News

Strengthening Young Women's Leadership in Civics

YWLI 2022 DC

The Young Women’s Leadership Institute brought together young women from across the nation for a seven-day residential summer program in Washington, D.C. Participants learned about various aspects of leadership and the opportunities they have to be leaders and change-makers in their communities. The program featured guest speakers, hands-on learning activities, and culminated with the creation of eight community action plans. The point of the Institute is that these young women will take the community action plans that they created, and their new leadership skills, back to their home communities.

Guest Speakers

  • Rachel Kaganoff Stern, CEO, JSA
  • YWLI Alumnae Panel
    • Janelle Austin, Executive Director, George Floyd Global Memorial
    • Katrina Mulligan, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Army, JSA Summer Program Alumnae
    • Molly Ford, The Civics Center
    • Abbie Kaplan, CivixNow

Lesson Highlights

  • Introduction to Leadership
    • History of Leadership
    • Leadership theory and types of leadership
    • Leadership vs Management
  • Know Thyself: Leadership and Identity
    • Intersectionality
    • Building Empathy
  • Leading Through Crisis
    • Building Teams
    • Enabling Others to Act
    • Creating a Shared Inspired Vision

Other Activity Highlights

  • Culminating Project: Community Action Plans (topics from Summer 2022 YWLI include: period poverty, mental health, reproductive education, high school voter registration, neurodivergent education alliance, women's magazine, providing meals for students in the summer, translating health materials)
  • Student-led roundtables on current issues (Beauty Culture, Affirmative Action, Voting Age)
  • Critical Friends. Individuals bring scenarios from their life to a group to try to work through possible solutions.


Date

August 29, 2022