WAGGGS and the Norwegian Center for Exchange Cooperation(NOREC) have collaborated since 2015 to date to deliver the YESS Girls’ Movement, an International exchange programme. NOREC is an administrative body under the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. NOREC’s main tool is mutual exchange where they work with international partnerships that want to use exchange to learn from each other and develop.
Since 2015, over 200 young women from 16 WAGGGS Member Organisations in Africa and Asia Pacific regions have gone on international exchanges away from their home countries for at least six months through the YESS Girls’ Movement, . While in exchange, the young women have been given an international platform to lead, grow, speak out and take action on issues that affect them.
Through this partnership, over 250,000 new girls and young women have been recruited into Girl Guiding/Girl Scouting and this number is tipped to double as the project progresses. The partnership have provided young women with an international platform to take action on issues that affect them through several core initiatives including the Programme’s flagship annual YES! Girls Can Campaign, the Green Tech Generation Campaign, Good Turn Community Projects and Red Pride.
Countries that have participated in this programme include Bangladesh, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In 2022, WAGGGS and NOREC signed another five year collaboration agreement that will see over 240 other young women go for international exchanges, more than 250,000 young women joining Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting, and more advocacy campaigns undertaken.
Find out more about the YESS Girls’ Movement here