Inside the United Nations: Youth delegates share their experiences from New York

The Youth Champions, Shreya and Olivia, share their recent experiences attending the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations (UN) in New York City. They offer a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like for Canadian youth delegates to participate in a high-profile, international advocacy event. Shreya and Olivia explain how they got the opportunity and the challenges and learning opportunities that come with navigating UN conferences. They discuss overcoming imposter syndrome, meaningful youth engagement in policies and activism, and the importance of community-based movements in creating change. The episode is filled with practical tips for first-time attendees of global forums, including networking strategies and personal stories about sharing your voice, meeting your role models, and knowing your value. They wrap up with advice about how to start taking action on the issues you care about today. 

SHE SOARS, funded by Global Affairs Canada, is the Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment Supporting Out-of-school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills project. Learn more at: https://care.ca/shesoarsproject

Episode transcripts are available in French and English at: care.ca/shesoars.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the SHE SOARS podcast are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, standards and policies of CARE Canada. The SHE SOARS podcast is a youth-led initiative that provides space for young people to discuss global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights with the purpose of raising awareness in Canada. Listeners acknowledge that the material and information presented in the podcast are for informational purposes only and do not constitute advice or services. The podcast is for private, non-commercial use and speakers do not necessarily reflect any organization they work for.  

Transcript

[00:00:00] Paniz: Hi, and welcome to SHE SOARS. Her voice. Her rights. 

[00:00:05] Jacqueline: We are CARE Canada's Youth Champions, a group of young people across Canada who are passionate advocates for Sexual and Reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

[00:00:13] Paniz: We're excited to discuss and raise awareness about young women's rights and choices in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. ​

[00:00:18] Jacqueline: Together, we will explore how these global issues connect to our lives as Canadian youth and discover ways in which we can all take action. 

[00:00:26] Paniz: We will also talk about the SHE SOARS project, which improves access to health and education, which are areas we want to see change in. Join us!

[00:00:36] Olivia: Hi everyone and welcome back to the SHE SOARS podcast. I'm Olivia and I'm joined here today with:

[00:00:42] Shreya: Sheya.

[00:00:42] Olivia: And today we're going to be discussing our experiences in New York at the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations (UN).

[00:00:49] Olivia: So CSW or the Commission on the Status of Women was in its 70th year this year. And it is the largest gathering of UN member states and also global non-profits and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that all come to UN headquarters in New York, where there are hundreds of sessions happening throughout the week.

[00:01:09] Olivia: So there are sessions happening within the UN headquarters with government officials and government employees but also advocates and people who work in these different fields, and it all has to relate to gender equity or the status of women. So the theme of this year's CSW was ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls.

[00:01:31] Olivia: So that can look like sexual and reproductive health justice or human rights or related to how women are treated within the criminal justice system. So there are a variety of events that happen and it's a collaboration between a bunch of different countries. So there are some events that are hosted with Canada in collaboration with Uganda or New Zealand or the Netherlands.

[00:01:52] Olivia: So there are different events that happen with countries that are all a part of the UN that host different panels, workshops, and sessions so that people attending the CSW are able to gain more information around the topic or to connect with other leaders in those spaces.

[00:02:07] Olivia: So there are sessions that are happening within the UN headquarters that are hosted by different large government groups. And then there are also events that are happening parallel to the UN and these events, these parallel sessions, are happening outside of the UN headquarters in a variety of different spaces throughout New York by non-governmental organizations.

[00:02:26] Olivia: The CSW is actually two weeks starting right after International Women's Day, which was on a Sunday this year. So CSW70 started on Monday, March 9th. And Shreya and I were very fortunate and lucky to be able to attend the full first week of CSW.

[00:02:41] Olivia: So what that looked like for us was running around New York trying to find how to get into the UN building and accessing side events that were focusing on a variety of topics all related to the status of women and gender equality. So a couple of these events looked like advocating to end child marriage or how we can enhance gender-based violence preventions in Canada. We attended so many different events and it was a really incredible opportunity and we're so excited to be here today to really dive into what this CSW looks like and what does youth involvement look like in these spaces.

[00:03:14] Shreya: So you're probably wondering how did we actually get the opportunity to go to CSW and attend a conference at the United Nations. For myself and Olivia, we both have very different experiences for how we got this opportunity. I was given the opportunity from an organization called CanWaCH, which stands for the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children's Health.

[00:03:33] Shreya: They're kind of an umbrella organization, which brings together different institutional partners like academic institutions, health professionals and different people in private sectors as well and brings all these folks together so that they can address issues in sexual and reproductive health.

[00:03:49] Shreya: So they very graciously opened up a delegate program in order to be able to sponsor young Canadians from across the country to be able to come to this. CARE Canada happens to be a member of CanWaCH so I put forth an application and I got accepted.

[00:04:04] Olivia: And I was able to attend CSW through an organization called the Canadian Federation of University Women, or CFUW. So currently I am working as a board member as a young director. So I completed a Rise on Boards program through FORA, which is a nonprofit organization based in Toronto. And they have a program that helps train young women and gender diverse youth to become members of different nonprofit boards. So I'm very thankful to be a young director on CFUW’s board who does have ECOSOC status, which is the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

[00:04:40] Olivia: So when you are with an organization that has ECOSOC status, they help to give passes to different delegate groups. So CFUW's mission is really to promote and enable women's learning and empowerment to achieve educational and economic as well as social justice change.

[00:04:57] Olivia: So I was very fortunate to be able to attend CSW with this amazing group of women. And can I just say that throughout the week, I have never learned more. It was a week of exceptional learning for me. I think Shreya and I attended over 20 sessions throughout the five days that we were there. I was able to not only sit in these sessions and to learn from these incredible women across the world, but also for me, I really found that a lot of my learning came from the side conversations and the connections I made with other youth, other delegates for the CSW in between these different sessions. Shreya and I were really able to meet some incredible people and have some really impactful conversations.

[00:05:33] Shreya: You don't have to pay to go to the United Nations. It's not like a pay to play, but to obtain those types of ground passes and things to actually go into the building as an organization for these types of events, you have to have a non-governmental organization that has this ECOSOC status in order to be eligible, which makes it hard for young people to be able to go because one of the qualifications you have to have is you have to be over 18 years of age. Your NGO has to also have a letter signed that has to get approved, and there are tons of different layers to that process, which is why usually the way that young people are able to participate is working alongside or volunteering or anything of that sort with an organization that has these passes.

[00:06:14] Shreya: Something that's really challenging for young people is also finding an opportunity that can be fully funded. Some organizations do have passes, but they don't have the capacity to support you financially to attend versus other ones that are able to cover your expenses as well, which can make it very challenging for young people to attend because you have to find an organization that has enough extra passes that they can send their own delegates that might be part of their internal team as well as extra, and then also have the ability to fund you to go as well.

[00:06:43] Olivia: So one of the key things that Shreya and I looked at and collaborated with before we attended the CSW was trying to plan out our week. So essentially, throughout the UN building, but as well as parallel events, there are dozens of events happening sometimes at the same time, in the same building or the city in another area. And each and every event has its own goal, its own topic, its own people speaking at it.

[00:07:09] Olivia: So Shreya and I really spent a lot of time organizing beforehand what sessions we wanted to attend, what our interests were, and what kind of events we wanted to be going to throughout the week.

[00:07:19] Shreya: Our first step was pouring over this schedule and we really mapped an itinerary to ensure that we had time to travel from one session to another, to be able to attend events that had all different types of topics. Like we said, there was gender-based violence, there were youth specific events, and there were even events that were specific to Canada.

[00:07:39] Shreya: So we wanted to make sure we kind of got a little bit of everything. But that also meant that we were starting our day at 8:30 a.m. and going all the way until 6:30 p.m. or something like that, I think was the latest event. And then afterwards we still had dinners that we could go to and different meetings and things like that. So it got really overwhelming really quickly. And I want to say that we spent like at least over five hours planning exactly what our week would look like and it still didn't work out that way. There were so many events that got posted a couple days before or even the day of that we found so interesting.

[00:08:14] Shreya: And then we had so many meetings with other people. I feel like we found often that events started much later than they said they were going to because there are so many people traveling from different sessions coming to each event. So a lot of times you were hopping in and out of different sessions so you could go get the next one and everyone was doing it together and was just like mutually confused, which I was surprised by.

[00:08:34] Shreya: I was actually shocked that so many people were also as confused as we were. Even though they had been to the event so many times, it was just like a rush of the city. I feel like everyone had this type of chaos about them but that made it very fun to navigate together.

[00:08:48] Olivia: I completely agree. It was very funny how we tried to be so prepared and so on it with the schedule and what our experience would look like. And although we had an amazing experience – I don't actually think I've learned so much in a week before – it did look completely different from how we had planned. So it was a lot of kind of going with the flow or seeing what sessions were full or what ones were still available. But ultimately within these events you are able to connect with so many amazing people and it truly was an incredible opportunity to be able to hear these impactful speakers and to meet so many youth from Canada, but also from across the world. So it was very neat.

[00:09:24] Shreya: So there was a lot of little tips and tricks that we wish we knew before we got there that we wanted to document and share for anyone who is going there in the future. So I thought it would be fun if we did a little rapid-fire of different things to pack and stuff to be aware of before you go to your first or maybe one of many United Nations convenings. So let's start.

[00:09:47] Olivia: Also, I think some of these tips and tricks are applicable in other spaces as well, even just in like professional environments. I know I always had a hard time figuring out how to act in professional environments. You're always told, “Oh just be yourself” but what does that actually look like when you're trying to be professional in these spaces? But yes, okay. Let's jump into some quick tips and tricks that we wish we knew before we attended CSW. Please feel free to take them with a grain of salt.

[00:10:13] Shreya: Okay. First tip, you have to bring a notebook. I feel like I wrote down so many key messages and like data and points that people shared, especially since the topics are so niche. Sometimes you truly end up learning like an insane amount of knowledge just from attending a one-hour session.

[00:10:32] Olivia: A tip and trick I wish I knew beforehand was to practice on your pitch. How are you going to introduce yourself to the people you meet in these spaces? What are three things you want every person to know about you and the organization that you're there with? Having that prepared ahead of time so when you meet someone quickly and you only have a couple seconds or a couple minutes to chat with them will help a lot.

[00:10:52] Shreya: My next one is having a digital business card and a physical [one] obviously but having a digital business card was huge. Someone at one of our sessions showed us how to make one and if somebody scans your QR code, you can send over your email, your LinkedIn, and any other platform that you want to connect with them on in just like a snap.

[00:11:11] Shreya: And then they have it like sitting in their inbox in order to be able to follow up with you later on, which I found so helpful because in the moment it's hard to grab all the contact info and connect with people so quickly, especially if you're all talking in a circle. So I feel like making a digital business card was definitely one of the highlights of my week because I got to connect with so many more people.

[00:11:32] Olivia: My next tip would be to wear comfortable shoes, and everyone told us that beforehand, but that can mean sneakers. That does not have to be professional shoes. Wear clothing and wear shoes that you're comfortable wearing so you're not going to be uncomfortable throughout.

[00:11:47] Shreya: Yeah. Another thing I found out is that the UN does not have a coat check so you do have to lug your coats and jackets and whatever else everywhere with you. So depending on what the weather is looking like, just keep that in mind. And layers were super important. I feel like some rooms were really, really cold and some rooms were really, really warm. And just making sure that you can be comfortable in those spaces. I feel like layers were really a good call for us throughout the week.

[00:12:12] Olivia: I guess this is more a piece of advice, but my next tip would be that imposter syndrome isn't real in every space that you're in. I remember going on the Monday, and Shreya and I were both a bit in shock just kind of standing there like are we actually qualified to be here? What are we actually doing?

[00:12:28] Olivia: But chances are there are dozens of other people in that space that are feeling the exact same way. And you deserve to be in every room that you are in. And so when you are in these spaces, it can be hard to remember that, but really just focus on showing up in the best capacity that you can show up. Whether that just be taking notes, whether that's asking questions, or connecting with everyone else, however you show up in that space and make it your own is perfect.

[00:12:53] Shreya: Absolutely. I think that's a great way for us to actually segue into making the space just feel less scary and demystifying the opportunity and how you can feel like you are contributing to all the progress that's happening there. I feel like for CSW and just like going to the United Nations in general, we were very starstruck by the people that we got to meet and got to see in real life.

[00:13:18] Shreya: Like we met so many folks in the Canadian government and just different governments all across the world. It felt really scary being a young person entering that space but I think a lot of people were so welcoming of us and were really patting us on the back, especially if we ever spoke in any of the sessions or asked questions.

[00:13:36] Shreya: I remember right after I asked my first question, I was so nervous and I like filmed the whole thing. I was like, oh my gosh, I did it. And then somebody who was in the audience from a government delegation came up and was like, “Great job on asking a question. That was super impressive.”

[00:13:50] Shreya: And I was like, oh! I think people were very, very welcoming and really happy to cheer us on. But yeah, I think in order to help navigate some of that stress, maybe we can just normalize that we were actually very excited to be there and were freaking out the entire time. And we're literally fangirling every time we saw somebody that we knew.

[00:14:09] Shreya: I mean, I saw Malala getting into an elevator and that was like the craziest moment. I feel like I need to tell the story. It was so funny. But yeah, like I was just standing around on the phone literally talking to my doctor, and I turned around and then she was just standing right in front of me.

[00:14:25] Shreya: But more so than just seeing Malala in general, it was more like wow. Truly everyone comes together for this event. And seeing people of like all these different calibers, it can be very scary not knowing how to interact with them. And like my jaw was dropped and I was like, “Hi...”

[00:14:40] Shreya: And she was like literally, who is this girl? As I acted like I knew her. But where was I going with this? I just thought that was just a really funny moment. 

[00:14:49] Olivia: No, that was a good moment for sure.

[00:14:51] Shreya: Yeah. 

[00:14:52] Olivia: The CSW was an amazing opportunity and I did learn so much especially in those one-on-one conversations when you're waiting to get into a session or when you're out for lunch with the people that you've just met and really being able to connect and hear what they're up to.

[00:15:06] Olivia: I found that that was super impactful. And like you mentioned, there are so many big names or people who are doing international work that are in this space. It can feel really overwhelming. And on the Monday, I felt like a fish out of water. I think I said that a couple times. Everyone was like, “How was CSW? How did it go?”

[00:15:24] Olivia: But the first afternoon, Shreya and I were like okay, let's set little goals and I think that really helps a lot. And then by the end of the week, we were able to still navigate the same space maybe without as many moments being lost.

[00:15:36] Olivia: Setting those little steps I found helped a lot. But also, I think something that really stood out to me was that it ultimately came back to grassroot movements, so that kind of is referring to movements that are happening within people's own communities. Even on this global stage and in this global environment, the amount of people I was connecting with who were talking about the issues specifically within their communities or the work that they're doing in their communities that led to them being at the United Nations was really impactful for me. And that was definitely something that I took away from that space is the importance of grassroots movements and the importance of involvement within your own sphere.

[00:16:13] Shreya: I think like even though we did interact with so many people that have so many years of experience or knowledge, I feel like nobody made us feel as though we were lesser than them. And remembering that you have your own lived experiences and your own knowledge that you're bringing from your community there and keeping in mind that you are representing your community was like the biggest thing of empowerment for myself. I think there is truly an emphasis on recognizing that everybody's lived experience brought value to that room.

[00:16:44] Shreya: And so that really helped with the imposter syndrome in that sense is knowing that I was able to say like, “Hey, I know that people in my community struggle with this. Do you have any advice? Like how can we approach solving a problem because I see that you are able to do that or I see that you're an expert in that domain.”

[00:16:59] Shreya: And I think that getting that advice and getting comfortable doing that was really, really great for us because at the end of the week, we felt like we could approach anyone and ask any type of question, and we both did. That was one of the many goals that we had was to ask questions and in one of the bigger sessions. Even though we were really nervous to do so, we both walked away checking that box and I was really proud of us for that.

[00:17:21] Shreya: And I think by the end of the week, we truly did feel like we were pros at the whole thing.

[00:17:25] Shreya: The main kind of takeaway that we had from CSW was really recognizing that the intention of this international convening is to be able to speak on and share our experiences with like these localized micro-actions that we have within our communities and seeing the opportunity to replicate those things. Because when it comes to global impact, what it really is, is a movement that starts small and then is able to spread. And I think we saw this a lot. We were talking to a delegate from the European Union and we were talking about different challenges that we're facing in Canada with youth engagement and how we can better solve that.

[00:18:08] Shreya: And from that conversation, the advice that we got was like, okay, you start a movement here and then it just slowly spreads and then eventually it becomes a regional thing, it becomes a national thing, and then eventually it translates into an international thing. And there was a lot of knowledge sharing in that sense. But truly, the point of this whole international gathering is to be able to talk about the problems that we face and knowledge share and be able to come back to our communities with solutions. And I feel like that's exactly what CSW helped us do is we were able to walk away with ideas and partnerships and new communities to engage with to better understand how we can support the communities that we live and work in.

[00:18:55] Olivia: A hundred percent. And a question I get from youth in my own community and my peers is well, “How do I start? How do I get opportunities like that or how do I enter these spaces?” And it does ultimately come back to the grassroots and community-based involvement. And everyone has their own toolbox of skills that they have that they can apply and bring to these spaces. And when it comes to community impact, there is room for everyone. So if you have an interest in a certain area or skills in a certain area that's needed, then I think it's really important to show up and to consistently be involved within your communities.

[00:19:31] Olivia: And if you're having trouble finding ways on how to do that or how to show up in those spaces, you have the tools. You have the ability. Maybe you're interested in an area and there is a need in your community that you're seeing isn't being met and you want to help but you're not sure how, then you can start your own movement.

[00:19:46] Olivia: You can start your own group or start having these conversations. Or maybe there is a group you're interested in getting involved with but you're not sure how. Message them on LinkedIn, message them online, or just show up to their events or find different ways to put yourself in the spaces. Because ultimately you have the power to do that and you have the ability to make change in your community. And it is changes in those community that will make a global shift.

[00:20:09] Shreya: A hundred percent. I think to further touch on what you said, the way that I like to approach activism in deciding whether you should be lending your time to an already existing organization or creating your new one is, like you said, finding that gap and building from there. But the first thing that I like to do is an audit of my community currently, which looks like: What struggles do I constantly hear people are saying that I resonate with?

[00:20:37] Shreya: Is there an organization that is already working in that intersection or even within that category more broadly or within that sector? Then is there somebody who is working on that specifically more niche? That I feel like looks like Googling, going to events related to that topic, talking about your interests, etc.

[00:20:56] Shreya: Then seeing, okay, like is it possible for me to find other people who are committed enough to this goal to be working on it together and then starting your own movement and solving that problem? I think I was a victim of putting international convenings on a pedestal and thinking that this is where I need to be in order to enact change.

[00:21:18] Shreya: But realizing now that that group and everyone who attended was made up of people with localized impact made me realize how much more important it is to have that knowledge and that experience about your unique community and your community's unique struggles because that made the dialogue so much richer when people would come from different countries and different backgrounds and have the same problem. We were truly able to give each other really solid advice. If I knew that I was not really great at this and this other community did that really well, we were actually able to build a solution off of that. And I feel like Olivia and I walked away being like, oh my goodness, we found a deficiency in our community. Now we need to try to solve that problem.

[00:22:02] Shreya: And that's exactly how those types of chain reactions started. And that was just because we got this advice from another community who said, “This is what worked for us.” So yeah, if there is any advice I feel like I learned it was truly like don't underestimate the power of your local impact because often you see the results and the value that you add to your community right there in front of you.

[00:22:27] Shreya: And yeah, I think that is more important than anything else. But this was still a very incredible opportunity for us to learn from people that we wouldn't have otherwise met and I was really thankful for that. 

[00:22:39] Olivia: A hundred percent. And also something I was reflecting on as you were speaking Shreya is if you are wondering what these sessions look like or what these parallel events look like, there are ways to check it out online. There are ways to look at recordings of sessions that happen in the UN as well as a lot of the parallel events that happen that are hosted by NGOs from around the world. A lot of them are virtual so you can register. You do not need to pass, not for all of them. But for the majority of them, you do not have to be associated with an ECOSOC organization. There are still ways for you to learn or to meet people in these spaces by going to a Zoom session or attending an event online. Because when you are interested in an area or you want to make a change in that area, learning from pre-existing people in those spaces or meeting people who work in these fields is super important. It helps to further your knowledge but also to help you create connections in these spaces as well.

[00:23:35] Olivia: So I would definitely recommend looking for sessions online or trying to check out recordings of things as well.

[00:23:41] Shreya: One thing that I left CSW thinking a lot about is how we can better engage young people in politics and in policy change, policy enactment and things like that. I think this is a topic that I've always struggled to communicate the importance of but now, more than ever, it’s important with everything that we were talking about at these high-level events. I think a truly always underrepresented demographic is young people, mainly because the barrier to engage is so much higher just generally. But one thing that I find that's really important is that young people need to know that all these policies that are being created are eventually going to be inherited by us. And one thing that's super important is as young people, if we are advocating for ourselves, we are also advocating for many generations to come.

[00:24:36] Shreya: All policies that are being created will impact youth in some shape or form. And if they're being created without us in mind, we are doing a disservice to every other generation that's past us.

[00:24:50] Shreya: And it's that much harder to undo those mistakes. So your engagement now more than ever is truly so important. I think something I have said time and time again is that one thing that I really love about young people is that we have the ability to dream and really conceptualize like any and every type of solution, even if they have the potential to not work, but it's because we don't have the limitations of money and necessarily understanding the broader like economic gains or losses or things like that. Like you can truly dream as big and as much as you want to. And you're not confined by like these societal expectations because that's just what being truly a young person is all about.

[00:25:39] Shreya: And I think we need some of that. I think we need people who are disconnected in order to weigh in and give their opinions. Because once you're kind of like within government or you're within these types of spaces, I feel like you have a very specific mindset when you look at global politics. 

[00:25:57] Olivia: That was a really good point. And I think we need creative out-of-the box thinkers. Youth bring a lot of the creativity and the out-of-the-box thinking that is needed to address social change. Also, I don't know if you've heard this as well Shreya but something that I hear youth or Gen Z talking about a lot is like, why should I care?

[00:26:15] Olivia: Or why should I get involved? Like there's already people working on those issues. We need your voice. Your voice is going to add new perspective. It's going to add new ideas and ideas to enact change that no other person is able to bring. And it is absolutely fundamental for youth to care and to want to get involved now more than ever because we are seeing changes happening that are not consistent with the way the world has been going in the past.

[00:26:40] Olivia: And we need to be working on trying to enact positive social change to not only support Canadian youth but youth around the globe because the time is more pressing now than ever for youth to get involved and to share their voices and to come with, as you said, their dreams and their aspirations and their goals for wanting to create a more inclusive and better society.

[00:26:59] Olivia: So I challenge everyone listening to the podcast and everyone to really find a way to get involved in your community. It can look like so many different things and you can find a way that's right for you. But really if you're waiting for a sign or a call to action to start a blog or to start posting more seriously on your Instagram or to reach out to that person you have looked up to for a really long time, or to rebrand yourself or to do any of these things to try to enact social change or further yourself in these fields, this is your call and this is your time to really take that action because we need your voice. But what if you're looking for a very tangible opportunity or a very real way to get involved Shreya? Do we have anything exciting coming up?

[00:27:41] Shreya: Oh my goodness, excellent question. Well, if you want to do what we're doing, hosting our podcast and going to really cool events and become a Youth Public Engagement Champion, we have applications opening up very soon to join the team. So be sure to follow us along on our social media and stay tuned for that announcement so that you can apply and be part of the change and help us advocate for sexual and reproductive health awareness. So stay tuned for that.

[00:28:07] Olivia: Amazing. And also make sure to check out our social media to see more about Shreya and my journey at CSW and the other work that we are doing as YPEC. And thank you so much for tuning into the episode today. We hope you learned a little bit more about the Commission on the Status of Women and what that experience looks like as youth attending for the first time. That was my first time in New York, the first time attending an event hosted by the UN, and again, I just want to thank the CFUW for inviting me to be part of their delegation. And I'm just unbelievably grateful for the opportunity and the amount of information that I learned.

[00:28:42] Shreya: Yep. And thank you so much to CanWaCH and to CARE for my opportunity to attend. I think that as Youth Public Engagement Champions, as part of this YPEC team, we have had so many incredible opportunities to advocate for causes that we care about across Canada. And we've truly been able to have this localized impact as well as this national impact which has been huge for us.

[00:29:05] Shreya: So I strongly encourage that everyone apply when the time comes. Then yeah, be sure to check out all the behind-the-scenes that we're going to be posting and sharing about this opportunity. And tune in for our next episode of the SHE SOARS podcast soon.

[00:29:20] Olivia: Thank you so much for listening and we'll see you next time. Bye!

[00:29:25] Jacqueline: Thanks for listening to SHE SOARS. If you like this episode, please share it on social media, connect with us in the comments, or give us a like.

[00:29:32] Paniz: Make sure to catch our next episode by subscribing to our channel and following us wherever you get your podcasts.

[00:29:38] Jacqueline: Follow @CARECanada on Instagram for updates on our show and the project.

[00:29:43] Paniz: SHE SOARS stands for Sexual and reproductive Health and Economic empowerment, Supporting Out of school Adolescent girls Rights and Skills in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia.

[00:29:52] Jacqueline: The project is funded by Global Affairs Canada. Check out our global partner organizations. The Center for Reproductive Rights and Restless Development for even more project updates. 

[00:30:02] Paniz: Thanks again for listening. Until next time!