Michelle Beg, an Australian woman representing the World YWCA, offered remarks titled, “Time to Make the Y in YWCA Count,” alluding to the 1991 mandate that at least 25 percent of YWCA decision makers be under age 30. Now 16 years later, however, only 52 percent of YWCA affiliates meet this requirement, and just 21 percent of affiliates’ boards of directors include young women.

Michelle Beg, former Director of Campaigns and Communications at the World YWCA

Beg stressed the need to be accountable to this bylaw and engage young women in leadership roles. She knows well the meaning of youth in leadership, having served as president of the national YWCA of Australia at age 24. “We need to claim our space as young women,” Beg said. “We’re a pretty powerful group of young women, and we need to use our power to make a difference.”

Crucial to recognize in engaging young women, Beg said, is offering direct relevance to contemporary women’s issues. “If you want to attract young women, then start talking about the issues that affect our lives,” she said.

Beg hopes that the representation at the YWCA’s 2011 Council in Zürich, Switzerland, will reflect a deeper respect for young women’s professional capacity and a commitment to young women’s leadership. “We want to do more than photocopying,” she said. “We want to be challenged. Let’s start aiming for the stars in the Zürich night sky.”

Fatmire Feka, a Kosovar-Albanian Muslim woman representing Kosovo Children for Peace, spoke to the role of youth leadership in peacemaking. Such leadership is inherent in her home, whose people are still recovering from its 1999 war. “Young people in my country have a strong desire for peace,” Fika said. “We saw many things that no child should see.”

Fatmire Feka, founder of Kids for Peace in Kosovo

To date, 2,450 people are still missing from the war, including Fika’s own brother and sister. “My heart is broken,” she said. However intense her feelings of hatred had become, however, she said, “the pain needed to stop.”

Inspired by a Canadian worker from World Vision International, Fika redirected her sentiments toward an impassioned quest for peace. This quest, she said, must acknowledge the cyclical nature of conflict and, thus, create a society that respects and empowers youth. “We want our country to be a place full of love,” she said. “We must never give up.”

Aku Adzruka, a Ghanaian woman representing the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), remarked on the need to inform young women of their sexual reproductive rights so young, pregnant women are not forced to resort to unsafe abortions.

This information process, Adzruka said, must acknowledge the multifaceted causes and effects of sexuality; educators must define sexuality as a “physical, mental, emotional and spiritual phenomenon” formed by social, religious, psychological and familial factors.

Also necessary to acknowledge in addressing sexual reproductive rights, Adzruka said, are issues of self image and gender stereotypes. However daunting the task, women must take opportunities for action. “Be the leaders, and change your communities,” she demanded of the young YWCA delegates. “Don’t just sit and let the men do it. Please take action.”

Shukria Gul of Pak Plus Society

Shukria Gul, a Pakistani woman representing Pak Plus Society, offered her testimonial about living with HIV and facing the stigma and discrimination imposed by individuals and government programming, an injustice that propelled her to found an organization that assists people living with HIV and AIDS. “Freedom from discrimination is a fundamental human right,” Gul said.

Mary McPhail, an Irish woman representing the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), acknowledged the universal issue of gender discrimination and the need to join international forces in confronting such oppression. “Gender discrimination is pervasive in all our societies,” said McPhail, WAGGS’s newly appointed Chief Executive. “We have got to bring our collective strength together.”

To accomplish this task, McPhail combined her title remarks, “Girls Growing Up Smart,” with the need for a strategic approach to girls’ international empowerment. “We need to grow up smarter and more strategic,” she said. “Yes, we are all getting smarter, but really, the message is, ‘Get strategic.’” Rose Onsare, a Kenyan woman representing the Kenyan Federation of Women Lawyers, informed attendees about the need to inform the public about laws against sexual violence, such as Kenya’s Sexual Offensive Act of 2006. “There is a law that protects you against sexual violence,” Onsare said. “No means no.”

Alice Kabetsi, a Congolese woman representing the YWCA of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), spoke to the current deficit in youth employment opportunities. This trend, according to Kabetsi, affects whole societies by stunting economic development. “We (youth) are the driving force of development in our country,” she said through a translator.

To address issues of youth unemployment, Kabetsi said, the YWCA should place a high priority on this matter and become involved in investment programs. “We need to have a specific program on youth and employment,” she said.

The panel discussion concluded with a question-answer session, during which young women commented on the intersection between HIV infection and unemployment and the contradiction between employment experience requirements and the lack of opportunities for gaining such experience. “The power is ours,” a Ghanaian attendee told her fellow young women leaders. “Speak out.”