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Launching our partnership with The Young Women’s Trust

Launching our partnership with The Young Women’s Trust

Katie.Dix / 02 Sep 2019

Dear E2W member,

My name is Laura and I work for Young Women’s Trust, a charity committed to supporting disadvantaged young women into work and campaigning for equality in the workplace.

I am delighted that we are launching a partnership with E2W this year, a company who share our commitment to gender equality and are just as passionate as us about supporting women in their careers.

Through our partnership, E2W and you, their members, will get the chance to volunteer your time, raise funds and support campaigns to help more young women into work and out of poverty.

Sadly, not everyone gets the same opportunities in life and for some young women right now life is tough. Over 1 million young women across the country are currently unemployed or trapped in low paid insecure work.

Many can’t afford basic things like food, clothes or rent, and they are constantly worried about money and their future – which is having a major impact on their health and wellbeing. On top of this, as young women, they face discrimination, harassment and inequality in the workplace which makes life even harder.

At Young Women’s Trust we believe that all young women should have the opportunity to work and thrive. We support young women, especially those struggling to live on low or no pay, to get into work that is right for them. We do this by helping young women to feel more confident and ready for work and by challenging systemic and societal barriers that are holding young women back.

There are lots of ways that you can get involved in our partnership with E2W throughout the year – here are two simple ways to start:

  1. Volunteer an hour a month to give a young woman advice on her CV or job application to give her the best chance of securing an interview. If you are interested in this opportunity please email Katie at katie.dix@e2w.co
  2. Support Sarah, a member of the E2W team, who is going to trek Kilimanjaro in aid of Young Women’s Trust, by making a donation to her fundraising page. Big or small, every penny you donate will help more young women into work and give Sarah the motivation to complete here challenge. You can make a donation now at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-e2w

For more information about Young Women’s Trust

Your support will help more young women like Tayah

Becoming a teen mum

At 18 not only did I become a teen mum I also became a statistic. I hid my pregnancy for 9 months in fear of the way I’d be judged. The news of my pregnancy eventually leaked to those outside my immediate family but when bombarded with questions I still tried to hide it to save face. The shame I felt about becoming a teen mum because of the comments and dirty looks I received from both people I knew and strangers was only building my power from within. 

Life as a young carer

Life circumstances can change drastically and unexpectedly, as mine did. I went from having a strong independent mother of 7 children and 7 grandchildren to a mother who often needed my help with daily tasks including getting in and out of the bed and bath, getting off the sofa and, on occasions, going up or down the stairs.

As a care-giver it’s difficult to witness your family member deteriorate right in front of your eyes with nothing you can do about it. In my case, as my mum’s health worsened, the only thing I could do was take on the responsibility of picking up and dropping off my younger siblings to school and after school clubs. Being a family carer is not something you sign up for but something you do out of love. At times it can be challenging, and you have to put their needs above your own, but you do it with no hesitation as you're desperate to try to make their situation better. 

Pursuing my career

With the help of the Young Women’s Trust, I was able to acknowledge that I was doing so much more in my life than I believed. Although I felt my life was at a standstill, Young Women's Trust helped me to realise I was being selfless and caring while also taking care of myself and my baby at just 20 years old. Tough times never last but tough people do.

Despite the responsibilities of being a young mother and a family carer I still had hopes and dreams for my own life. I have always dreamed of working in the Metropolitan Police Service and refused to let my current situation be my final destination. Although being a single mother slightly alters the way I can work, I have started to pursue the part time role of a Special Constable until I can commit to the job full time. 

We will be running different initiatives over the next year to help The Young Women's Trust achieve their target to help 10,00 young women. We are asking you to become as involved as you can, by fundraising, raising awareness and donating. To find our more information, please contact Katie. To make a donation, please click here


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