Adolescent girls (10 – 16 year) participate in sessions (duration up to ten months) in the community. They play netball and learn life skills from young female coaches – role models - who have been participants in the programme. This is where the journey starts for girls learning to play netball in a community that often discourages girls playing netball. Their presence in public playgrounds starts challenging gender stereotypes. Family and community members see girls in leadership, developing skills,taking decisions, managing themselves and each other and having fun! YPI Pragati participants play a netball league in their community and Udaan, a city-wise tournament for community teams.

The YPI also uses other modalities that can be tailor made to address specific needs::

• Essentials, a short life skills programme with interactive games for 16 – 18 year old girls/young women used where netball can’t be used as a tool
• Camps, a short 5 days netball and life skills programme used where YPI Pragati can’t be run e.g. in residential settings, with NGO partners, outside Delhi, Bengaluru or Mumbai
• Events, one-day activity to meet a specific need as defined by the host or to include those girls who can’t be reached otherwise.

Sport offers many girls and young women Leadership opportunities. With their age and ability responsibilities have the potential to increase. As the YPI programme aims at helping girls to understand and claim their rights, they participate in action project in which they address problems that they see in their communities. Peer leaders support girls in their batch, club leaders manage the netball club activities and Community Sports Coaches intern as co-facilitators while they’re developing employability skills. Girls playing in Maitrayana netball clubs are role models in their communities.

They play together, manage their clubs, discuss topics that are important for their present and future regarding their rights, gender, sexual reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, study and career. They engage in positive activities, are fit and inspire other girls. Through netball leagues, girls can build their skills, excel in their sport bringing them to the highest netball skills levels in India

The YPI runs an economic empowerment programme that supports girls and young women to work towards their education- and career goals. It recognises that young women need to set goals in their lives, learn hard- and develop soft skills, and need mentoring to address the barriers that they face such as lack of mobility, gender-based-violence, division of labour etc) in a country were less than 25% of the women constitute the workforce. They are provided with guidance, training programmes and industry exposure through internships which often lead to employment.