Kara Brown (now Kara Olayinka) was Director of The Young Women’s Movement from 2016-18, the youngest CEO in the history of YWCA at that time*, aged 27. Along with a team of brilliant women, Kara re-branded the charity into ‘The Young Women’s Movement’; she affiliated Scotland to the European YWCA; she founded the Status of Young Women in Scotland research, 30 Under 30 List, the first Advisory Panel, and Young Women Lead. Kara was the youngest of 10 women who advised on the World YWCA 2035 Envisioning Strategy then became Director of Women’s Engagement for World YWCA in 2018.

Kara Olayinka, past CEO of the YWM, stories shared April 2026

The Young Women’s Movement is a name that was chosen by a group of young women and non-binary activists back in 2015. Members and staff of The Young Women’s Movement played a key role in the No More Page 3 campaign (NMP3). During NMP3 HQ and Scottish branch meetings in 2014-15, I was working on the rebranding of YWCA Scotland so sought the advice of young activists Kaan K, Brenna Jessie, Ceris Aston, and Talat Yaqoob – and we chose ‘the movement’. The late Emma Ritch, Engender Executive Director, one of the greatest feminists, would call out ‘The Young Women’s Movement!’ with her witty smile when she saw us out and about in Edinburgh and Glasgow. This rallying cry is one of my fondest memories of Emma and my time leading The Young Women’s Movement.

The rebrand was more than just a new logo; it rebuilt a movement that had become stigmatised, due to negative attitudes towards feminism, and outdated. Becoming The Young Women’s Movement had a ripple effect – other organisations such as Children in Scotland came to us and asked how to set up youth advisory panels, the World YWCA put young women in strategic roles who re-energised the global movement, and brilliant and diverse young women staff and volunteers since 2015 have made history with ground-breaking research and programmes that continue today.

My predecessor Jackie Scutt led the merger of YWCA Scotland and YWCA Glasgow, and the very difficult closure of YWCA Livingston, during our co-directorship. Jackie and the then World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda changed my life. They are two in a line of truly incredible women mentors who believed in me in my early twenties and opened doors for me. I’m forever grateful for the women of this movement and wouldn’t be who I am today without Jackie, Nyaradzayi, and my former colleagues and trustees.

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