Young Women’s Political Leadership Course (YWPLC) Women LEAD Nepal believes in the political empowerment of young Nepali women, achieving gender equality through strengthening the knowledge of political leadership and enabling their capacity to work as active mediators of social change and politics. Women LEAD Nepal’s Young Women’s Political Leadership Course (YWPLC) an a year-long program that introduces young women to the basics of politics and women’s leadership. The program will recruit 24 young women (aged 18-25) across diverse backgrounds as  YWPLC Fellows. 

1. POLITICS INSTITUTE  (PI): September 7- September 20: The program starts with two weeks of skills-building workshops,  where participants will gain foundational knowledge about Nepal’s democratic system and the political processes in the country. This is a great opportunity for participants to meet and hear inspiring leaders of Nepal who bring their unique experiences and perspectives to the sessions.  

2. MENTORSHIP: Each participant is paired with an alumni mentor who acts as a support system during the program and gives one-on-one guidance, support, and professional opportunities to meet their goals.

3. INTERNSHIP: The internship period will provide participants with experiences by allowing them to work under any political party or women leaders in government. This ensures that participants can apply the knowledge they gained from the Politics Institute (PI) in a real-world environment. The internship organizations are selected to promote further understanding of politics and women’s leadership. Each Fellow is required to intern for a month, and they get to choose between three months’ options.  

4. FIELD VISIT: YWPLC Field Trips are designed to introduce Fellows to the structure and functions of local government, its roles, responsibilities, and the stories of women in political leadership. Fellows interact with local leaders, politicians, government officials, local community members, and stakeholders like students, journalists, entrepreneurs, etc., to develop a broader perspective on socio-political and economic influences, successes, and shortcomings.

5. FOLLOW-UP SESSIONS: One day every month, fellows will have a follow-up session on different issues. i.e. Challenges of Nepali Democracy, Leadership, etc. 

  1. ADVOCACY PERIOD: During this period, fellows will be introduced to the basics of advocacy, project designs, and execution. So, they can later design their advocacy projects to facilitate change and development through their projects.

7. FELLOW LED PROJECT: Fellows will get to design and implement an advocacy project, as a group, to facilitate change and development during Women’s History Month. 

8. FELLOWS’ GROUP ADVOCACY PROJECT: Fellows will design their advocacy projects to facilitate change and development through their projects. 

9. GRADUATION: The program will conclude with a graduation ceremony and fellows with an attendance rate of 90% or more will receive a certificate for completing the program. 

Program Duration: One Year.
Program Capacity:24 seats 

Cost: The total cost of the year-long LEAD Course is Nrs—10,000, payable in lump sum only after being selected for the course. The fee covers all course materials, unlimited access to our resource center, a certificate, free lunches, and exclusive access to WLEAD events. DO NOT let financial concerns stop you from applying—partial and full scholarships are available to everyone who needs financial assistance. We are committed to accepting the best applicants, regardless of their financial situation. 

PROGRAM OUTLINE

The very first module, Politics Institute (PI), ensures that the participants understand the overall politics of Nepal, Nepali political history, and women in politics and leadership. The Politics Institute happens for two weeks (10 days). 

The Mentorship Module helps participants tap their assigned mentor’s existing knowledge, skills, and experiences. YWPLC alumni are mentors. Alumni who apply to be mentors get a two-day training on supporting mentees throughout the mentorship period. With the learnings from Mentorship Training, the mentors guide, support, and give feedback to the participants. 

During the Internship, each fellow is in a pair or group of three interns with an assigned organization. As for time commitment, a fellow intern for about 75/ 150-hour. The internship is designed to help participants learn and apply the learnings they gained from the Politics Institute (PI) in their internship. The internship organizations are selected in such a way, that promotes further fellows’ understanding of politics and women's leadership.

This module provides a week-long field experience with local representatives/deputy mayors/mayors/ local women politicians from different political parties. The Field Visit allows broader exposure among fellows to observe and engage with local women leaders, acquiring firsthand insights into their work, challenges, and representatives outside Kathmandu Valley.

This module ensures participants learn the basics of advocacy, project design, and execution. It further aims for the participants to reflect upon the changes they hope to achieve through their projects. The training should give them a sense of responsibility as responsible citizens and provoke them to get on their toes to play the role of youth. They receive a week-long training, a month for project inception, and a month for project implementation.

The Follow-up module guarantees that the participants learn and share their understandings of contemporary Nepali politics, foreign affairs, geopolitics, analysis of women's representation in provincial elections, etc. The participants learn to amplify their voices and accomplishments. Follow-up sessions play a pivotal role in ensuring the lasting impact and continuous growth of participants in YWPLC. It allows participants to revisit and reinforce key concepts, discussions, and lessons learned during the course so their understanding is effectively applied in real-world contexts.

The program ends with a Graduation ceremony where fellows celebrate accomplishments with family, friends, mentors, and political experts involved in the program. The fellows join the Women LEAD alumi community.

Eligibility

This is an equal opportunity program—young women from all castes, ethnicity, backgrounds, religions, abilities and sexual orientations are encouraged to apply. The basic eligibility criteria are as follows:

  • Have completed their +2 and be between the ages of 18-25
  • Comfortable communicating in English and Nepali (both written and spoken)
  • Attend all modules of the program. Detailed breakdown of program structure can be found in the application

Scholarships

Women LEAD Nepal provides full and partial scholarships for anyone in need of financial assistance. We are committed to accepting applicants on merit regardless of their economic status. Scholarship forms will be handed out during the one-on-one interviews and by Women LEAD representatives.

Skills obtained after participating in YWPLC

Political Analysis and Awareness
Public Speaking and Communication
Advocacy
Leadership and Teamwork
Networking and Relationship Building
Civic Engagement and Community Organizing

Application Process

  • Applications are due August 10, (Shrawan 26), 11:59 PM. Selected applicants will be invited for a 40-minute in-person interview at the Women LEAD’s office in Bakhundol. If selected for an interview, they will be informed by the end of the first week of October  and will be notified via call, and email