Built by young women, for young women.
A programme of the Youth Initiative for Climate Action — Sierra Leone, turning ambition into funded, community-led climate work.
Talent was never the problem.
YICA-SL kept meeting the same young woman: clear-eyed about the climate challenge in her community, full of ideas, and locked out of the rooms where decisions and funding happen. The Young Women Climate Mentorship Programme was built to unlock those rooms.
We pair each mentee with a mentor for six months. Together they sharpen an idea into a real project, find the seed funding to start it, and see it through in the community. Two cohorts in, that model is working — and the alumnae are now part of the network the next cohort steps into.
Open the door
Pair young women with mentors to design, fund, and lead climate projects in their own communities.
Young women leading
A Sierra Leone where young women are not waiting for a seat — they are shaping the climate response.
Mentor + seed + journey
One-to-one mentorship, seed support for projects, and a structured six-month journey from idea to impact.
Our values
Young women first
Every decision is measured against one question: does this serve the young women in the programme?
Action over talk
The point is a project that exists in the world, not a certificate. We fund and finish things.
Community-rooted
Projects answer needs the mentees see around them every day — designed with their community, not for it.
Open & accountable
Clear rules, honest numbers, and safeguarding that puts the wellbeing of young women above everything.
The six-month journey
From the day a mentee is matched to the day she presents her results, here's the path she and her mentor walk together.
Match
Each mentee is paired with a mentor chosen for fit, and they set the goals for the months ahead.
Ground
Build the fundamentals — climate basics, project skills, and the confidence to lead.
Design
Shape a real community climate project: the problem, the plan, and what success looks like.
Fund
Secure seed support and line up the people and materials the project will need.
Lead
Run the project in the community, with the mentor a step behind for support.
Share
Present the results, reflect on what changed, and join the YWCMP alumnae network.