World YMCA
Powering a global movement for women and young women
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A shared mission to create a safe global home for young women leaders
The World YWCA is one of the oldest and largest women-led movements, mobilising women and young women in more than one hundred countries. Its mission is to support women to lead, engage in advocacy and take action for justice in their communities. To continue this mission across borders, the movement needed more than a website or social media space. It required a trusted digital environment where young women could meet, learn and organise safely. Open Social became that foundation, offering a multilingual, secure and accessible platform built for leadership development and cross-country dialogue.
Why World YWCA chose Open Social
Before adopting Open Social, World YWCA faced fragmented information, language barriers, safety concerns and limited access to digital opportunities for those with low bandwidth or basic devices.
Open Social was selected because it offered:
- One unified platform for leadership learning, peer support and movement building
- Deep multilingual support with translation and low-bandwidth access
- Granular roles and permissions for safe and inclusive collaboration
- Open source flexibility to connect learning tools and video conferencing
- Full data control with strong safety and transparency practices
Open Social supports feminist leadership by giving the global movement a digital home that reflects its values.
A platform that goes beyond software
Suchi Gaur, Senior Director for Strategy and Operations, explains the importance of a trusted digital environment for young women across regions:
“We needed a digital home for our global community. A space where young women could engage, share experiences and grow together in safety. Open Social gives us that space and supports us as a feminist movement.”
Ryan Stanson, Information and Technology Senior Specialist, adds:
“Leaders need confidential spaces for sensitive discussions. Young women also need welcoming places to connect. Open Social lets us offer both while keeping safety at the centre.”
World YWCA doesn’t just use Open Social as a tool. The organisation works alongside the Open Social team to shape platform capabilities in ways that support feminist leadership, young women’s safety and cross-country accessibility.
Open Social will keep supporting World YWCA’s mission to create safe, inclusive and accessible digital spaces where women and young women lead change across borders.
Connect. Collaborate. Thrive.