Club Doncaster Community Sports & Education Foundation

The Changemakers Leadership Project aims to develop leadership qualities in young females at risk of involvement in violence. The initiative is being delivered over a twelve week period to six separate cohorts over the course of the academic year 2022-23.

Delivery includes a mixture of skills-based workshops, issue-based discussions, physical and/or creative activities, and social action delivery. The specific content of each course is co-designed with each cohort through youth voice activities.

The project is targeted at females in years 9 and 10 at school (aged 13-15). Participants are identified based on their historic involvement or risk of involvement in Violence Against Women and Girls. Key referral indicators include involvement with domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation, and child criminal exploitation. Other referral indicators include mental health difficulties, low self-esteem, and anger management issues.

By the end of the project, participants should have a better understanding of gender equality and healthy interpersonal relationships with others. This will enable them to recognise the behaviours associated with a perpetrator of violence against women at an early stage.

The programme also works to improve resilience and confidence, to empower participants to become leaders and more positive role models for the other females they interact with. This will help them to challenge inappropriate behaviour and incidents of Violence Against Women and Girls in an informed and practical way.