In October 2025, the new Erasmus+ European project Girls Who Lead: Navigating Leadership Skills in a Rapidly Evolving Europe officially kicked off, marking an important step forward in strengthening leadership opportunities for young women across Europe.

Designed for girls aged 16–18, with a strong focus on those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the project aims to equip the next generation with the skills and confidence needed to lead in a digital, green, and fast-changing world. With a 24-month duration, Girls Who Lead brings together education, innovation, and social impact under one comprehensive framework.

Building Future-Ready Leadership Skills

At the heart of the project is the development of a holistic leadership skills framework, reflecting what today’s European reality demands from future women leaders. The programme integrates:

  • Digital skills, including AI literacy
  • Green and sustainability competences
  • Entrepreneurial thinking and initiative
  • Emotional intelligence and social skills

These competences are addressed through a series of innovative activities, including leadership skills mapping, an interactive training programme, a dedicated Mentor Guide, and a gamified educational escape room that encourages experiential and collaborative learning. An AI-powered toolkit will also be developed, featuring podcasts and digital resources that explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping leadership and what this transformation means for young women.

From Learning to Community Impact

A defining element of Girls Who Lead is the Community Impact Initiative. Girls from all participating countries will step into real leadership roles by designing and implementing small social entrepreneurship ideas that respond to concrete needs in their local communities.

The project will conclude with the GirlLeaders Forum in Latvia, a European-level event bringing together girls, educators, mentors, and stakeholders to present results, exchange ideas, and strengthen networks.

A Strong European Consortium Driving Change

Girls Who Lead is delivered by a diverse and complementary European consortium united by a shared mission: advancing gender equality in leadership by equipping young women with future-ready skills and real opportunities to lead.

The project is coordinated by Junior Achievement Latvia, and implemented in partnership with:

  • Junior Achievement (🇨🇾 Cyprus)
  • EMPRESAS CON VALORES (🇪🇸 Spain)
  • IED (🇪🇪 Estonia)
  • SYNTHESIS Center for Research and Education (🇨🇾 Cyprus)
  • Global Women TechLeaders (🇷🇴 Romania)

Each partner brings distinct expertise, from entrepreneurship education, social innovation, and non-formal learning, to digital transformation, inclusion, and women’s leadership advocacy, ensuring a truly pan-European and interdisciplinary approach.

Global Women TechLeaders (Romania) plays a strategic role in shaping the project’s leadership vision through a gender-inclusive, technology-aware lens. Drawing on its extensive experience in empowering women in tech and leadership ecosystems across Europe, Global Women TechLeaders contributes to research, skills mapping, and programme design, while also supporting the integration of digital, AI, and leadership perspectives relevant to today’s realities. The organization is actively involved in amplifying impact, connecting the project to broader women-in-leadership networks, and ensuring that the voices and needs of girls—especially those from underrepresented backgrounds—remain central throughout implementation.

Together, the consortium works to ensure that Girls Who Lead is not only an educational initiative, but a catalyst for long-term change—supporting a new generation of girls who are prepared to lead with confidence, purpose, and responsibility in their communities and beyond.

Follow the Project

Girls Who Lead is more than a project—it is an investment in Europe’s future leaders.