DESIGNED FOR GIRLS, WITH GIRLS HOW YEGNA WAS CREATED TOGETHER WITH ETHIOPIAN GIRLS

CONTENTS 1  WHAT IS YEGNA? 2  WHAT MAKES A GREAT GIRL-CENTERED INSIGHT? 3  THE INSIGHTS • GIRLS LOSE AMBITION WITHOUT ROLE MODELS • FRIENDS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE TO HER LIFE • CELEBRATING DIVERSITY CAN HELP GIRLS UNITE • APPEALING TO HER COMMUNITY WILL HELP REACH HER • SELF-EXPRESSION IS EMPOWERING 4  WHAT WE’VE LEARNT TO DATE

YEGNA IS ETHIOPIA’S FIRST TEEN BRAND. It means “ours” in Amharic. It’s a radio drama, talk show and music band that champions the potential of Ethiopian girls. Yegna was created after talking to more than a thousand of girls about the challenges they face and the dreams they have for the future. It appeals to men and boys too, as we want them to believe in the potential of girls as much as girls themselves do. This presentation will share how we arrived at the insights that led to the development of Yegna.

WHAT’S YEGNA?

YEGNA RADIO DRAMA: The 30-minute radio drama features five girls from different backgrounds, who come together through a shared love of music to form a band. The drama follows their individual stories, the problems they face at home, in school and through life on the streets.

YEGNA TALK SHOW: Each episode of the radio drama is followed by Yegna Sa’at, a half-hour talk show that explores the issues raised in Yegna through features, interviews and audience interaction.

YEGNA MUSIC: Every episode of the drama and talk show features a new song from the Yegna band. As the drama unfolds, the band develops its own youthful sound, rooted in Ethiopian culture but with a modern twist.

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WHAT MAKES A GREAT GIRL-CENTERED INSIGHT?

An insight is the why behind the what. Crucially, insights are not facts, observations or statistics. They are information gathered and then processed into knowledge.

A good insight takes in lots of disparate facts, observations, themes and snippets of information, and reaches a new conclusion – one which no one else has reached before – one which enables us to understand why someone thinks something or has done something.

To find out more about how to create insights, download our Insights Toolkit from www.girleffect.org/insightstoolkit

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THE INSIGHTS Our research revealed 5 key insights that helped informed Yegna:

1.  GIRLS LOSE AMBITION WITHOUT ROLE MODELS 2.  FRIENDS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE TO HER LIFE 3.  CELEBRATING DIVERSITY CAN HELP GIRLS UNITE 4.  APPEALING TO HER COMMUNITY WILL HELP REACH HER 5.  SELF-EXPRESSION IS EMPOWERING

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1. GIRLS LOSE AMBITION WITHOUT ROLE MODELS

INSIGHT SOLUTION IN ACTION Girls in Ethiopia lack positive role models. Without role models a girl’s aspiration is limited: she can’t imagine a life beyond what she sees around her. Most often in Ethiopia this life will be one of domestic and family duties, since 45 per cent of girls aged 12-14 do a minimum of 28 hours of housework per week.

Create something for girls to believe in and aspire to, by providing them with positive multidimensional role models.

Through the story lines in the drama and the personal stories of guests shared in the Talk Show, Yegna gives girls positive role models to aspire to. One example is the character of Mimi who lives on the street but aspires to start her own business. The other Yegna girls look up to Mimi’s confidence and strength and she has emerged as one of the most popular characters in Series 1 of the drama. Behavioral change theory is woven into the arc of the narrative. The stories reflect situations Ethiopian girls face and illustrate ways that, with support, they can overcome challenges to reach their personal goals.

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INSIGHT 1 IN ACTION: THE CHARACTER OF MIMI, A STREET GIRL STARTING HER OWN BUSINESS — A POSITIVE ROLE MODEL

2. FRIENDS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE TO HER LIFE

INSIGHT SOLUTION IN ACTION When Ethiopian girls become adolescents, parents often choose to keep them indoors to protect them from the threat of violence and preserve their value for marriage. This means girls are often socially isolated and lack confidence in themselves and other girls. This is shown by the fact that 21 per cent of girls in Ethiopia describe themselves as having no friends.

Create a network of five friends for all Ethiopian girls. With five friends, a girl’s world opens up. Each member of the group will offer unique assets which are multiplied and shared by all of them. Within this type of social network, a girl’s confidence thrives: she learns to trust others at an individual and group level.

The Yegna drama follows the story of the five girls as their friendship develops, and illustrates the support and strength which friends offer to one another. As the series developed, the evolving friendship between Mimi (a street girl) and Emuye (a school girl experiencing domestic violence) captured the hearts of the audience. Yegna Connections will also be piloted later this year - a safe space for hard-to-reach girls to come together and develop life skills through creative games. Its goal is to unite girls in communities.

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INSIGHT 2 IN ACTION: FIVE GIRLS CAN OFFER EACH OTHER SUPPORT AND STRENGTH

3. CELEBRATING DIVERSITY CAN HELP GIRLS UNITE

INSIGHT SOLUTION IN ACTION Girls see themselves as proudly Ethiopian, and part of their communities as well as girls. They have a desire to remain strongly connected to their family and their social groups.

 'Yegna’ (‘ours’ in English) is a word that captures the importance of collective culture to girls, while also acknowledging that they have nothing which is truly 'theirs' - especially space and time. ‘Yegna’ is a space and world for girls, but it is enjoyed by everyone.

Yegna values diversity and promotes unity between girls from different backgrounds, as well as appealing to others in society to champion the potential of girls The five girls in the drama all have different lives and personalities, but their shared love of music creates an unlikely friendship that each character draws on as she faces different challenges.

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INSIGHT 3 IN ACTION: COMING TOGETHER IN UNLIKELY YET SIGNIFICANT FRIENDSHIPS

4. APPEALING TO HER COMMUNITY WILL HELP REACH HER

INSIGHT SOLUTION IN ACTION Girls recognize that altering the attitudes and behaviors of those around them (men, boys, gatekeepers) is critical to bring about change in their lives. Without shifting male attitudes and perceptions of girls, Yegna will not be able to reach or empower girls.

We want boys and those around her be champions for girls and the Girl Effect as much as girls themselves. To achieve this it’s important not to alienate boys and men and create content that appeals to them.

The Yegna drama features positive male role models and illustrates healthy relationships between girls and boys. For instance, Manti a lead male character in the show, is the Yegna group’s number one fan. The talk show also features male guests who boys and men can look up to. For instance, the talk show featured an interview with Adissu Demissie in Series 1, a former shoe shine boy who went on to become a successful choreographer.

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INSIGHT 4 IN ACTION: POSITIVE MALE ROLE MODELS FOR BOYS AND MEN

5. SELF-EXPRESSION IS EMPOWERING

INSIGHT SOLUTION IN ACTION Music and dance are at the heart of Ethiopia’s culture (both past and present) and are means of expression that all girls relate to and enjoy.

By reflecting what is true and positive within Ethiopian culture i.e. music and dance we can draw our audience to Yegna and gain trust and relevancy as a brand. This allows us to create spaces (virtual and real) for girls to celebrate being a girl.

Yegna leads on entertainment: exceptional production values; engaging creative campaigns and inspiring music to attract girls to the brand. Yegna presents a positive and progressive vision of girls coming together to learn from one another whilst being rooted in and true to Ethiopian culture.

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INSIGHT 5 IN ACTION: FUSING TRADITIONAL AND ETHIOPIAN MUSIC AND DANCE WITH MODERN FORMS

AUDIENCE REACTIONS TO YEGNA

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“Powerful lyrics! It [the Abet music video from the show] advocates girls’ and women’s human rights to be recognised within the Ethiopian context.”

“Hi Yegna, I love your show you have me glued to my radio every Sunday (and I’m more of a TV kind of guy).”

“There are many youth who have their own talent… but for many reasons can’t show it to the world around them. You show that.”

“My wife and I listen to programme all the time.”

“I am so happy to see Ethiopians being just Ethiopians, modernising our true selves without trying to imitate others.”

“I’m proud of being female.”

“Yegna, I think Ethiopian people will change their imagination for women.”

“You [Yegna] are making me look forward to life.”

“Yegna is my favourite program. It is a mirror to my life.”

“The drama teaches you about friendship, trust and respect.”

“I realise I want change by listening to you.”

“Mimi character + ability fully fits the English saying "Do not judge a book by it's cover" She is just brilliant!!!”

“Yegna you are truly ours.”

“Touching drama and has increased my respect for women.”

WHAT WE’VE LEARNT TO DATE 1.  PRESENT A PROGRESSIVE VISION OF GIRLS & THEIR

POTENTIAL TO GIVE GIRLS SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN AND ASPIRE TO

2.  STAY TRUE TO OUR CORE PRINCIPLE: 'START WITH THE GIRL’. DRAW ON THE DIVERSE EXPERIENCES OF ALL ETHIOPIAN GIRLS, INCLUDING THE MOST VULNERABLE AND EXCLUDED

3.  REFLECT WHAT IS POSITIVE AND TRUE OF CULTURE TO

CREATE AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

To find out more about how to create insights, download our Insights Toolkit from www.girleffect.org/insightstoolkit

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