There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing effective programmes for girls, but this guide to creating safe spaces gives a broad overview of the different areas that practitioners need to cover and inspiration as to how to cover them.

1. The essential
guide to
safe-space
programmes
for girls

2. 3. Why safe spaces?
4. Essential ingredients of a safe space for girls
5. How to make a safe space
8. What kinds of people are needed to run a safe-space
group?
10. WHO ARE THE RIGHT ROLE MODELS?
13. WHAT PLACES CAN BE SAFE SPACES?
16. How to involve girls in the process
18. Troubleshooting: What can go wrong?
21. How you’ll know if you’ve got it right
23. Case study: ADE Brasil
26. Case study: Ishaka CARE Burundi
29. Checklist of safe-space essentials
30. Your feedback
contents
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3. Why safe spaces?3
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Safe spaces are where girls go for inspiration, confidence and skills. This guide tells you how to make that
happen – take it, share it, use it.
Safe spaces are all about relationships. They are places where girls go to make connections, learn from
role models, access services and become decision-makers. Girls in poverty often have few friends, little
free time and no power. Safe spaces are places they can go to where they can meet people to help build
the relationships and find the inspiration, confidence and skills to change that.
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4. ESSENTIAL
INGREDIENTS OF
A SAFE SPACE
Girls only: Create a place and time for girls to meet without men and
boys present.
Girl ownership: Girls must own the content, the activities, the meeting
times and the group rules.
Role models: Trusted female leaders with empathy, credibility with girls,
and who care to commit. Safe-space mentors help girls to become the
best they can be, and ‘think big’ about their futures.
Friendship: The opportunity to create connections with other girls and
build trusted support networks.
Community buy-in: Several champions in the wider community need to
support girls and their safe spaces to achieve all of this.
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5. HOW TO MAKE
A SAFE SPACE
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Safety is both an emotional and a physical concept.
5
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6. ensuring girls’
emotional safety
Create a space where:
Girls can express themselves without judgment. The group focus should
be on solving problems, not judging them.
Girls can take the lead to make it fun, with games, songs and chants.
Structures for joint achievement enable girls to reach common goals
together and build trust in each other.
Girls build ground rules that can be revisited at every meeting.
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7. ensurING girls’
physical safety
Have conversations with the community to sanction girls’ safe participation.
Hold meetings at times when girls can be out and about.
Choose a place where girls are allowed to go and where they will be free
from harassment.
Ensure girls can get there safely: By private transport, walking in pairs etc.
Brand the space as ‘girl only’ through community contracts, banners,
posters, flags, T-shirts and savings lock boxes.
Make sure the skills and assets girls acquire don’t put them at risk. New
ideas and information can upset traditional views on what girls need to be
able to do or know. Desirable commodities such as mobile phones can put
girls at risk of violence.
Be aware of key danger moments for girls. Festivals, holidays and sports
events are often times when girls are most at risk. Natural disasters also
leave girls vulnerable to violence and exploitation.
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8. WHAT KINDS OF
PEOPLE ARE
NEEDED TO RUN
A SAFE-SPACE
GROUP?
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9. 1. Mentor or role model: Cares enough about girls to be there
to help them become the best they can be. Their defining
characteristics are empathy, honesty, credibility and a continuing
commitment to care.
2. Group leader or manager: Convenes groups, manages
group dynamics, keeps agendas, organises meetings etc.
Their defining characteristics are organisation, credibility and
commitment.
3. Content deliverers: Share curriculum and information with girls.
Their defining characteristics are familiarity and credibility with
the content, as well as skills in participatory training to engage
girls in sessions.
4. Facilitators: Deliver information, games and activities to maximise
learning and behaviour change. Their defining characteristics
are group empathy, group management, listening and creative
facilitation skills.
5. Representative of NGO, government etc: Assures consistency
and quality of the programme’s content and activities, manages
reporting and monitoring, and adapts tools/materials from the
implementers and communicates them to the girl group. Their
defining characteristics are organisation, attention to detail and
credibility with adult professionals.
NB. One person may perform more than one of these roles, however
it is extremely rare to find one person with the skills and time to
perform all of them. For the purpose of building strong relationships,
the mentor or role model is the most important.
A girls’ safe space, at the core, is a place she can go to for connection and inspiration. An effective way to create this emotional
closeness is through a formal safe-space group that brings girls together with a trusted adult or peer at a specific place and time.
Roles needed to run an ideal safe-space group:
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10. 10
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Real connections with girls are at the heart of safe
spaces, so a role model’s human characteristics –
empathy, commitment and credibility with girls – are
more important than her facilitation skills or her
demographics. If necessary, other adult resources can
be brought in to manage the logistics.
Here are some of the different options:
WHO ARE THE RIGHT
ROLE MODELS?
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11. TYPE OF ROLE MODEL PROS CONS When are they the right CHoice?
Near peers ⊲ Can relate to girls
⊲ Girls can view them as
slightly cooler versions of
themselves
⊲ Can be paid
⊲ May have little formal education
⊲ May not have access to resources
⊲ May have limited vision of/
exposure to different life paths for
girls
⊲ When building a leadership cadre of girls is a
priority
⊲ When girls are at serious risk every day and
need a trusted local mentor to help in case of
emergency
University students ⊲ Shows girls what success
looks like
⊲ Can be paid
⊲ Often not from girls’ own
community
⊲ May present unrealistic vision of
the future
⊲ Not available in community for
emergencies
⊲ When creating a new vision for the future is a
priority
⊲ When delivering highly technical content
Group members/peers ⊲ Elected by the group, which
lends them legitimacy
⊲ From the same community
⊲ Can receive training from
programme staff
⊲ Little formal education
⊲ Peer leadership may create
conflict
⊲ When trying to reach large numbers of girls
without significant resources for mentor
recruitment
WHO ARE THE RIGHT ROLE MODELS?
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12. TYPE OF ROLE MODEL PROS CONS When are they the right choice?
Programme staff ⊲ Can be paid
⊲ Easy to train and supervise
⊲ May be didactic ⊲ When time and budget are limited
⊲ When building girls’ leadership capabilities is
less important
Local professionals ⊲ Can create a new vision of
success for girls
⊲ May have little formal training on
how to engage with girls, manage
groups or minimise adolescent
girls’ risks
⊲ Can see girls as staffers
⊲ When creating a new vision for the future is a
priority
⊲ When delivering employability or economic
content
Teachers ⊲ Vetted community member
⊲ Experience working with girls
⊲ Can be paid
⊲ Authority figure
⊲ May be punitive or didactic
⊲ When working through schools
⊲ When trusted adults are required
WHO ARE THE RIGHT ROLE MODELS?
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13. 13
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There is no one-size-fits-all solution to this. There are a
range of public places that could be appropriate, and finding
the right one will depend on the specific circumstances in
which you’re operating. Here are some to consider:
What places can be
safe spaces?
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14. LOCATION PROS CONS
Schools ⊲ Regularly available to girls ⊲ Formal, which could be intimidating for girls who do not
normally attend school
Community centres ⊲ Formalises girls’ access to the community centres ⊲ Could be uninspiring
⊲ May not be set up for girls
⊲ May have men and boys around
⊲ May need community negotiation to make girl-only times
Youth centres ⊲ Formalises girls’ access to youth centres ⊲ Could be uninspiring
⊲ Can be unsafe for girls
⊲ Usually used by boys
⊲ May need community negotiation to create girl-only times
Mosques and churches ⊲ Respected place for girls to meet ⊲ May reinforce traditional gender norms
WHAT PLACES CAN BE SAFE SPACES?
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15. LOCATION PROS CONS
Under a tree
(open-air spaces)
⊲ Available
⊲ Free
⊲ Girl groups are very visible
⊲ Need back up for bad weather
⊲ Doesn’t ensure access to community entitlements and
therefore could reinforce girls’ exclusion
Homes of respected
community members
⊲ Respected places for girls to meet ⊲ May reinforce traditional gender norms
WHAT PLACES CAN BE SAFE SPACES?
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16. 16
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How to involve
girls in the
process
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17. HOW TO INVOLVE GIRLS IN
THE PROCESS
SAFETY-SCAPING
Safety-scaping is a powerful tool to determine when and where girls are
most safe. Girls map their community (either using drawings or GPS),
marking which times and places are safe and which aren’t.
SAFETY PLANS
Creating a safety plan is an important preventative tool that puts girls in
charge of their own safety. When creating a safety plan, girls are asked to
identify when they are most safe and most at risk; they are then advised
how to stay safe during risky times and who to go to for help.
The best way to figure out where to create a safe space, or who to use as
role models, is to co-design with the girls. Here are a couple of ways to make
sure their physical and emotional needs are embedded in the programme
from the outset.
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18. 18
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TROUBLESHOOTING:
WHAT CAN GO
WRONG?
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19. TROUBLESHOOTING:
WHAT CAN GO WRONG?
It’s not fun or valuable
Sometimes, safe-space programmes can become another school or just another
training programme – especially if fun, play and being a teenager aren’t built in
from the beginning.
Role models don’t show up
Role models often have a ton of energy for the first few months of a project but
as things get routine, they can get bored. There is also a danger that other, better
opportunities can pull them away.
Role models are unpaid
Role models are often asked to do a lot: They might be the only person to bring
girls together, share information, maintain good group dynamics and keep records.
They need to be paid to show that they are valued and to build professionalism.
Girls don’t see clubs as safe spaces
Sometimes the existence of the safe space isn’t effectively communicated and girls
don’t know that it is for them. Also, there is the possibility they don’t trust the other
girls who attend.
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20. Groups include mothers, men or boys
Girls don’t usually feel comfortable if their mums, men or boys join the group.
However, they do want to be able to share what they learn with their families –
especially their mums.
The time doesn’t work for girls
Girls have a hard time meeting during school hours or when they need to be at
church, at home or doing chores. Meeting times must be designed and set by girls.
Parents and community leaders don’t get it
When parents know what their daughters are doing and believe it’s a good use of
time, girls are more likely to be allowed to join. Otherwise, they may be kept away
from programmes because parents and community leaders don’t think it’s safe
or valuable.
It’s not safe to get to and from the space
Girls need to be safe on their way to and from their club meetings, otherwise they
won’t want to come.
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21. 21
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How you’ll know
if you’ve got it
right
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22. HOW YOU’LL KNOW IF YOU’VE GOT IT RIGHT
Through all of this, girls build social capital, which means they are:
girls BUILD RESILIENCE, DEVELOPING THE
CONFIDENCE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
GIRLS CREATE SOCIAL CONNECTIONS, A SENSE OF
BELONGING AND AN EMOTIONAL SUPPOrt NETWORK
ROLE MODELS INSPIRE GIRLS TO IMAGINE A NEW
VISION FOR THEiR FUTURES
GIRLS BECOME DECISION-MAKErS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
GIRLS DEVELOP HEALTH, FINANCIAL AND LIFE SKILLS TO
NEGOTIATE THEiR ADOLESCENCE AND learn how to get
BETTER ACCESS to HEALTH AND FINANCIAL SERVICES
LEss Likely to experience violence
Less likely to get married young
more likely to delay sexual activity
more likely to have control of their
own financial DESTINY
more likely to be able to contribute to
their community’s economy
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23. Case study:
ADE Brasil: Programa Para O Futura
Location Recife, an urban tech centre in north-eastern Brazil.
Programme goals Economic empowerment (employability/job skills and professional networks).
Reproductive health (knowledge and gender awareness).
Safe space members Girls aged 16-24.
Mentorship model eMentoring, with local female and male professionals, using online chat or email one hour per week.
Programme staff teach girls economic and health content.
Place Professional spaces, such as university classrooms, business conference rooms or offices.
Time and dosage Meet programme staff for training three times per week over six months, half a day at a time.
One hour per week on computers for eMentoring.
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24. How do girls own the
content?
Identify professional pathways they’d like to learn more about (eg HR, IT, communications, nursing); learning projects based around
girls’ interests.
Girls per mentor? 1:1 eMentoring (One girl per eMentor; eMentors may have many mentees).
25-30 girls per safe-space group, with three staff trainers.
How are communities
engaged?
Parent meetings, two to four times per six-month learning cycle.
Businesses: Employees volunteer as eMentors and girls visit companies.
Reproductive health (knowledge and gender awareness).
How to make it safe? Girl-only space. ADE uses a social worker to build emotional resilience and trust among girls. Cash deposited into a savings
account for safe transport.
Impact on girls Improved tech and employability skills, stronger professional networks, increased earnings, increased education, improved self-
perception. 45% reported career enhancement by the end of the programme compared with 14% at the start.
Case study:
ADE Brasil: Programa Para O Futura
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25. Case study:
ADE Brasil: Programa Para O Futura
Mentorship
eMentoring with working professionals is helpful in connecting girls
and mentors from different social classes because it removes visual
cues of social differences. It builds girls’ professional networks,
improves their written communication and expands their vision for
the future.
Girl profiles
Older girls with some education (aged 18-22) are in the best position
to identify their professional pathways and immediately apply the
skills learned in PPF. However, they also have more competition for
their time (eg childcare, household responsibilities). Younger girls
(aged 15-17) can spend more time on the programme, but haven’t
yet defined their professional interests and are largely still in school.
For younger girls, it has become clear that PPF needs more focus on
basic literacy and social-asset building activities.
Location
Holding training in professional settings inspires girls and gives
them a fresh vision of what they can become. It creates a sense of
entitlement to community resources. Professional settings should
be used when the aim of the programme is to prepare girls for the
formal workforce.
Dosage
1:1 eMentoring is really productive for girls and manageable for
mentors, but can be extremely challenging for the implementer to
co-ordinate. It needs strong co-ordination, management and
partnership with larger companies.
KEY LESSONS
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26. Case study:
Ishaka CARE Burundi
Location Bujumbura (urban) and Ghitega (rural).
Programme goals Group saving and lending (economic empowerment) – improve girls’ earning power through income-generating activities,
savings and financial literacy.
Social/agency empowerment – connections and networks, mentoring, group activities and human rights training.
Reproductive health – improving knowledge and attitude to engender behaviour change. Knowledge and gender awareness.
Safe space members Girls aged 14-22.
Mentorship model Girls select their trainers (who also act as mentors).
Place Girls meet under a tree, in members’ houses, the local school, church and in a respected community household.
Time and dosage Girls meet once a week (for two hours on average) for nine months. Quick surveys show 90% of girls continued to meet in their
groups on their own, without programme support.
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27. Case study:
Ishaka CARE Burundi
How do girls own the
content?
Mentors selected by the girls are trained for a week (for about 35 hours). Mentors/trainers also are provided with a refresher course
every three months.
Girls per mentor? Two mentors for every 10-20 girls.
How are communities
engaged?
Communities support group activities in their villages and provide meeting places. Adult change agents were also made part of
the programme.
How to make it safe? Girl-only space with very strict ground rules. Adult change agents work as ambassadors of girls and provide support as needed.
Impact on girls Improved earnings potential, savings, confidence and social capital. Many girls have abandoned transactional sex, and sexual and
reproductive health has significantly improved. Girls have been truly re-evaluated by their community. There was a 78% increase in
the use of contraception and a 58% reduction in the number of girls resorting to prostitution to support their needs. 82% reported
increased control over their money.
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28. Case study:
Ishaka CARE Burundi
Girls’ leadership
Girls selecting/electing the mentors/trainers makes them more
accountable to the participants. Members also determine their
own rules and decisions. They democratically elect their own
management team from the group and these roles rotate among
members. These arrangements are important for developing girls’
leadership skills and improving their civic participation.
Girl profiles
Group saving and lending is best suited to rural girls and those out of
school. In-school girls and urban girls benefitted least.
Location
In rural areas the safe space was mostly under a tree. This was
particularly challenging during the rainy season. Girls have identified
a plan B to relocate to a house or church when it rains. It is
recommended that girls have a plan A and plan B.
Dosage
The Group Saving and Lending model is well developed. Groups go
through three phases of initiation, maturation and graduation, which
takes up to 12 months. Two hours a week for nine months was the
ideal amount of time for girls to graduate and continue activities on
their own.
KEY LESSONS
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29. Self-assessment questions Questions for the girls
Is it girls only?
Did girls help design it?
Do girls have some ownership of it?
Do they get exposed to role models?
Do the girls feel both emotionally and physically safe?
Is the safe space in the right place?
Is it fun?
Do the girls feel comfortable expressing themselves openly?
Are the girls able to create friendships?
Has the wider community bought into the programme?
Checklist of safe-space essentials
10 questions to assess if your safe-spaces programme is on the right track.
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30. YOUR FEEDBACK
This guide is intended as a starting point for creating a safe-spaces
programme. We want to know how you’ve used this guide, what you’ve learnt
and what you think could be added to make it more comprehensive.
We also want to know more about your safe-spaces programmes for girls:
What they deliver, how you designed them and what the impact has been.
Email us at info@girleffect.org
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31. GIRLS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL
FORCE FOR CHANGE ON THE PLANET.
GET INSPIRATION AND TOOLS
TO UNLEASH THE GIRL EFFECT AT
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