‘Finding their voice’: exploring female adolescents’ perspectives and experiences of a youth leadership programme

In order to increase women’s participation in leadership roles, an understanding of what barriers exist to inhibit female leadership development and what best practices can foster leadership in young women is needed. This qualitative study explored the leadership perspectives and experiences of eight young women (aged 14–16 years) who participated in a community-based youth leadership programme in Australia. Findings indicated that participants distinguished between believing they had the potential and skills to lead and having the confidence to say they are leaders. Gender socialization and implicit leadership beliefs influenced their understandings and perspectives of leadership and their willingness to pursue leadership. They identified the importance of female youth ‘finding their voice’ and not ‘holding back’. This study has significant potential organizational and community applications. Education and participation in community leadership programmes can be used as an opportunity to confront gendered assumptions, and better prepare young women for different types of leadership roles and foster their ability to be agents of social change.