Current Projects:

Two Degrees of Separation

Two Degrees of Separation is a project offering mentoring for young women (16-30 years) who come from a variety of backgrounds and life situations to develop skills and knowledge and to enhance their success in work and life.

This is a project has been funded through the Foundation of Young Australians and YWCA of Adelaide - it is driven by young women who identified the need to overcome barriers affecting young women in South Australia. A mentor assists in the growth and development of another person whilst also benefiting from the relationship.

A mentor can fill one or more of the roles of teacher, coach, role model, advisor, leader, supporter, friend and challenger.

Two Degrees of Separation is a formal way of building these kinds of mentoring relationships which supports the recruitment, training and matching of mentors and mentees. Phase one of the program has seen young women work together on an advisory committee to consult with other young women to explore mentoring models and develop a mentoring program.

Phase two of the program beginning in 2008, consists of 1:1 mentoring and Café style mentoring. One to one mentoring entails matching mentors and mentees, who are trained and supported over a period of time and Café style mentoring is where several prominent South Australian Business Women will come together to speak to a group of young women in an informal café style setting. This offers the young women several opportunities to gain knowledge and build relationships with successful women in business and other sectors in SA as well as other young women.

Ways in which you can get involved:

1) If you are a young woman (16-30 years) who is interested in having a mentor through the Two Degrees of Separation program please register your interest.

2) To volunteer as a mentor and build a positive relationship with a young woman in South Australia please register your interest.

3) To be a guest speaker or to attend at one of the 3 Café sessions to be held in April - June 2008 then let us know your interest.

If you are interested in getting involved, please e-mail deborah.fehler@ywca.com.au or call on 08 8227 0155

Theatre Work

In conjunction with Purr Productions, the YWCA of Adelaide will be running theatre workshops that culminate into a performance for young women 16-30 years old who would like to learn theatre skills as a means for personal discovery, exploring women's issues, meeting new people and having fun. The 10 weekly workshops will be run on weeknights. Please contact us to express your interest if you want to get involved indicating which evenings you are available.

If you are interested in getting involved, please e-mail deborah.fehler@ywca.com.au or call on 08 8227 0155

International No Diet Day

YWCA of Adelaide is running an event on International No Diet Day over 3 locations - Adelaide City, Northern and Southern areas - where women (and men) are asked to celebrate their body by focusing on what they like about themselves and contributing to a Polaroid picture art installation.

The day will be a great way to reach out to all types of people within the community and offer a starting point for debate and awareness of the issue of Body Image and its impact in society.

So if you and/or your friends want to get involved, then come along to either Rundle Mall, Tea Tree Plaza Interchange or Victor Harbour on Tuesday 6 May 2008, to get your photo taken and celebrate your body and all the things you love about yourself. And if you would like to volunteer to help support the planning and running of the day, please contact us as we would love to hear from you. See you there!

If you are interested in getting involved, please e-mail deborah.fehler@ywca.com.au or call h on 08 8227 0155

Engaging young women through Volunteering

In a recent YWCA poll the question asked was "what is the main motivation for young people to volunteer?" The main reason for Volunteering was to gain work experience, followed by giving back to the community and supporting a cause they believed in.

Being a Volunteer gives benefits to the individual as well as the organisation. Volunteering provides an environment where women and men can work together on a project and build their skills in leadership, business and running programs. It looks great on your resume to have community involvement and the contacts and people you meet can be invaluable.

Having people Volunteer at the YWCA provides more than just the resource of time. Volunteers also bring new skills, approaches, opportunities and fresh energy to the YWCA at every level. Having young women involved in our programs helps to keep activities relevant to young people.

Volunteering gives you the chance to step outside of yourself and try different things you wouldn't ordinarily do. You also get the chance to meet other people and build relationships with other volunteers who are working towards the same cause.

So if you have ever wanted to volunteer or find out more about the programs running at YWCA of Adelaide, then please give us a call or drop us an e-mail deborah.fehler@ywca.com.au.

Young Women's e-list

Are you a South Australian-based young woman who wants the latest information on how to get more involved in your local and global community? The YWCA provides a weekly email update to young women and those who work with young people about events and opportunities available to young women across the YWCA as well as women's, human rights and social justice arenas. The content ranges from activities and workshops run by the YWCA and other agencies through to opportunities such as grants, internships and employment.

To join the e-list simply contact deborah.fehler@ywca.com.au and enter "add me to the ywca young women's e-list" to the subject.

Further information:

Deborah Fehler Project Officer - Young Women

YWCA of Adelaide
17 Hutt Street Adelaide, South Australia
+61 8 8227 0155 phone
+61 8 8227 0166 fax
deborah.fehler@ywca.com.au

Past Projects:

Lilith Magazine Launch – Pride/Envy Issue

Lilith - the first lady with the last word was back with her very own launch for the 2005 Feast Festival! Lilith is an occasional magazine produced for and by young women in Adelaide by the YWCA. The latest Pride/Envy issue latest Pride/Envy issue was launched as part of the Feast Festival in late 2005 at the FAD Bar and Cafe; on Waymouth street in late 2005. The launch was a fabulous feast of female talent magnificently hosted by young Adelaide actor and spoken word performer - Miss Amy Bodossian. The evening’s entertainment featured readings the Latest Lilith magazine’s articles and featured a performance by local band Sweet Raxxx and then as the grrls djs from Ease Up Mother Brown ‘spun’ vinyl, CD and digital delights the crowd danced the night away. ‘Ladies Nights’ never looked like this before! Click on the links to view the photos The hostess with the mostess - Miss Amy Bodossian The punters Dancing the night away Sweet Raxxx take to the stage The latest copy of Lilith is also available in (limited) hard copy from the YWCA of Adelaide, 17 Hutt St. Adelaide.

From time to time the YWCA of Adelaide Young Women’s Program offers activities for young women and girls to nurture their leadership and self esteem including:

Spirit of Leadership (Young Women 17-30)

"Every Person is a Genius" sums up the Spirit of Leadership Exchange being offered by the YWCA of Adelaide to young women (under 30). This occasional five hour workshop will encourage you to think about the ways you make decisions and how you best communicate with others. You will learn about personal leadership and how this links to values, beliefs and actions.
To inquire about participating in the next Spirit of Leadership Exchange and discover your own inner genius contact us here deborah.fehler@ywca.com.au or phone 8227 0155

Girlz Own (12-16 year old girls)

Girlz Own is a group based program for adolescent girls to improve their self esteem, resilience and mental health through a series of activities and group work.