Our Future Female Leaders Program empowers our female leaders of tomorrow to be the difference, tackling local and global issues to achieve a better and sustainable future for all.
The Mission Australia Youth Survey 2021, completed by 20,207 Australian young people aged 15-19 reports that the most important issues affecting young people are COVID-19, the environment, equity and discrimination. Furthermore:
- Almost half of young people (46.6%) studying identified barriers to achieving their study or work goals, with the top being mental health (51%)
- Gender diverse young people experiencing poorer mental health, with almost 1/3 of gender diverse young people highly concerned about bullying/emotional abuse, compared to 13.3% of all respondents.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females experienced higher levels of personal concern about mental health and related issues than Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males.
- The top three areas impacted by COVID-19 included participation in activities, education and mental health.
- 38% identified the environment as one of the most important issues in Australia with 25.5% personally extremely or very concerned about climate change.
- 35.4% identified Equity and discrimination as one of the most important issues in Australia with the top reason given being gender.
The girls in the Future Female Leaders Program currently hail from Generation Z, which according to McCrindle, “focus on values, fulfilment and making a difference with their life”. Furthermore, they are “conscious they need to work hard to achieve the things they want in life”.
According to ABC.NET.AU, “Generation Z is coming of age against a precarious backdrop of economic, climate and health crises.” and “Gen Z’s crisis bucket list seems short of only a zombie apocalypse.” The impact, while significant, also means that the generation will be resilient and “studies show that resilient people are more likely to be brave, assertive, cognitively flexible and self-sufficient.”
In addition to the essential leadership skills that our girls build and the understanding and awareness they gain that creates leader mindsets, at the heart of the Future Female Leaders Program is the Social Impact Project. A project that gives each girl the opportunity and space to choose a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal based on their passions and develop their own idea to tackle the goal – applying their skills, with the support and expertise from their professional mentors, the encouragement from their peers in group coaching, and the backing of investors and Perth’s business community at the Pitch and Networking event.
Get to know this year’s future female leaders’ Social Impact Projects here.