When one Canberra teenager first connected with Fearless Women, she wasn’t attending school and had little sense of what the future might hold. With the support of a mentor, she gradually rebuilt her confidence, returned to education and eventually chose to pursue university study in a STEM field
For Fearless Women CEO Glenda Stevens, it’s a reminder that meaningful change doesn’t always happen through grand gestures.
Sometimes mentors say, ‘I’m not doing anything. We’re just chatting over coffee,’” she says. “But that’s really important because you’re there.”
It is this simple but powerful idea that sits at the heart of Fearless Women, a Canberra charity supporting girls and young women to navigate adolescence with greater confidence, resilience and self-belief.
Despite Canberra’s reputation as an educated and prosperous city, a 2018 Australian National University report found that girls aged 15 to 19 in the ACT were experiencing higher levels of psychological distress than girls anywhere in Australia.
At the same time, community leaders noticed there were established mentoring opportunities for boys, but few equivalent programs designed specifically for girls. A group of concerned Canberrans decided it was time to change that.
Stevens joined the organisation as its first employee and spent months researching what young women actually wanted before any programs were developed.
“We didn’t want to replicate what other organisations were already doing,” she says. “We wanted to understand where the gaps were and what girls needed.”
That research found many young women weren’t experiencing major mental health issues but were looking for guidance during the often-uncertain transition from childhood to adulthood. They wanted someone to help them discover who they were, build confidence, find their voice and better understand the opportunities available to them.
Today, Fearless Women supports around 80 young girls and young women through its structured two-year mentoring program.
Each participant is carefully matched with a trained volunteer mentor who shares similar interests. The pairs meet every fortnight while also taking part in monthly group activities organised by Fearless Women, ranging from volunteering opportunities and creative workshops to behind-the-scenes experiences at Canberra institutions and cultural events.
The aim isn’t simply to keep young people busy. It’s to broaden their horizons and help them discover interests, strengths and possibilities they may never have considered.
“Everybody has gifts and talents,” Stevens says. “Sometimes it just takes some of us longer to discover what they are.”
The organisation also delivers empowerment programs in schools and community settings, helping girls build resilience while developing skills such as setting healthy boundaries, understanding emotions and navigating friendships. For young people needing additional support, counselling is available before or alongside mentoring.
Stevens describes the organisation as offering a “no wrong door” approach, recognising that every young person’s journey is different.
One teenager, who had experienced significant upheaval and was living with her grandmother, joined the mentoring program before moving interstate. When she later returned to Canberra, one of her first calls was to her mentor, asking if she could come back.
Fearless Women welcomed her back without hesitation. With ongoing encouragement, she eventually found a pathway that suited her, choosing vocational education after taking time to explore her options. For Stevens, stories like these demonstrate that success doesn’t always follow a straight line.
“We’re not there to make decisions for them,” she says. “We’re there to help them explore their options and keep moving towards a direction.”
Women interested in becoming mentors undertake screening, training and ongoing support before being matched with a young person. Stevens says many volunteers tell her they either had a mentor who changed their own life or wish they’d had one growing up. Information on Becoming a Mentor can be found here.
Looking ahead, her greatest hope is that every girl knows support is available when she needs it.
“I’d love to say that in 20 years’ time Fearless Women wasn’t needed,” she says. “But realistically, I think it will be. I just hope girls and young women know we’re here, and that there are people in this community who genuinely want to help them become the best version of themselves.”
Fearlessness rarely grows alone.
It grows through practice, connection and people who make room for us to try. Looking for a place to build confidence, meet people or explore what comes next? Discover programs for girls, young women and women in Canberra. Explore local programs HERE
