Monthly Archives: December 2012

Women in Public Service Launch Party

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This Friday we had our Women in Public Service Undergraduate Initiative launch party.

The project, launched by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in partnership with the U.S. Department of State and five leading women’s colleges – Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Wellesley, is housed at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars as of June 2012.

Their mission is to build a generation of women leaders who will invest in their countries and communities, provide leadership in their governments, and change the way global solutions are forged. Developed by a founding partnership of the Department of State and the five leading women’s colleges, WPSP will convene a series of global conversations and launch partnerships to educate and train a new generation of women to enter the public sector with the strategic leadership skills, energy, and commitment required to tackle today’s global challenges.

More information on the national project can be found here.

The Women in Public Service Institute is being held at Bryn Mawr College this summer. The Institute takes place from July 7-19 and will provide a forum for shared learning and dialogue among emerging women leaders from countries that have recently experienced disruptive conflict, but have reached a state of at least tenuous peace and are rebuilding, understanding that the boundaries between conflict and peace are often fragile and fluid.

My friend Maya and I were thrilled at the induction of the Women in Public Service Project, but saddened that undergraduates did not have all that much opportunity to be involved. We have since begun an undergraduate initiative, and had our official launch party a few weeks before the end of the semester. One of our endeavors is to host a series of lectures for women interested in public service leading up to the institute this summer. We hope to attract speakers who can share their unique experiences in public service, as well as speak about being women in male dominated fields. Hopefuls for next semester include Congresswoman Schwartz and Alice Rivlin.

Below are pictures from the launch party. In addition, please like our new Facebook page!

The Next Wave

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Last Tuesday I participated in The Next Wave, an international colloquium hosted by Bryn Mawr College.

The one-day colloquium aimed to discuss strategies for women’s advancement in this moment of global shift. It facilitated discussion on expanding sustainable economic opportunity for women post-2015, while broadening women’s participation in civic and political life, and engaging the talents of the “next wave” of emerging women activists and leaders.

I enjoyed watching keynote speaker Mary Ellen Iskenderian, president and CEO of Women’s World Banking who talked about issues of economic development for women namely, how human rights for women will never be fully recognized without economic rights for women. She also asked the audience to constantly question whether or not women are being served in NGO’s we support.

Throughout the colloquium I was particularly thankful for my Women in Society in the Global South seminar, a sociology class that I’m taking with Professor Mary Osirim. It helped me to better understand themes discussed throughout the day, in particular, women’s economic empowerment through the micro-enterprise sector.

Another speaker I really enjoyed seeing was Shelby Knox, who serves as the Director of Organizing, Women’s Rights for Change.org, the world’s largest petition platform. Ms. Knox said she was most proud to be a “young feminist organizer” and promoter of “clicktivism.” She also talked about a petition started on Change.org by three teens from New Jersey who wanted to have a female moderate one of the presidential debates this year, something that had not been done since 1992. This petition ultimately resulted in Candy Crowley moderating the second presidential debate.

Finally, students from Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, Smith and Brandeis, including my friend and fellow sociology major Molly Fessler, spoke about youth activism and the next wave of change. There were many female high school students at the colloquium and I’m certain this discussion was particularly enlightening for them to hear. I would have loved to have been a part of a Next Wave like conference while in high school, and am thankful for the opportunity to do so in college.

Photo from Bryn Mawr College.