On the onset, this was part of the main reasons the YWLI space was created- to equip young women with feminist leadership and personal empowerment skills. This has evolved to a program that promotes and strengthens the capacities of young women through skills building to participate at different levels of governance. The following activities are undertaken to achieve this objective.

Annual Leadership Training Institutes

The YWLI Leadership Training Institute targets young women who are already leaders in different aspects. It is aimed at enhancing young women's capacity for transformative leadership. The training program aims at inculcating both a feminist and leadership culture in young women by overcoming stereotypes, lack of self-confidence and equipping them with skills necessary for asserting the personhood of women. The training seeks to draw a link between human rights consciousness and feminist leadership values.

The training framework focuses on Personal Empowerment, Organizational Development and Transfer of Skills and Knowledge also known as the POT framework. The POT framework is borrowed from the African Women Leadership Institute (AWLI), a program of Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA). The founders of YWLI were trained by AMwA using the same framework. This approach has enabled YWLI to examine the intersections of personal development, organizational cultures and transfer of skills within the broad and holistic leadership framework that integrates human rights understanding as an essential part of leadership. Understanding feminism and feminist analysis form an integral part of YWLI's leadership training.

Achievement

In 2006, YWLI held a successful ten days African Women Leadership Institute (AWLI) at Naromoru River Lodge. The training brought together 28 young women and out of the training 3 participants vied for elective positions in the last 2007 general elections. The training was done is collaboration with AMwA and was co-funded by UNIFEM and Hivos.

Gender and Governance Programme (GGP)

This is a Programme that YWLI implemented with other civil society organizations through a basket funding administered by UNIFEM. YWLI's component of GGP was to build the capacity of young women political leaders, and raise civic awareness among communities to support women aspirants. Although GGP is currently not running, YWLI continues to work in Makadara, Embakasi, Machakos Town and Bahari Constituencies. These are areas that YWLI hopes to further conduct GGP activities in the next phase. Through the trainings many young women came up to vie for civic and parliamentary seats while others registered and voted for the first time in their lives. Link: www.gendergovernancekenya.org

Self Empowerment Sessions

This aims to build the self-esteem and assertiveness of young women and foster open discussions on 'sensitive issues' around sexuality  and reproductive health rights. YWLI hosts self-empowerment sessions for young women every two months. The topics are facilitated by young women and mostly revolve around skills-building, life skills, and self development which are all essential in empowering young women. During the sessions, young women get an opportunity to be mentored by other young women and to learn through experience sharing. One of the major achievements of the self empowerment sessions has been the creation of a safe space for young women to interact and share their views on different concerns affecting them. These spaces have also successfully broken ground in providing young women with vital information which is regarded as 'highly sensitive and secretive'.

Feminist Internship

Every year YWLI hosts two young women to undergo an active, structured and empowering internship that requires them to develop an initiative of their own to address issues affecting young women.   Overall, the YWLI internship is meant to ensure that both the organization and the individual get the best out of the process. The YWLI internship has two main thrusts:

• The acquisition of skills and experience in eth field of women's rights and social justice
• The conceptualization and implementation of a project of one's own choice.

This is not just an internship; it is an opportunity for mentoring and coaching within the organization with the aim that it will have a ripple effect within the women's movement.

Since the inception of the program in 2006, YWLI has had four interns who have initiated different programs which include 'The young mothers' initiative, 'Binti' initiative, the use of internet as an advocacy tool and 'Kawangware pop stars'. The young mothers' initiative and Binti have since been merged to one with a focus on sexuality and masculinities. They both have informed YWLI's strategic directions.