Girls want to make a difference to society, but leadership models need redefining to support them to do so. (When asked about career ambitions, ‘being a leader’ ranked as the lowest priority on a list of 17 attributes for girls, yet two-thirds say they want to have social impact in their work and 30% have been actively involved in campaigning or awareness raising in the last year). We know that these issues are compounded for girls who face other forms of disadvantage or marginalisation.

For the first time, WOW will produce a professionally edited book of new writing by young women and non-binary activists who are leading change in their own communities throughout the UK. The WOW Young Leaders Anthology: A Manifesto for the Future will champion and showcase different forms of girl leadership, representing a wide range of lived experience: of our existing UK cohort of young leaders (built since 2020) 78% are from communities experiencing racism and 17% disabled or neurodivergent.