse grassroots contexts, and open questions around the best ways to nurture emerging ideas. 

The Innovation Incubation model addresses those pain points by focusing less on fully-formed solutions and more on promising ideas in development. Entry to the programme has been managed through a closed nomination process, drawing on the existing Grassroots365 community and a select group of partners with strong networks in underrepresented regions. By bringing innovators into a structured incubation process, the Innovation Hub can now expand access to more participants while providing the dedicated support they need to strengthen their ideas. 

A key feature of the model is the peer-review panel. Rather than relying solely on external expertise, the Innovation Hub invited five current innovators to review and score applications. With representation from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, and expertise ranging from gender-based violence and migration to climate justice, the panel reflected the diversity of the grassroots sector itself. This approach recognises that grassroots leaders are best placed to judge which ideas have the potential to succeed in their contexts and which innovations would most benefit from the incubation process. Their lived experience and first-hand knowledge ensure that funding and support flow to initiatives that are relevant, responsive, and locally grounded.

Building on Early Grassroots365 Impact

The incubation model builds on the achievements of the first Grassroots365 cycle, which invested USD 170,000 across 12 grassroots projects worldwide. Already, participants from that cohort have demonstrated how support can catalyse long-term impact.

In Brazil, the Associacao Esportiva Femenina d’Amazonia emerged from the efforts of an individual innovator who, thanks to Innovation Hub support, successfully registered an organisation now running events in cycling, volleyball, and duathlon. In Italy, Gerald Mballe transformed his initiative into Dream Big for Inclusion and Antiracism, organising a cross-community football tournament in Cyprus that fostered dialogue around mental health and wellbeing.

These stories illustrate the transformative ripple effects that can emerge when grassroots leaders are equipped with the right tools, networks, and resources. The Innovation Incubation model is poised to multiply such outcomes, supporting innovators not only in strengthening their own projects but in shaping the future of sport as a platform for social change.

Grassroots365 Innovation Incubation Members 

Become a Seed Investor 

Join us to turn the Olympic spirit into the world’s most inclusive innovation platform—where podium-level visibility meets playground-level impact. 

Partner with ​Olympism365 Innovation Hub to build out our portfolio and help us grow from 60+ innovations to 150+ across the existing innovation streams. 

To connect and find out more about investment opportunities, contact us at development@beyondsport.org 

Free Movement Skateboarding by Aidan Frere-Smith

Tech365, a fund by Olympism365 Innovation Hub, has entered its second phase – Tech365 Incubate. The members of the first, Tech365 Explore phase, were invited to apply for equity-free, flexible grants of up to $40,000 available to pilot or scale their emerging tech innovations and six innovations were chosen to join Tech365 Incubate. 

Their work will become real-world case studies that all the Tech365 Explore members can learn from and exchange knowledge about. Going deeper than innovation development, this cohort will proactively and transparently share their progress and insights. The following six months of sharing and learning were co-designed by the innovators themselves, to make sure they reflect innovators’ needs and interests. Engaging directly and through the Knowledge Exchange Hub, they are building networks that support their work and broader development of emerging technologies that have the potential to accelerate sport’s positive contribution to society.

Selection through Quadratic Voting 

Tech365 Incubate grantees were selected via the process of quadratic voting, which took place at the 2025 Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World. Quadratic voting is a collective decision-making mechanism designed to let people express not only which option they prefer, but also how strongly they care about it, allowing participants to express both preference and intensity. 

In the spirit of innovation, as well as inclusive and participatory grant-making at the funder level, the quadratic voting invited the Olympism365 Summit attendees, IOC Young Leaders, and the members of the Tech365 Explore cohort, to cast their votes. Information on the available innovations was available via an app designed by the Wellbeing Protocol. The quadratic voting allowed for those withing the space of innovation in sport for sustainable development to also act as decision makers, informing the decisions with their own experience and knowledge from within. 

Collaboration Born through Tech365 Explore 

One of the six innovations to receive grants through Tech365 Incubate, is a consortium of four organisations that were members of the inaugural Tech365 Explore cohort. All in For Sport, love.fúbol, Sarreya Sports and Bonito Foundation came together in trying to answer a shared question: How can grassroots sport, a powerful force for community cohesion, unlock innovation in financial access and governance? 

Their answer lies in giving communities direct control over funding flows and decisions. Innovators’ choice to develop and deliver on this innovation together demonstrates collaboration in action, mirroring how the innovators are building a collaboration-first movement, as outlined in the Tech365 Manifesto, crafted by the Tech365 Explore members. 

Tech365 Incubate Members

Become a Scale Partner 

Join us to turn the Olympic spirit into the world’s most inclusive innovation platform—where podium-level visibility meets playground-level impact! Support existing Olympism365 Innovation Hub innovations to scale their impact, benefiting thousands of people and communities. 

To connect and find out more about investment opportunities, contact us at development@beyondsport.org 

Fundación Gold Sports

The Need for Gender-Responsive Programmes in Myanmar Today

Aiming to empower garment workers with life skills that benefit them in the workplace and at home, the My Life Myanmar programme was delivered by Girl Determined from 2020 until 2024. It was a time when COVID-19 peaked in its severity and the civic spaces of Myanmar were faced with heightened regulation following the military takeover.

The total number of Myanmar garment workers rose rapidly over a decade of reform, to around 700,000 by 2020. This population consisted mostly of young women, the majority of whom have left their home villages to pursue this work – often their first formal employment. Only three years later, that workforce was estimated to have been cut by just under half, as buyers and suppliers began leaving the country due to increasingly challenging operating conditions[i]. Nevertheless, Girl Determined continued reaching and engaging with women and girls in factories and other spaces. They still hold space for relief and connection, countering the stresses and challenges the women and girls in Myanmar face daily.

Girl Determined is a Myanmar-based organisation working to equip girls with the skills, confidence and support systems to navigate Myanmar’s changing landscape. Through various sport- and play-centred programmes, the organisation works with girls and women to ameliorate the increasing gendered threats that pose barriers to them living their lives safely and fully.

While operating in Myanmar civic spaces comes with more and more challenges, Girl Determined still manage to reach over 4,000 girls weekly. However, this work does not come without cross-sector collaboration and support, something that is particularly needed in the current position of organisations such as Girl Determined.

Trust-Based Collaboration and Responsive Design

Navigating the complicated and changing contexts during the My Life programme, Girl Determined found stability in open and trust-based collaboration with factory management. It is with the management’s support that the workers were able to participate in the My Life activities during work hours, without fear of being reprimanded. Beyond just support, management was often actively involved, committing in-factory space and time to the sessions, and even participating in the activities themselves. This involvement led to their awareness of the benefits of such programmes, with one manager sharing they “think this event is really effective for the workers, they participated actively and happily. I believe that it made them reduce their stress.”

At the My Life sessions, the workers engaged in play-based activities addressing the issues they themselves identified as the most relevant to their realities. These included assertive communication and active listening, mental health and self-care, gender-based violence, menstruation, physical safety outside of the home and the workplace, and protection from the emotional impact of fear and threats.

Conversations on these topics brought to the surface stories of sexual harassment the women endure, some of which has even been normalised. But the women also found encouragement to stand up to such behaviour. One of the participants recounted her experience:

“In the past, when I was followed and teased by men on the streets, I was very shy and afraid. Now I think I should not be afraid of them anymore. I tell them that their manners are not okay.”

Coming into their confidence and power, the women that Girl Determined reached are now standing up for themselves – to bus drivers, to sexual harassment on the street, even to their supervisors at work. They have the skills to communicate and they are no longer afraid to use them.

Play-Based Activities Bring out Confidence

It is through collaborative design and active engagement of different stakeholders that Girl Determined are able to deliver programmes that accurately address the topics that the women and the girls in Myanmar are concerned about. In the unsure landscape of Myanmar, such programmes provide stability, connection and respite. By making the programmes play-based, a space for joy and relaxation is created and strengthened. Games and sport can encourage participants to become more comfortable in their own confidence and with expressing their bodily autonomy. “I felt that I had more self-confidence. I dared to talk to others,” a My Life participant said.

Other participants shared that they found special value in activities such as “Physical Moves”, which taught gender-responsive self-protection, as well as in practising how to say “no”. By becoming comfortable with “no”, they also became more comfortable with speaking up for themselves with strangers and at work. This external confidence, practised through participatory games, helps women in knowing how to get out of threatening situations and how to ask for help.

Network of Facilitators Ready to Implement Women and Girls Empowerment Programmes

While the My Life programme ended, Girl Determined maintain relationships with those workers who showed interest in girls’ and women’s empowerment. There is now an engaged community of trained facilitators in place who can reach around 300 girls to support them as they build their life skills and confidence. The knowledge and skills to implement factory-based and other women’s and girls’ empowerment programmes in Myanmar are there.

The need is also there, expressed in numerous calls that Girl Determined receive from past participants, requesting more similar programmes. In the wrap up of the My Life programme, the team found that most of the participants were intensely interested in menstrual health. Many held harmful myths about this topic, which remains a taboo. The need for a programme that works with girls and women to deconstruct these myths and taboos, while providing sexual and reproductive health and rights resources and knowledge, is clearly present.

As the challenges to civic spaces in Myanmar remain and increase, programmes such as those delivered by Girl Determined provide some stability, connection and strength. Co-designed with partners and participants, they are aware and accurately answer to the current needs of girls and women in Myanmar. The continuous interest in the Girl Determined programmes reveals the important role that local women’s rights organisations play in the lives of women and girls. By employing play-based methods in safe spaces, Girl Determined are able to share meaningful information, broaden their network of women’s and girls’ empowerment facilitators, and ensure sustainability of the partnership.

As the challenges facing women, girls, and civic spaces in Myanmar continue to evolve, organisations like Girl Determined play a crucial role in providing stability, connection, and relief. Their innovative, play-based programs have proven effective in building confidence and life skills. Co-designed with partners and participants, they are aware and accurately answer to the current needs of girls and women in Myanmar. The continuous interest in the Girl Determined programmes reveals the important role that local women’s rights organisations play in the lives of women and girls.

With a network of trained facilitators ready to implement more initiatives, Girl Determined stand poised to expand their impact – if given the resources and support to do so.

If you are interested in supporting Girl Determined as a funder or a partner, please reach out to info@girldetermined.org

[i] World Bank. Resilience Amid Constraints : Myanmar’s Garment Industry in 2023 (English). Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099113023044018823

The International Olympic Committee has announced the members of the Tech365 Explore, an initiative by the Olympism365 Innovation Hub supporting emerging technologies with the potential to accelerate sport’s contribution to sustainable development. 

The 25 members of Tech365 Explore, selected in collaboration with Women Win and Beyond Sport, will come together in networking and knowledge exchange sessions to explore the transformative potential of emerging technologies in sport to benefit people, communities, and the planet. 

Intentionally designed to advance learning and facilitate experimentation, Tech365 combines Explore and Incubate phases. In the second phase of the project, Tech365 Incubate, members of the think tank will have the opportunity to apply for grants up to USD 40,000 to develop and scale their innovations. Funded projects will serve as real-world case studies, and recipients will share their progress with the collective. Those not receiving funding will still benefit from expert advice to improve their tech ideas. 

The Olympism365 Innovation Hub is a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee, Beyond Sport and Women Win designed to support a diverse community of innovators leading new and impactful approaches to sport for sustainable development.

The Olympism365 Innovation Hub has announced the grantees of the Grassroots365 fund, which will fund local innovators driving social development through sport within their communities.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will provide USD 170,000 in grants to support grassroots projects in developing, testing and expanding local innovations that tackle pressing societal issues aligned with specific community needs, with emphasis placed on equitable access to resources.

Meet the recipients of the Grassroots365 grants and find out more about a wide array of their innovative approaches!

The Olympism365 Innovation Hub is a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee, Beyond Sport and Women Win designed to support a diverse community of innovators leading new and impactful approaches to sport for sustainable development.

Written by Mom in Balance

Pregnancy and early motherhood are transformative stages of life, and staying active during this time can make a profound difference in both physical and mental well-being. For mothers of all ages—including young moms and pregnant teens who are the participants of the Secure Futures programme—engaging in pre- and postnatal workouts provides valuable support for managing the physical demands of pregnancy, aiding recovery after childbirth, and promoting emotional balance.

Why is Exercise During Pregnancy Crucial

Regular physical activity during pregnancy offers numerous benefits, regardless of age. It supports the body through:

• Reducing discomfort: Eases common issues like back pain, swelling, and fatigue.
• Improving fitness: Strengthens muscles, enhances cardiovascular health, and helps prepare the body for labour.
• Shorter, smoother labour: Active women often experience shorter labour times and fewer complications, making the delivery process easier.

For all mothers, these benefits help ensure a healthier, more comfortable pregnancy. However, for young mothers and pregnant teens, the impact of exercise can be even more significant, providing a sense of control and empowerment during a time of immense change.

The Role of Postnatal Workouts in Recovery

After giving birth, it’s important to gradually rebuild strength and energy through postnatal workouts. These exercises focus on:

• Strengthening the core and pelvic floor, which are crucial areas that need recovery after childbirth.
• Boosting energy and reducing fatigue, helping new mothers manage the demands of caring for a newborn.
• Supporting mental health, as exercise has been proven to reduce symptoms of postnatal depression, anxiety, and stress.

For young mothers and pregnant teens, who may face additional physical and emotional challenges, postnatal exercise can provide an important pathway to recovery, helping them regain strength and confidence in their bodies.

Including Young Mothers and Pregnant Teens in Pre- and Postnatal Sports

For new mothers, caring for the self and exercising can often seem like a luxury for which they lack the time and the energy. This is especially true for pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers, who face an array of challenges, including social stigmatisation, difficulties with accessing health services, economic insecurity, and other barriers.

Empodera, the Brazilian Secure Futures implementing partner organisation, found during their needs analysis that even those girls who previously had experience with football, stopped exercising during and after their pregnancy, and would direct all their attention to their babies. While the young women shared they are interested in football, swimming, and dancing as forms of exercise, they also noted they are “too tired for it from running around and doing laundry all day”. Young mothers do not have the energy nor the time to practise sports, they do not prioritise physical workouts, and furthermore, those with babies under one year old do not feel safe practising any kind of sport, even when recommended.

The Kenyan implementing partner, Vijana Amani Pamoja, interviewed a young mother who, before her pregnancy, was on a football scholarship, on her way to join the national women’s team and scale her career to a professional level. However, her sports career came to a stop once she was pregnant. All the interviewees that VAP engaged with during their needs analysis said they value exercise and the important role it plays in relaxation, reduction of stress, and physical fitness. Yet, owing to pregnancy, the young mothers stopped exercising or were advised to stop, in order to avoid injury and devote their time to their children.

Exercising during pregnancy is also followed by a variety of misconceptions and myths, as found by Asociación AMA, the Secure Futures implementing partner from Guatemala. If wanting to practise sport while pregnant and with young children, young mothers must face these misconceptions, as well as deep-rooted gender and social norms, which are often discouraging of women, and particularly pregnant women and mothers, engaging in sport. If a safe space would be created for young mothers and their babies, one where they are not stigmatised and which is tailored to their specific needs, pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers would be eager to resume their participation in sport and could do so safely. To fully support them, it’s essential to create inclusive environments that meet their unique needs. 

Here are a few key ways to include pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers in pre- and postnatal fitness:

• Offer judgement-free spaces: Many young mothers and pregnant girls may feel out of place in traditional pre- and postnatal groups. Providing welcoming, non-judgmental environments where they feel supported and encouraged to participate is key.
• Tailored guidance: Young mothers might still be in the process of developing their physical endurance, so it’s important to offer workouts that meet them where they are. Programs should focus on gentle strength building, core recovery, and mental well-being, ensuring a safe and comfortable progression.
• Foster community support: It can be isolating to navigate pregnancy and early motherhood as a young woman. Connecting them with peers who are going through similar experiences can be a source of encouragement and empowerment. Group workouts or small communities specifically tailored for young mothers and pregnant teens can help build this vital support network.
• Clear communication: For many young mothers and teens, understanding the benefits and safety of exercise during and after pregnancy is crucial. Providing clear, accessible information about how and why fitness is important can empower them to prioritise their own health, alongside the care of their baby.

Why It is Important

Young mothers and pregnant teens face additional societal and emotional pressures during this time. Ensuring that they have access to pre- and postnatal fitness programs helps them feel supported and gives them tools to manage their health in a holistic way. Exercise not only strengthens the body but can also help build the mental resilience needed to navigate the challenges of motherhood.

Pre- and postnatal workouts are essential for all mothers, offering physical and emotional benefits that support a smoother pregnancy, an easier recovery, and improved mental well-being. For young mothers and pregnant teens, being included in these programs can make a big difference in their confidence and health. By creating inclusive, supportive environments, we can ensure that every mother has the opportunity to feel strong, empowered, and cared for during this transformative stage of life.

Photos:

• Vijana Amani Pamoja, Kenya – Secure Futures, 2024
• Asociación AMA, Guatemala – Secure Futures, 2024
• Empodera, Brazil – Secure Futures, 2024
• Vijana Amani Pamoja, Kenya – Secure Futures, 2021

Teenage pregnancy remains a pressing global concern. Adolescent girls are disproportionately affected by the social and climate crisis, which result in higher barriers to education, less access to health services, increased gender-based violence, more migration and higher rates of early/forced marriage. All these factors are closely related to teenage pregnancy, meaning that if current trends continue, many places around the world could start to see significantly higher adolescent birth rates.

While many programmes focus on the prevention of teenage pregnancies, the gap remains in offering support to those young women who are already pregnant or mothers. The Secure Futures programme responds to the needs of this specific group, as pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers themselves define those needs. The programme is implemented by local partners Asociación AMA in Guatemala, Empodera in Brazil, and Vijana Amani Pamoja (VAP) in Kenya, with technical and capacity-building support by Mom in Balance and Women Win.

Piloted in Kenya from 2020-2022, Secure Futures is scaling up in 2024 with foundational support from the Dutch Nationale Postcode Loterij. The growth of the programme is enabled by partners’ local expertise and its success is strengthened by the use of participatory and contextualised programme design. By making use of co-design approaches, partners, participants, and other stakeholders actively take part in creating and adapting the programme. To ensure the programme responds accurately and timely to the real needs of pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers in differing contexts, co-design will be revisited by partners throughout the implementation of Secure Futures. This way, it will remain relevant, effective and ultimately have greater impact.

What is Co-Design?

Co-design is the process of actively engaging individuals and communities, as experts of their own lived experiences, in the design of the programmes set to benefit them. It places participants as equal collaborators and goes beyond mere consultation of future participants and communities, avoiding simple extraction of information. Co-design is important when designing new programmes, as well as when adapting existing programmes to new contexts and/or target groups, as in the case of Secure Futures.

Since the existing Secure Futures strategies were designed for the Kenyan context, in 2024 each implementing partner conducted an in-depth needs assessment to understand how the programme should be adapted for its expansion and new geographies. This ensured that organisations understand where is the programme needed the most and by whom. It provided insights into what resources are currently available and what kind of support is lacking. Finally, to further refine the programme design, implementing partners organised multi-day co-design workshops with future participants and key stakeholders.

For example, Asociación AMA adapted the existing Secure Futures strategies to be effective for rural Guatemala. Through co-design, they were able to get closer to their target population, understand their realities and refine existing strategies. For example, AMA adapted the frequency and duration of the programme based on the far distances and travel difficulties between villages, as well as the demands on the young mothers’ time. “Co-design gave us the opportunity to hear first-hand the experiences and needs of the participants, which allowed us to design a more relevant program tailored to their contexts, ensuring that the proposed solutions are truly useful and sustainable,” says the AMA team.

Learning from the participants, Empodera included topics of obstetric violence, racism, and sexual orientation in the programming. These additions were based on the stories and information requests from the young women consulted during the co-design process. VAP started hosting family forums, which engaged not only the girls’ partners, but also their mothers, fathers, sisters and grandparents, as there was a need for support from the broader family structure. Following the initial co-design sessions, all three partners noted the institutional challenges with accessing quality care, as well as the need to focus heavily on the violence and trauma disclosed by many of the girls during co-design. These needs might not have been addressed if not for the participation of girls and young women in co-design.

Co-Design in Practice

Co-design processes prioritise collaboration with partners and centre young women not only as receivers of support but also as holders of the knowledge on the kind of support and resources needed. Implementing organisations employed playful methodologies, sports, movement, group work, art, theatre, and open conversation to gather information on the pregnant girls’ and young mothers’ needs.

For one of their co-design activities, AMA team prepared a series of statements related to motherhood and pregnancy that they read out loud to the participants. The participants then chose an emoji which they felt best represented their emotions in relation to the statements. This exercise allowed the participants to express their emotions nonverbally, while also providing visibility on how young mothers feel. VAP used LEGO blocks and gave the girls a task of imagining and building their own secure future with the blocks, before placing themselves within the scene. This facilitated the visualisation and defining of what is needed to achieve such secure futures.

To understand the responsibilities and care work the young women hold, the Empodera team and participants played a ball game. The young women marked balls with their daily tasks and responsibilities, before attempting to keep all the balls in the air on their own. Then, others stepped in to help them keep the balls from falling. They were encouraged to discuss who they turn to for support and what additional help would make a difference in achieving balance in their lives. This activity served not only as a conversation starter about their daily challenges but also as a critical tool for co-design. By directly involving the young women in identifying their needs and the support they require, the programme gained insights into how its structure can better address these realities. The playful, interactive nature of the activity also offered a much-needed moment of fun and release, creating an environment where participants felt comfortable sharing openly about their lives.

The Benefits and the Challenges

The benefits of this approach include building trust, understanding, and deeper relationships and collaboration with participants and communities. Empodera noted that “the process strengthened the sense of belonging and community among all those involved, promoting greater engagement and active participation of young people throughout the program.” Co-designed programmes also tend to be more impactful, effective, and aligned with stakeholders’ real needs. This leads to a better buy-in, ownership and engagement from participants and communities, and results in more innovative, creative, and sustainable programming.

However, certain challenges are present, such as the time and resources needed to implement co-design properly. Understanding from all stakeholders that not all proposed ideas can be implemented or are feasible is also required. VAP addressed this by ensuring transparency on the limitations of the programme during each step of the co-design, so the girls could understand the design parameters they were working within. This helped keep the ideas grounded in what was possible and not building any false expectations.

When designing a programme in such a collaborative manner, there is a need for a high level of transparency on why and how design decisions are made. It requires a delicate balancing of opinions and power dynamics, and patience when navigating often complex decision making processes. For Secure Futures, implementing partners drove decision making together with participants, based on what was best for them and on what they know works for their contexts, while working towards the overall objectives of the programme together with Women Win and Mom in Balance.

Results and Implementation

While the core objectives and holistic approach employed by Secure Futures remain the same across all partners, the results of the co-design process are present in the approach to the core components and the adapted curricula. These differ for every organisation and location, while also remaining flexible based on the changing needs and contexts of the participants.

After the initial co-design process, Empodera added a programme component which engages the future participants’ mothers, aunts, and grandmothers. This addition was made because the participants noted these family members as critical influencers and supporters in their lives.

AMA learned that local midwives would be a key ally in the identification, recruitment, and retention of young women in their programmes. They were also able to pilot the sports component of the programme, which was received positively by participants despite deep cultural beliefs around exercise and movement during pregnancy. This allowed AMA to understand how sport can be adapted, which led to the development of an awareness plan that aims to ensure the wider community understands the value of pre/post natal exercise and creates opportunity for addressing any misconceptions.

VAP was told by the young women that they often find little opportunity to leave their immediate surroundings. They emphasised that even the co-design process, which involved travelling to a new venue and engaging with a different group of people, was a significant and enriching experience for them. In response, VAP decided to arrange intercommunity football tournaments that bring the girls together and provide them with an opportunity to access the services from a range of their community partners.

While co-design took time, it was a critical process given the unique, and often not addressed, needs of the target group. Pregnant adolescents and young mothers have distinct needs compared to their non-pregnant peers and older mothers, and these needs vary further across regions, as seen in Brazil, Guatemala, and Kenya. The rich outcomes of this process underscore the importance of designing programmes that understand, respond, and continue adapting to each group’s unique context.

Photos:

• Asociación AMA, Guatemala – Secure Futures, 2024
• Empodera, Brazil – Secure Futures, 2024
• Vijana Amani Pamoja, Kenya – Secure Futures, 2024
• Asociación AMA, Guatemala – Secure Futures, 2024
• Vijana Amani Pamoja, Kenya – Secure Futures, 2024

Choose subtitles by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the video player

Each year, 21 million girls across the globe face uncertain futures due to the harsh realities and challenges of early pregnancy and motherhood [1]. As they become mothers before they are physically, emotionally or financially ready, they require community support and resources to build stable lives for their children and themselves. However, crucial resources are repeatedly not available to them and they often lose the support of their parents and partners.

As the society stigmatises and isolates them, pregnant girls and young mothers face higher chances of being forced into early marriage and finding themselves in a difficult-to-break cycle of gender-based violence and poverty. As they experience significant barriers in accessing appropriate care, economic opportunities and educational pathways, a secure future seems unattainable for many.

Secure Futures Programme

The Secure Futures programme aims to empower pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers to exercise their rights. The programme combines local and global expertise from a range of partners to co-create holistic, girl-centred programmes and tools. These include life skills education, sports, psychosocial support, referral services and economic empowerment opportunities for participants. The programme also engages male partners and shifts community narratives about early pregnancy and young mothers.

Secure Futures was piloted in Nairobi, Kenya from 2020-2022, delivered by Vijana Amani Pamoja and Women Win, with technical support from the Population Council Kenya and Mom in Balance. The programme targeted pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers without a safe or secure place to live. Through sports and life skills activities, 807 participants were reached, and 527 continued on entrepreneurship and employability pathways. The programme had a profound impact on the participants’ lives by building confidence and knowledge; strengthening their well-being; and creating economic opportunities.

Starting in 2024, the Secure Futures programme is set to expand significantly with foundational support from the Nationale Postcode Loterij, building on the achievements from the pilot. The programme will enhance its reach through strengthened partnerships with organisations in Brazil, Guatemala, and Kenya. The implementing partners have played a crucial role in refining the programme’s design by leveraging their unique expertise and strengths, to reach a larger number of pregnant adolescent girls and young women across diverse geographies.

The Power of Partnership

The success of Secure Futures lies in the power of the partnership, which is a collaborative effort between global organisations, private sector partners and community-based organisations. The strategic expansion of this programme into new regions is driven by a comprehensive needs analysis and a thorough review of partners that hold knowledge and experience to take on the work encompassed in this unique programme.

During the initial implementation period, Secure Futures is delivered by three local implementing partners: 

• Asociación AMA in Guatemala,
• Empodera in Brazil, and
• Vijana Amani Pamoja in Kenya.

These organisations are long-term partners of Women Win’s and their work around girls’ rights, sports and community engagement is world-leading. A Dutch partner Pink Band Movement, powered by Mom in Balance, and Women Win provide technical support and capacity building.

Participatory Co-Design Process

To ensure the programme at each of the locations accurately responds to the contexts and needs of participants, the implementation is based in co-design with partners, participants, and other stakeholders. The Empodera team said the process is “fundamental to ensure that the program is developed in harmony with the needs, interests and challenges identified by the group itself. This approach guarantees that all voices are heard, contributing to the construction of sustainable and sensitive solutions, aimed at empowering young people.”

The participatory co-design process of the Secure Futures programme sets it up for greater impact and success in different geographies and contexts, as it responds to the real needs of specific communities. The implementing organisations are much more aware of the actual needs of pregnant adolescent girls and young mothers and can thus offer adequate support and resources. Furthermore, the participants, having already been involved in the design of the programme, are already more involved and committed to the programme itself, making its impact more sustainable and effective.

Sources:

• https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy#:~:text=Scope%20of%20the%20problem,per%201000%20women%20in%202023. 

Photos:

• Empodera, Brazil – Secure Futures, 2024
• Vijana Amani Pamoja, Kenya – Secure Futures, 2021
• Asociación AMA, Guatemala – Secure Futures, 2024

Women’s economic empowerment is key to addressing global gender inequalities, yet there is still a staggering disparity when looking at women in the workforce. According to the International Labour Organization’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022 Report, “Globally, young people are not in employment, education, or training. A majority (68%) are female and young women are almost 1.5 times more likely to be unemployed than young men” [1]. Furthermore, women’s employment is more likely to be in informal or vulnerable environments and they often face significant barriers when starting and sustaining their own businesses. The Goal Accelerator Programme aims to address these inequalities and gaps for women living in marginalised communities. The programme provides life and leadership skill development and concrete pathways to employment and self-employment.

Goal Accelerator is an evolution of the deeply impactful Goal Programme. It is a sport-powered, gender-responsive economic resilience initiative. Its aim is to create concrete pathways and steps for disadvantaged girls and young women to obtain decent employment, earn an income and become economically resilient. Goal Accelerator is part of Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, a global youth economic empowerment initiative funded by Standard Chartered Foundation. The programme takes a holistic approach to women’s economic empowerment, promoting financial independence, leadership development, and facilitating access to decent employment and entrepreneurship. Core to the programme, sport and play provide a unique methodology that is foundational in cultivating key transferable skills. These include communication, decision-making, teamwork and resilience. Sport also provides opportunities for participants to strengthen their leadership, increase their self-confidence and improve mental health.

Co-Design is Crucial for Programme Contextualisation

Over three years, Women Win will work with local implementing partners Street League in the United Kingdom, Junior Achievement Mascareignes in Mauritius, Right to Play in Pakistan, SERVE in Sri Lanka, and WOMEN:girls in Malaysia to engage 1,726 young women, ages 16-35. In each of the five geographies, partners will leverage the Goal Accelerator framework. However, each programme will be contextualised to the needs of young women in each particular context. 

Due to the unique objectives and varying contexts of the programme, it was crucial to have all partners involved in the programme design from the beginning. Women Win staff, local implementing partners, local Standard Chartered Bank representatives, and local representatives of the target participants met for co-design sessions during programme proposal development. The SERVE team shared, “The initial project design and approach used by Women Win and SERVE, along with co-design sessions with the beneficiaries, have made it easier to identify the real and felt needs of the target beneficiaries.

As a result, since the project was built considering the community’s felt needs, it is greatly aligned with the real needs and wants of the women, which has contributed to the project’s success so far.” The input from the implementing partners and young women was invaluable and contributed to designing programmes to meet the unique needs within each market. 

Holistic Approach

Goal Accelerator will draw on the expertise and experience of the five implementing partners to ensure the programme’s success in each location. For example, JAM and Street League are combining their proven financial literacy and work readiness resources with the Goal Accelerator curriculum and sport-based methodology to reach their target participants.

Street League emphasised the importance of this holistic approach, sharing that they “…engage young people in sport, employability skills and qualifications whilst continuing to support them into jobs with ‘in-work’ aftercare support. We also work collaboratively with community partners as well as local and national employers to deliver our programme and help young people into work.” This well-rounded and community-centred approach is key to the initial success as well as the sustainability of the Goal Accelerator Programme.

Impact of Sports on Women’s Leadership Skills

The Right to Play team also highlights the unique environment that sport adds, stating that, “…the integration of sports activities such as football, basketball, and volleyball adds a unique and engaging element to the program, promoting physical health, teamwork, and leadership skills among the participants. By combining sports with life skills, the program offers a dynamic learning experience that sets it apart from other initiatives.” The nature of sport provides participants with unique opportunities to both develop and practise their life and leadership skills. It also introduces female role models, and encourages a sense of belonging, setting them up for success in their future careers.

With all five partners kicking off implementation this month, there is great excitement regarding the impact that Goal Accelerator can have in the different markets. The WOMEN:girls team captured their excitement, “What excites us most about the GA program is the opportunity to make a real impact in the lives of these young women, helping them achieve financial sustainability and freedom. We are looking forward to seeing how the program empowers them to take control of their future, build confidence, and unlock their potential in ways that will create lasting positive change.”

Sources:

• https://www.ilo.org/publications/major-publications/global-employment-trends-youth-2022-investing-transforming-futures-young

Photos:

• WOMEN:girls, Malaysia – Goal Programme
• WOMEN:girls, Malaysia – Goal Programme
• Street League, United Kingdom – Goal Accelerator Co-Design

The FREE (Financial Resilience for Economic Empowerment) GROW Fund opens its first call for applications on 10 July 2024!

The FREE GROW Fund specifically focuses on women that are empowered to thrive in agricultural value chains by advancing gender equality and promoting economic and climate resilience. FREE GROW invests in local organisations that use intersectional approaches to advance gender equality in agricultural communities connected to global value chains. The first iteration of FREE Grow will focus specifically on women and girls in the floriculture, tea, and coffee sectors in East Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania).

The FREE GROW Fund aims to support women and girls who live in floriculture, tea, and coffee communities in East Africa, with a specific focus on women who are economically engaged in these sectors as workers, farmers and/or entrepreneurs*. Particularly, women and girls from underrepresented and vulnerable groups. For example: migrant workers, young mothers, and people with disabilities. All registered non-governmental organisations, groups, collectives, and networks with a focus on the rights of girls and women, and who have demonstrable experience working in flower, tea, and/or coffee communities in East Africa are welcome to apply.